06/15/2016

The 2016 Hockomock Baseball All Stars & HMs

Below are the official 2016 Hockomock Baseball All Stars.

Hockomock League MVP

Luke Figueira, Taunton

Honorable Mentions

Tyler McGovern, Attleboro
Joe Peccia, Canton
Nick Wright, Foxboro
Josh Macchi, Franklin
Tyler Dalton, Mansfield
Blake Hill, Milford
John O’Donnell, North Attleboro
Zach Sato, Oliver Ames
Jordan Chabot, Sharon
Jack Connelly, Stoughton
Max Bowden, Taunton

05/25/2016

O’Donnell, Strong Start Help Rocketeers Snap Skid

By Michael Antonellis, HockomockSports.com Contributor

FOXBORO, Mass. – Less than 48 hours after being no hit in a 2-0 extra innings loss to Attleboro, North Attleboro did a complete 180, and jumping out to a quick start in a 4-0 victory over Foxboro.

Leadoff man Kyle McCarthy slapped a stand up double to start the game for the Rocketeers, and senior Brian Poillucci’s ground out pushed McCarthy to third. Zach DeMattio drove McCarthy in from third on an RBI single, and an infield single from Ridge Olsen put runners on first and second.

Tyler LaFreniere ripped an RBI double to make it 2-0, and also put himself and Olsen into scoring position. Two consecutive batters were hit by pitches, the first one loading the bases and the second one bringing a run home, making it 3-0 North Attleboro.

With the bases still juiced, Foxboro starting pitcher Aaron Wentling battled back and ended the inning on a strikeout looking and a fielder’s choice ground out.

“[North Attleboro] was aggressive early on in the game,” Foxboro head coach Chris Sullivan said. “He (Wentling) didn’t have his off speed stuff and they jumped on some fastballs… we constantly talk about playing hard for all 21 outs. We settled in, but obviously we didn’t do a good job of getting through that first inning.”

The game marked the last starting pitching appearance for North Attleboro senior John O’Donnell and he made the most of it. The crafty lefty threw a complete game shutout, tallied seven strikeouts and only allowed two hits while on the hill. He allowed one runner via a hit by pitch in the second, walked one batter in the bottom of the seventh and let up two singles, one in the fourth and one in the seventh.

The Foxboro bats couldn’t respond to the initial North Attleboro crooked run inning, and O’Donnell wasn’t making it an easier for them. The senior lefty jumped ahead in virtually every count, and didn’t waste any time wasting pitches even when he was up 0-2 in the count.

His inside and outside pattern of his fastballs were complemented by his off speed plunging lefty curve. However, when the ball was put into play, O’Donnell’s fielding core was there to track down numerous fly balls and quick grounders looking to get through the gaps.

“He mixed his pitches up very well,” North Attleboro coach Paul Tobin said. “His location was sharp and he had great command today. We talked about getting the first batter (out) each inning and he was able to do that up until the sixth. I was very pleased with his job today.”

After the first inning, Wentling settled in and didn’t allow a run for the remainder of his outing. He fanned five and his defense made many plays, including three double plays.

No runs were scored again until the top of the seventh. Wentling was replaced by senior Steve Couroupacis.

An infield single followed by a sacrifice bunt moved the runner to second. Back to back walks loaded the bases for the Rocketeers. An RBI single from LaFreniere, his second RBI of the night, was the final insurance run for North. A double play ended the inning and left only three outs for the Warriors to work with. A leadoff walk in the bottom half for Foxboro followed by a single from Cam Feldman threatened North, but the door was closed shortly thereafter with a 4-6-3 double play and a game ending ground out to second.

North Attleboro snapped a nine game skid with the win, improving to 7-12 overall and 6-10 in league play. The Rocketeers will conclude their season on Friday when they host Bishop Feehan under the lights at Community Field. Foxboro (7-12, 5-11) next hosts Carver as they prepare of the MIAA tournament.

05/24/2016

Attleboro Beats North Thanks to Tellier No Hitter

Attleboro baseball — Attleboro senior Nate Tellier tossed an eight-inning no hitter against North Attleboro, striking out 16 hitters in the process. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. – Going into its final three games of the season, Attleboro needed two wins to clinch a spot in the state tournament. On Monday night, under the lights at Community Field, the Bombardiers threw their ace, senior Nate Tellier, against North Attleboro in the annual Blue and Red Cup game.

Attleboro needed a solid start from its top pitcher. Tellier went way beyond solid; he gave the Bombardiers historic.

