06/19/2018

2018 Hockomock League Baseball All Stars

Below are the official 2018 Hockomock League Baseball All Stars, selected by the coaches in the league.

Hockomock League MVP

Tyler Dalton, Mansfield

Honorable Mentions:
Alvaro Espinal, Attleboro
Matthew Pigeon, Canton
Joseph Freitas, Foxboro
Colby Fitzgibbons, Franklin
David Morganelli, King Philip
Justin Pena, Mansfield
Matthew Shaver, Milford
Peter Cohen, North Attleboro
Michael Mulrean, Oliver Ames
Max Tarlin, Sharon
Evan Gibb, Stoughton
Josh Lajoie, Taunton

06/09/2018

Mansfield Drops Extra Inning Heartbreaker To Walpole

Mansfield baseball — Mansfield’s Kevin Dow delivers a pitch against Walpole in a Super 8 game. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

BROCKTON, Mass. – It was a roller coaster ride for the Mansfield Hornets on Friday night at Campanelli Stadium in Brockton.

Trailing 7-2 and just one out away from elimination, Mansfield orchestrated an improbable comeback. Seven straight Hornets reached safely, including six hits, resulting in five runs that tied the game and sent the game to extra innings.

But as quickly as the Hornets got back into the game, the roller coaster ride came to a screeching halt.

Walpole bounced right back in the top of the tenth, scoring three runs on three straight hits with two outs, taking a 10-7 decision over the Hornets. With the loss, Mansfield is eliminated from the Super 8 tournament.

“When you get to a certain point to the game, and you’re trailing and you know there’s a lot to be done in order to get back in the game, you stay positive and just take it one pitch at a time,” said Mansfield head coach Joe Breen. “These guys just kept battling, that’s the type of team we had. Our motto over the last couple of weeks has been ‘empty the tank’ and while we lost tonight, the boys definitely emptied the tank tonight and I’m so proud of them.”

Walpole scored a run in the fifth, two more in the sixth, and broke the game wide open with a four-run seventh inning to take a 7-2 lead over the Hornets with just two innings to go.

It looked as though the Rebels were ready to celebrate with a 1-2-3 ninth inning when starting pitcher Matt Donato got the first two outs in just five pitches.

Breen called upon Chris Kelleher for a pinch-hit attempt and the senior delivered, giving Mansfield a chance with a single.

“I think Chris has probably six at-bats this year but he’s just a guy that has hits in key situations,” Breen said. “I knew he’d go out there and put a good swing on something. Fortunately, it came with two outs and sparked a rally. That’s just a senior doing the job for his team.”

Junior Mike Hargadon followed up by sending the second pitch he saw over the wall in left field for a two-run home run – the first of his career – to bring Mansfield within three runs with two outs.

“Nothing surprises me when it comes to Michael Hargadon,” Breen said. “He’s one of the hardest working guys we have on the team. He’s a ‘heat and soul’ kind of guys. He’s never played a game where he hasn’t left everything he has on the field and tonight was no different.”

Leadoff hitter Sam Nugent kept the rally going with a single and junior Dan Saraceno followed with his first hit of the game to put runners on first and second. The Hornets executed a double steal and senior Kevin Dow launched the next pitch he saw into left-center field for a two-run double, making it a one-run game.

Walpole elected to walk senior Tyler Dalton (two hits) but senior Justin Pena cashed in with his chance, driving the ball up the middle to bring Dow in for the tying run. With a Dalton at third, Donato finally got the third out with a fly ball to right.

“It starts and ends with our seniors,” Breen said. We had incredible senior leadership this year, especially out captains (Tyler Dalton, Kevin Dow, Cullin Anastasia). Those guys set the tone and the whole team follows. Kevin did a great job on the mound and Cullin has been the best defensive catcher in the state, he’s been incredible with our pitching staff. But it starts with our seniors, they led us the whole way.”

Walpole responded in the top of the 10th with its own two-out magic. Matt Falvey drew a one-out walk but a fly ball to center gave the Hornets the second out. Tyler Page picked up his first hit with a single that got by the Mansfield outfielder, allowing Falvey to score and Page to take second. Bryan Kraus and Chris McLean followed with RBI doubles to give the Rebels a 10-7 advantage.

Kyle Moran reached on an error to lead off the bottom of the 10th inning but Rebels reliever Matt Chamoun got three straight outs to seal the win for Walpole.

“It was an amazing comeback by Mansfield,” said Walpole coach Chris Costello. “Two outs, nobody on and I think it was seven hits in a row against a pretty good guy [Donato]. They weren’t cheapies either, they can hit, they are a hell of a team. But it just really speaks to our mental toughness. We’ve really grown mentally as a team as the year has progressed. We challenged ourselves and put ourselves in stressful situations for just this reason, so it would pay off in situations like this.”