The UMass Dartmouth-commit tossed a no hitter against the Rocketeers, striking out 16 over eight innings, including a stretch beginning in the second inning in which he fanned 11 of 12 batters that he faced. With a dominating fastball and a curve that he could throw for strikes, Tellier limited North to four base runners: lead-off walks in the first and second, a fielder’s choice in the first, and an error on a bunt in the sixth.

North Attleboro coach Paul Tobin summed it up succinctly, “That’s the best pitching performance I’ve seen in seven years of coaching in the Hockomock League…Tellier was untouchable.”

Tellier’s effort was matched almost pitch by pitch by North starter Andy Katch, who threw seven shutout innings of his own before allowing an eighth inning rally that would produce the winning runs for the Bombardiers, as Attleboro claimed the cup with a 2-0 extra innings victory.

“It was a shame someone had to lose that game,” said Attleboro coach Matt Bosh, praising Katch for the way he kept the Bombardiers off-balance. “It was just a great pitcher’s duel.”

North had its best chance in the bottom of the sixth. Tobin called for a bunt from nine-hitter Zach Rofno and he placed it down the third base line. If Tellier’s throw had been on line it would have been an out, so it went down as an error on the pitcher.

Rofno stole second and moved to third with two outs on a grounder, but he was stranded when Tellier got Zach DeMattio to bounce back to the mound.

Tobin said, “If we could have gotten that one hit I felt really good that he was going to shut them out in the seventh. We just couldn’t get that two-out hit, which has been a pattern for us.”

Will Carter lined a two-out double to left center, bouncing it into the stands that line the warning track, but Katch got Robbie Araujo to ground out to end the inning. In the bottom half, Tellier made quick work of the Rocketeers with two strikeouts and a grounder to first.

The game was scoreless into the eighth, but finally Attleboro got something going. Pinch hitter Nolan Kane worked a lead-off walk and after Katch struck out Brent Cook, No. 9 hitter Cam Hochwarter smashed a ground-rule double to left to put two in scoring position.

Bosh joked, “[Cam’s] been using a 33-inch bat for two years. Yesterday at practice, out of nowhere, he used a 32 and he’s hitting lasers…and I was like why didn’t you think of that sooner?”

Jon Dunn followed with a clutch single to left that scored both runners. An error and hit by Tellier would load the bases but John O’Donnell came in to relieve Katch and got a line drive and a fly ball to center that Kyle McCarthy made an excellent play on despite barely being able to see it in the limited Community Field lighting.

Tellier did not need any more than two runs. He got a comebacker for the first out and then, facing a pair of pinch hitters, he overwhelmed the final two batters with his fastball that during the game the North coaches labeled the fastest they have seen this year.

“To me he’s the best player in the league all-around,” said Bosh about Tellier. “He’s had his fastball working all year; he had his deuce working and he kept his pitch count down…He was just lights out tonight. He was awesome.”

In his last outing he threw 136 pitches and Tellier admitted that his arm was still sore from that last start. He took some Advil on Monday morning and that seemed to help a little. Then he went and threw the best game of his career.

“It helped that I was getting ahead of batters and not getting deep into counts,” said Tellier. “That really drove my pitch count down.”

When asked if there was any consideration of him being done after the seventh, Tellier insisted, “No question, I was going. There was no way I was not finishing this game.”

In the midst of the pitcher’s duel and the drama of the scoreless game, many people were unaware that Tellier was working on a no hitter as the final inning began (this reporter included). In fact it was not until he was about to take the mound for the eighth inning that Tellier even became aware of what he was working on.

“I was just focused on getting outs up until the eighth inning and then when it came around I was like wait,” he said with smile, still soaked from the water his teammates dumped on him in the postgame celebration.

Tobin was proud of the way his team competed on Monday with nothing more to play for than the trophy and a chance to beat its rival. He praised Katch for giving his all and felt bad that the senior could not have been rewarded for his great start.

“I thought Andy Katch pitched a tremendous game,” he said. “Seven shutout innings, what more can you ask of a kid? Any other game and that’s a win and it’s heartbreaking for Andy to not get the win with that kind of effort.”

Attleboro rode a historic start to a win on Monday and will go into its final two games needing one more win to clinch a postseason berth.

Bosh said, “These are games all year that we’ve lost where it’s close late and there’s a bad break or an error or a base hit…That’s the kind of win we haven’t gotten all year.

“Things seem to be coming together and hopefully we can get tomorrow out of the way, so we don’t have all that pressure for Wednesday.”

Attleboro (9-9, 8-7) will travel to Frothingham Park on Tuesday to face Oliver Ames. North Attleboro (6-12, 5-10) will face Foxboro.

Josh Perry can be contacted at JoshPerry@hockomocksports.com and followed on Twitter at @Josh_Perry10.

05/06/2016

Friday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/06/16

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Taunton, 8 @ Canton, 2 – Final – Senior Charles Hearrold III had another strong outing for the Tigers, allowing just one earned in in five innings of work, scattering four hits with six strikeouts. The Tigers’ offense was led by Matt Machado (two hits, three runs), Kevin Griffin (two hits, RBI) and Luke Figueira (two hits, two RBI, run).

King Philip, 8 @ Foxboro, 1 – Final – Jake Lannigan shined on the mound for the Warriors, scattering three hits without surrendering an earned run in a complete game effort. Lannigan struck out six to earn the win. Offensively, Will Weir drove in three runs, Stephen Murray connected for a two-run home run and Jon Rolfe also knocked in a pair of runs. Kyle Guenthner picked up two of King Philip’s nine hits on the day.

Franklin, 0 @ Stoughton, 3 – Final – Doug Seaman broke a scoreless game open in the fourth inning by hitting a single, advancing to second on an error, stealing third and coming home on a hit from junior Jack Connelly (2-3). Seaman (2-3) produced the next two runs for the Black Knights with a two RBI single in the next inning to cap the scoring. For the second straight start, Justin Hutchinson was on point, throwing a complete game with just two hits allowed, striking out eight for the win. Franklin sophomore Jason Ulrickson was strong in his first varsity start, throwing six innings and giving up just four hits, two earned runs and struck out four. Junior Ryan Hodgkins went 2-3 at the plate for the Panthers.

Mansfield, 3 @ Sharon, 0 – Final – Click here for a full recap.

North Attleboro, 0 @ Milford, 1 – Final – It was a classic pitcher’s duel between Milford’s Alex Macek and North Attleboro’s John O’Donnell. In just his second start of the season, Macek was efficient with a complete game, 83 pitch shutout effort. Macek fanned seven batters, allowing four hits. O’Donnell was equally as good for the Rocketeers, striking out six while allowing just five hits. The difference came in the third inning when Milford sophomore Aidan Wilde smacked an RBI triple to score freshman Alex Coady, who reached on a one-out single.

Softball
Canton, 0 @ Taunton, 14 – Final (5 inn.) – Courtney Fisher picked up her fourth win of the season, retiring the final 14 batters in order after allowing just one hit with no walks. With the win, the Tigers qualified for the the state tournament. Offensively, Sarah Bagge went 2-2 with an RBI, Jordan Wade was 2-4 with an RBI, a double and three runs scored, Jaime Brown went 2-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, Amber Wainwright drove in three runs and had a double and Hailey Medeiros went 1-1 with an RBI for the Tigers.

Foxboro, 0 @ King Philip, 12 – Final (6 inn.) – The Warriors of King Philip recorded 15 hits as a team in a big win. Ashley Hession had a big day at the plate with three hits, including a double and a triple, and knocked in four runs. Brianna Lacy added three hits with a double and three RBI and Jenn Hutnyan had a pair of hits for the Warriors. Hutnyan combined with Kali Magane for a three hit shutout in the circle. Magane struck out 10 in four innings of work.

Stoughton, 1 @ Franklin, 8 – Final – Franklin head coach Kate Fallon-Comeau praised the effort of senior pitcher Caroline D’Aprile, who tossed a complete game with nine strikeouts and five hits allowed. Offensively, Clara DeCarvalho was 1-2 with a pair of walks and an RBI double, Alexx Niss was 2/4 at the plate, Olivia DiGiacomo had a two RBI double and Kerry Blaney scored a pair of runs for the Panthers.

Sharon, 0 @ Mansfield, 5 – Final – Mansfield pitcher Maddie Letendre only surrendered three hits to the Eagles, striking out 12 to earn the win. Offensively, the Hornets notched nine hits with three players getting a pair each. Maddie Letendre helped her cause by going 2-3 with an RBI, Jocelyn Reardon was also 2-3 with an RBI and Bri Homer had a pair of hits. Rachel Carafa drove in a pair of runs and had a hit, Megan Letendre had one RBI and one hit and Liz Mackin also had a hit for the Hornets.

Milford, 3 @ North Attleboro, 6 – Final – Amelia Murphy got the win in the circle after seven innings of work and helped her cause at the plate, belting a three run home run as the Rocketeers handed Milford its first league loss of the season. Mycala Moody went 2-3 for North Attleboro, scoring a pair of runs while Liz Morehouse reached base three runs with one hit and two walks.

Boys Lacrosse
Canton, 5 @ Medway, 12 – Final

Mansfield, 15 @ Taunton, 1 – Final – Senior Josh Schafer scored his first two goals of the season and classmate Preet Patel netted his first career goal to pace Mansfield. Sam O’Connell scored a hat trick and Billy Grant scored twice and had three assists. Jon Reed, Cullen Murphy, Jarrett Saunders, Joe Cox, Pat Graham, Sean Powers and Dan Plugis all scored once for Mansfield.

North Attleboro, 7 @ Silver Lake, 1 – Final

Girls Lacrosse
Attleboro, 9 @ Sharon, 10 – Final (OT)

Foxboro, 8 vs. Walpole, 12 – Final

Taunton, 2 @ Mansfield, 18 – Final – Mansfield had nine different players find the back of the net in the win on Friday. Caroline Maher led the charge with five goals while Julia Todesco scored three times and Emily Aarons scored twice. Taunton’s Abbey Kingman and Kayla Phillips eached scored once and Tatum Speicher had an assist.

Boys Tennis
Taunton, 1 @ Canton, 4 – Final

King Philip, 5 @ Foxboro, 0 – Final – Although it was a sweep for King Philip, it was far from a rout. Two matches went to three sets and another was decided in a super tiebreaker. Cole Ginter and Blake Ginter both won 6-1, 6-1 at first and third singles for the Warriors. Garrett Schneider battled back at second singles to score a 1-6, 6-3, 11-9 win. Sam Colella and Ryan Gemelli had to also rally, winning 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (11-9) at first doubles while Justin Rohan and Marco DiStefano won 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 at second doubles.

Stoughton, 0 @ Franklin, 5 – Final

Mansfield, 0 @ Sharon, 5 – Final

North Attleboro, 5 @ Milford, 0 – Final – North Attleboro won all five matches in straight sets to earn the win. Senior Mitchell Dyer won 6-3, 6-2 at first singles, junior Zack Pfeffer won 6-3, 6-3 at second singles and junior Barsomo Nuay won 6-2, 6-1 at third singles. Seniors Jeff Yao and Nick Lockavitch won 6-0, 6-2 at first singles and senior Jake Fontes and junior Daniel Zhang won 6-1, 6-2 at second doubles for the Rocketeers.

Girls Tennis
Canton, 2 @ Taunton, 3 – Final

Foxboro @ King Philip, 3:30

Franklin @ Stoughton, 3:30

Sharon, 5 @ Mansfield, 0 – Final – The Sharon Eagles scored a dominant victory on Friday, not losing a single set against the Hornets. Sophomore Lulu Yuan won 6-1, 6-0 at first singles, freshman Nupur Shulka won 6-1, 6-0 at second singles and sophomore Emily Wen won 6-0, 6-1 at third singles. Seniors Pooja Puttigampala and Michal Kondratiev won 6-1, 6-1 at first doubles and sophomore Katie Merpot and junior Sydney Gordon won 6-0, 6-0 at second doubles.

Milford, 0 @ North Attleboro, 5 – Final

Boys Volleyball
Milford, 3 @ Randolph, 0 – Final
Taunton, 0 vs. Greater New Bedford, 3 – Final

04/13/2016

Wednesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 04/13/16

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Franklin, 13 @ Attleboro, 2 – Final – Franklin’s offense reached double figures for the second straight game to pick up another road win. Tyler Gomes had a pair of doubles and five RBI to lead Franklin while Jake Lyons had two hits, an RBI and a run scored, Josh Macchi had two hits, two runs and an RBI, Ryan Hodgkins had a triple and three runs scored, Steven Luttazi had a pair of hits, a pair of runs scored and an RBI and Joe Corsi scored a pair of runs. Mike Skaza got the win on the mound, tossing five innings and striking out four. Ryan Morse pitched two scoreless innings in relief for Franklin. Attleboro’s Pat Collins went 2-4 with an RBI double for the Bombardiers.

Foxboro, 0 @ Canton, 12 – Final – Canton’s Kevin Powers threw a complete game shutout with four strikeouts, issuing just one walk for the win. At the plate, Powers was 3-4 with two runs scored, Joe Peccia was 1-3 with three runs scored, Mike McMahon was 3-4 with a run scored and a stolen base and sophomore Matt Casamento was 1-2 with two runs scored.

King Philip, 2 @ Mansfield, 0 – Final (9 inn.) – Senior Jon Rolfe picked up the win with a complete game shutout, allowing just five hits. Rolfe had 82 total pitches – 62 for strikes – in an efficient outing that saw him strike out three batters. In the top of the ninth, Stephan MacMean’s leadoff double to turned into a run when junior Will Weir singled him home. Three straight singles from Rolfe, senior Jack DiCenso and senior Jake Cavanagh plated pinch runner Rich Lucente for the Warriors’ second run.

Milford, 7 @ Sharon, 1 – Final – Sophomore Aidan Wilde struck out six in five innings of no hit baseball to get the win on the mound for the Scarlet Hawks. Chris Speroni was 2-3 with three stolen bases and two runs scored while Blake Hill had a triple and two RBI.

North Attleboro, 8 @ Taunton, 2 – Final – North Attleboro’s John O’Donnell scattered five hits and one walk over seven innings of work, striking out five to pick up the win for the Rocketeers. North Attleboro erased a deficit with a four run fourth inning to get the lead including a pair of runs coming off suicide squeezes. Zach Rofino was 2-5 with two RBI, Kyle McCarthy was 2-4 with a pair of RBI, Ethan Hebard added a pair of hits, Bryan Harris had a hat and two sacrifices and Ridge Olsen finished with two hits. North Attleboro amassed 12 hits as a team. Taunton’s Max Bowden had two hits and an RBI for the Tigers.

Stoughton, 9 @ Oliver Ames, 1 – Final – Stoughton scored eight runs with two outs in the top of the fifth inning.

Softball
Franklin, 8 @ Attleboro, 1 – Final

Canton, 5 @ Foxboro, 10 – Final – Foxboro scored six runs in the sixth inning to earn its first win of the season. Emma Rohan struck out seven and walked just three to earn the win in the circle for Foxboro. At the plate, Marylou Long went 3-3 and Chelsea Gibbons had a pair of hits in the big sixth inning for the Warriors.

Mansfield, 0 @ King Philip, 9 – Final – Kali Magane struck out 15 batters and threw her first no hitter of the season for the Warriors. Offensively, King Philip had 14 hits as a team led by Jenn Hutnyan’s three hits and a fourth inning grand slam. Christa Wagner had three hits, including a double and a triple, and Ashley Hession had two hits.

Sharon, 0 @ Milford, 15 – Final (5 inn.) – Milford’s Kaitlyn DeCapua was 3-3 with a pair of runs knocked in and a home run in the first inning that was the highlight of a 10-run inning for the Scarlet Hawks. Sophomore Emily Piergustavo was 3-3 at the plate, driving in four runs and scoring a pair herself and Maggie Farrell added a pair of hits and knocked in four runs. Kelley Reichert struck out four, allowing just one hit, in five innings of work to earn the win.

Taunton, 9 @ North Attleboro, 0 – Final – Taunton’s Aimee Kistner threw her second consecutive no hitter, this time striking out 10 while scattering three walks. Sophomore Kya Enos went 4-4 with a double and an RBI, Jordan Wade had three hits with two RBI and a double, Meg Navarro had two hits and an RBI and Jaime Brown went 2-3 with a double and two RBI. Bailey Clapp and Sarah Bagge each added two hits and Rebekah Lajoie had a pinch hit two run home run for the Tigers.

Stoughton, 3 @ Oliver Ames, 4 – Final – OA’s Lexie Campbell’s complete game effort, with just two earned runs allowed, helped the Tigers pick up a win. Jamie Gottwald went 3-3 at the play, knocking in a pair of runs and Rachel Han was 1-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Lizzie Miller also had an RBI and a run scored while Victoria Ziner and Caroline Mahoney each added hits for Oliver Ames. Stoughton’s Nicole Bodette, Jordan Lyons and Karly Estramerea all had two hits for the Black Knights.

Boys Lacrosse
Mansfield, 14 @ Attleboro, 2 – Final – Ryan Smith led a balanced attack with a game-high four goals while Sam O’Connell and Connor Finerty each added three goals and Joe Cox and Billy Grant chipped in with two goals apiece.

King Philip, 10 @ Canton, 4 – Final – King Philip started strong, building a 5-1 lead after the first quarter but didn’t put the game away until adding four goals in the fourth quarter. Sam Agricola led the offense with four goals and one assist and senior Steven Eaton led the defense with 10 groundballs. John DeLuca and Harrison Fallon each scored a pair of goals and Tim Watson added two more with an assist.

Oliver Ames, 3 @ Foxboro, 12 – Final – Louis Piccolo scored four goals and Colin Spinney netted a hat trick to lead the offense for the Warriors. Connor McNamara added a goal and three assists and Brendan Tully found the back of the net twice and had one assist. Pat Kaveny had five groundballs for Foxboro.

Franklin, 18 @ Sharon, 4 – Final – The teams finished level (3-3) at the end of the first quarter but Franklin won the second quarter 6-0 and the second half 9-1 to get the win. Freshman Jacob Alexander dominated the faceoff X, winning 24/26 draws while sophomore Eric Civetti tied a team record with eight goals in the game. Senior Austin Kent added four goals and three assists and sophomore goalie Connor O’Rourke made seven saves in net. Head coach Lou Verrochi credited the defense of Sean Lockhart, Matt Pleshaw, Wyatt Arsenault and Patrick Morrison for limited the Eagles after the first quarter.

Milford, 4 @ North Attleboro, 16 – Final – Sophomore Colin Young scored four goals to lead the Rocketeers.

Girls Lacrosse
Attleboro, 11 @ Mansfield, 10 – Final (OT)

Foxboro, 18 @ Oliver Ames, 5 – Final

Sharon, 3 @ Franklin, 17 – Final – Julia Jette scored a team-high four goals, including her 100th career goal, and added two assists to lead the Panthers. Grace MacCallum had a pair of goals and four draw controls and Olivia Truenow had two groundballs and played well on defense according to head coach Kristin Igoe.

North Attleboro, 19 @ Milford, 3 – Final

Boys Tennis
Franklin, 5 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final – Franklin’s Rahul Herur and Eli Brooks picked up 6-1, 6-1 wins at first and second singles respectively to lead the Panthers. Tom Mancini won 6-2, 6-1 at third singles for Franklin, James Johnston and Cam Piana won 6-1, 6-0 at first doubles and Jeremy Gan and Dan Barrow won 6-1, 6-2 at second doubles for the Panthers.

Foxboro, 1 @ Canton, 4 – Final

King Philip, 5 @ Mansfield, 0 – Final – King Philip sophomore Cole Ginter rallied for a 3-6 7-5, 1-0 (11-9) at first singles to lead the Warriors. Garrett Schneider won 6-2, 6-3 at second singles and Blake Ginter won 6-1, 6-1 at third singles. Ryan Gemelli and Sam Colella won 6-3, 6-2 at first doubles and Justin Rohan and Jake Webster won 6-3, 6-0 at second doubles for KP.

Milford, 0 @ Sharon, 5 – Final

North Attleboro, 5 @ Taunton, 0 – Final – Rallies at both first and second singles anchored the Rocketeers to a win. Mitchell Dyer rallied for a 4-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-5) win at first singles and Barsomo Nuay won 6-7, 6-3, 1-0 (10-5). North junior Zack Pfeffer won 6-0, 6-0 at third singles, Jeff Yao and Nick Lockavitch won 6-3, 6-4 at first doubles and Jake Fontes and Daniel Zhang won 6-1, 6-0 at second doubles.

Oliver Ames, 5 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final – Oliver Ames won each singles match in straight sets to pick up its first win of the season. Thomas O’Leary won 6-1, 6-0 at first singles, Greg Weinstein won 6-1, 6-4 at second singles and Jarrod Hedlund won 6-0, 6-1 at third singles.

Girls Tennis
Attleboro, 0 @ Franklin, 5 – Final – Franklin didn’t lose a game at first or second singles as well as first doubles to get the win. Hannah Sweeney and Anna Humphreys won 6-0, 6-0 at first and second singles respectively while junior Anja Deric and senior Katelyn Davenport won with the same score at first doubles. Franklin junior Madison Derby won 6-3, 2-6, 13-11 at third singles and seniors Halle Love and Selina Wu won 6-3, 6-2 at second doubles.

Canton, 1 @ Foxboro, 4 – Final – Diana Prinos, Sophia Prinos and Lexi Nelson all won in straight sets without losing a game in singles play to lead the Warriors. Michaela McCarthy and Diana Hickox won 6-2, 6-2 at second doubles for Foxboro. Canton’s Tiffany Ha and Sarah MacQuarrie won 6-2, 6-4 at first doubles.

Mansfield, 2 @ King Philip, 3 – Final – The Warriors swept doubles play and got a win at third singles to edge out the Hornets. Kelly Masse’s and Megan Davenport’s marathon 7-6, 1-6, 6-4 win at first doubles was key while Molly Citarell and Corinne Palumbo won 6-1, 6-4 at second doubles. Sophomore Megan Sepich notched a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 comeback win at third singles for the Warriors. Mansfield’s Paulina Martin won 6-0, 6-1 at first singles and Kathleen Giffels won 6-2, 6-3 at second singles.

Sharon, 5 @ Milford, 0 – Final – Sharon didn’t lose a game in singles play and lost only three games in the two doubles matches combined in the win. Lulu Yuan, Nupur Shulka and Emily Wen all won 6-0, 6-0 at first, second and third singles respectively. Pooja Puttigampala and Michal Kondratiev teamed up for a 6-0, 6-3 win at first doubles and Katie Merpot and Sydney Gordon won 6-0, 6-0 at second doubles.

Taunton, 0 @ North Attleboro, 5 – Final

Stoughton, 1 @ Oliver Ames, 4 – Final – Oliver Ames swept singles play and got a win at first doubles to pick up the victory. Riley Spillane won 6-2, 6-2 at first singles, Jackie Sulkala won 6-2, 6-3 at second singles and Sarah Leger won 6-0, 6-3 at third singles. Lark Warner and Olivia Groebe rallied to win 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 at first doubles for OA. Stoughton’s Becca Lawson and Ellie Kashian won 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 at second doubles for the Black Knights.

Boys Outdoor Track
North Attleboro @ Attleboro 3:45

Girls Outdoor Track
North Attleboro, 121 @ Attleboro 15 – Final

Boys Volleyball
Taunton, 1 vs. Barnstable 3 – Final – Taunton fell behind 2-0 in close, won the third game but Barnstable won the fourth game to win the match. Set scores were 23-25, 23-25, 25-13, 14-25. Ricardo DaFonseca had 43 assists and 11 digs along with a block and an ace for the Tigers. Sophomore Lance Law had 22 kills, eight digs and an ace, Collin Hunter played well with 11 kills and a block and Nate Grant was strong in the back row with 16 digs.

04/06/2016

Baseball: Kelley-Rex Division Preview 2016

By HockomockSports.com Staff

ATTLEBORO

2015 Record: 8-12
2015 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Matt Bosh

A rough end to the 2015 campaign kept the Bombardiers out of the postseason last year but with 11 seniors and a good amount returning experienced players, Attleboro is looking to get back to the playoffs this year.

“We have a lot of returning varsity players from last year, and we have three two-year captains, four [captains] overall,” head coach Matt Bosh said. “The positive thing is that even though we have a lot from last year’s team back, there is still a lot of competition for playing time, which will hopefully bring out the best in all of our kids.”

Both Nate Tellier and Tyler Stowe are returning three year starters and captains this season, alongside seniors Will Carter and Jon Dunn. Tellier is one of the best shortstops in the league and led the Bombardiers in hitting last season with a .357 average and 14 runs scored. Tellier will also be a force on the mound after recording a 1.44 ERA in 34 innings last season. Stowe will man first base when he isn’t pitching.

Matt Callahan, Cam Hochwarter, Brandon Galvao and Robbie Araujo will all see time in the infield along with Tellier and Stowe and juniors Dylan Maskell and Dylan Prout should also fit in the infield. Will Carter returns behind the plate while Dunn patrols centerfield. Pat Collins, Brent Cook and John Burns are all likely candidates to see time in left and right.

Along with Tellier and Stowe on the mound, Dunn, Galvao, Callahan, Prout, Maskell, Nolan Kane, Tyler McGovern and James Weir should see time.

FRANKLIN

2015 Record: 16-8
2015 Finish: Reached D1 South Semifinals
Coach: Zach Brown

The Panthers reached the D1 South Semifinals last year but there will be some voids left from graduation that Franklin needs to fill in order to get back there.

“We have a lot of positions up for grabs,” head coach Zach Brown said. “But I’m really excited about the opportunity we have this season. We have a lot of new talented players that are competing hard for playing time and open positions and roles. We will be relying on some younger guys, sophomores and juniors, to help fill some critical positions. Competition during practice and scrimmages has been intense. I think we have a unique blend of veterans and a new influx of talent. I’m very optimistic about what this team can become by the end of the season.”

The talent that Franklin does have back is a good group with Alex Bissanti returning at second base, Mike Skaza back to pitch and patrol the outfield, Nick Santucci at shortstop, Tyler Gomes will move to catcher full time and Jake Lyons will handle centerfield duties. Joe Corsi will handle a variety of roles and Josh Macchi will take over first base.

Franklin graduated 10 seniors from last year’s squad that included the entire pitching rotation and closer. Brown noted sophomores Jake Noviello and Matt Foley will see time on the mound this season.

KING PHILIP

2015 Record: 5-15
2015 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Pat Weir

King Philip has seven seniors and seven juniors on its roster this year and a good chunk of that experience comes on the mound.

“I can say in my short three years at KP this current group is the most cohesive group I’ve been around,” head coach Pat Weir said. “Solid senior leadership, solid team chemistry and competition is very healthy.”

Jake Lannigan, Jake Cavanagh, Jon Rolfe and Jack DiCenso are all seniors that have experience on the mound. Rolfe notched a 1.80 ERA in 35 innings last year while striking out 26 while Cavanaugh tossed over 41 innings, striking out 35 with a 2.88 ERA. Rolfe is also the top returning hitter after hitting .302 last year.

Leo Munafo returns as the starting catcher and Will Weir is back at shortstop for another year. Stephan MacMeans had a strong year in the outfield last season and will patrol centerfield again this season. All four senior pitchers previously mentioned will all see time in the field as well.

MANSFIELD

2016 Record: 17-6
2016 Finish: Reached D1 South Final
Coach: Joe Breen

Last season was a banner year for first year head coach Joe Breen and the Hornets as Mansfield won its first league title since 2007 and reached the D1 South Finals. But last year is already in the rearview mirror for the 2016 Hornets.

“After a great season last year, we are a whole new team,” head coach Joe Breen said. “We have a talented group of multi-sport athletes that look to transition from the JV ranks to the varsity ranks this spring. We have some great senior leaders at the top and quite a bit of young talent to fill in the holes left by last year’s large graduating class. I’m excited to see what players breakthrough in our pre-season practices and scrimmages.”

Key returnees include senior catcher Mike Arnold, senior first baseman Tyrone Pascual and senior center fielder Charlie DeMassi. Expect each of them to be in the top of the order. DeMassi showed off his defensive prowess in the center last season and will be a key piece this year.

The biggest question mark for the defender Kelley-Rex champions will be pitching. Breen said he will be looking for seniors Jared Menzer, Jack Neureter and Michael Kirejczyk to step up alongside sophomore Tyler Dalton.

North Attleboro

2015 Record: 8-12
2015 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Paul Tobin

Last season ended far from how Big Red had planned when they dropped nine of their last 10 games to miss out on the playoffs. But head coach Paul Tobin brings back his two top pitchers and a solid group of experienced seniors.

“This is a smart, good-character group who are fun to coach,” Tobin said. “The middle of the lineup should hit. If we get production from some of our new players and the expected contributions from our returning veterans we should be in the thick of the race.”

Seniors John O’Donnell and Andy Katch are back on the mound for the Rocketeers. O’Donnell logged over 36 innings on the mound last year with a 2.89 ERA and 23 strikeouts. Ridge Olsen is back and will patrol left field after batting a team-high .433 last year with 13 RBI and Brian Kleczkowski returns to first base after hitting .321 last year with 16 RBI.

Junior catcher Tyler LaFreniere is also back along with second baseman Brian Poillucci and centerfielder Bryan Harris. Tobin noted junior Brett Cloutier, junior John Brennan and sophomore Zach DeMattio will factor in this season.

TAUNTON

2015 Record: 14-8
2015 Finish: Reached D1 South Quarterfinals
Coach: Jeff Sylvia

Taunton has had a lot of success since joining the Hockomock League and head coach Jeff Sylvia is hopeful that will continue this year. With a handful of very good players back, it’s likely that will continue.

“Our goal is to be better on April 30th than March 30th,” Sylvia said. “And then even better on May 30th.”

Taunton brings back Luke Figueira, who was the 2014 HockomockSports.com Underclassman of the Year as a sophomore and then was one of the league’s best all around players last year as a junior. Figueira batted a team-high .500 with 15 RBI and pitched over 35 innings with 51 strikeouts, posting a 1.78 ERA. Jose Mercado will see an expanded role on the mound after striking out 25 in 18 innings last year.

Max Bowden returns behind the plate and will also be back as the closer after four saves and a 1.62 ERA last year. Sylvia also has Brendon Mazzerole back, who was selected to the HockomockSports.com First Team as a third maseman last year. Mazzerole will shift to short this year and will look to build upon his .429 average from last year.

Senior Kevin Griffin also brings back some experience while seniors Charles Hearrold III and Dan Noonan and junior Danny Keogh will try to make an impact this season. Sylvia is also looking for sophomores Joe Manchester and Jacob Crawford to slide into roles early on.

Tag: John O’Donnell