After four scoreless innings, Walpole took the lead with a run in the top of the fifth. Brett Lavanchy battled to a leadoff walk, took second on a sac bunt, moved to third on a groundout, and scored when Falvey was called safe at first for an infield single.

Mansfield responded right away in the bottom half to tie the game. Cullin Anastasia beat out an infield single to lead off and took second on a groundout. With two outs, Hargadon got a blooper to fall in shallow left-center to plate Anastasia.

Walpole added to its lead with two runs in the top of the sixth. A double from Kraus preceded a triple from McLean that was ruled to have just landed in fair territory. McLean scored on a squeeze play to make it 3-1.

Dow (no decision) finished with five strikeouts, two walks, six hits, and three earned runs in six innings of work.

The Rebels’ bats came alive in the seventh inning. Aidan Murray singled and a triple from Falvey made it 4-1. Falvey scored on a hit from Hanifan while Page reached (and Hanifan took third) on an outfield error. After a hit batter, a McLean sac fly made it 6-1. Lavanchy came through with a two-out RBI single to make it 7-1.

“The defensive side, unfortunately, was kind of the key with these last two games,” Breen said. Mansfield made a total of seven errors in its two Super 8 games. “We just played probably two of our worst defensive games of the season at the worst time. Unfortunately, and it’s no excuse, but playing one game over the last week and a half…we were playing eight games in 12 days, we had a great rhythm, and then we had the break and I think it threw us off our rhythm. But in the end, no excuses, we have to come out and make the plays for our pitchers.”

Mansfield cut the deficit to five with a run in the bottom of the seventh. Hargadon got things started with a two-out single and went to third on a double from Nugent and came home to score after the ball got by the outfielder.

Sophomore John Carney pitched three innings in relief with five hits, five strikeouts and three earned runs allowed.

Mansfield baseball finishes the season at 19-5.

“We came in four years ago and we knew there was a lot of talent coming through the pipeline,” Breen said. “We wanted to put these guys in the best position possible to be at the top of the Massachusetts high school baseball food chain. And these guys earned the right to be here. While we didn’t come out with the results we wanted, no Mansfield team has been in this spot. It’s arguably the best regular season in program history. We have a lot of guys going to play college ball so this isn’t the end for them and we have a lot of guys coming back and I know they are going to remember this feeling.”

06/06/201806/07/2018

Wednesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 06/06/18

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Super 8
#5 Mansfield, 3 @ #4 Central Catholic, 8 – Final – Central Catholic used two hits and two Mansfield errors to score five unearned runs in the first inning in a first-round Super 8 matchup. The Hornets cut the deficit to three (6-3) with three runs in the fifth inning but CC added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth for insurance. Tyler Dalton let up three hits and walked three with six unearned runs allowed in four innings of work. Sophomore Chris Jenkins had two hits on the day while Dan Saraceno, Justin Pena, and Dalton each had an RBI for the Hornets.

#7 Franklin, 8 @ #2 Wachusett, 5 – Final – Wachusett erased a four-run deficit in the seventh inning to tie the game but Franklin responded by scoring in each the eighth and ninth innings to prevail in the program’s first-ever Super 8 game. Wachusett tied the game on a sacrifice fly in the seventh but Franklin was able to get a runner out at third trying to advance to erase any further damage. Bryan Woelfel earned the win in relief, allowing one run on four hits while striking out two. Jake Noviello had a strong outing on the mound, scattering five hits, four walks, and six strikeouts over six innings of work. Franklin’s offense had a strong day with Cooper Ross leading the way with three hits and two RBI. Colby Fitzgibbons (run), Scott Elliott (double, four RBI), Alex Haba (triple, two runs, two stolen bases), Jake Macchi (RBI, run) and Evan Wendell (two runs) all had two hits apiece for Franklin.

Boys Lacrosse
D1 South
#13 Mansfield, 7 @ #4 Franklin, 13 – Final – Click here for a recap of this game.

#15 King Philip, 4 @ #2 BC High, 19 – Final

D2 Central/East
#6 North Attleboro, 12 vs. #11 Belmont, 3 – Final – Click here for a recap of this game.

Boys Tennis
D1 South
#4 Sharon, 1 vs. #13 Wellesley, 4 – Final

#6 King Philip, 0 vs. #11 Needham, 5 – Final

#9 Franklin, 0 @ #8 BC High, 5 – Final

#14 Taunton, 0 @ #3 Brookline, 5 – Final

D2 South
#12 Foxboro, 0 @ #5 Duxbury, 5 – Final

Girls Tennis
D1 South
#3 Sharon, 5 vs. #14 Braintree, 0 – Final

#6 Taunton, 2 vs. #11 North Quincy, 3 – Final

#10 North Attleboro, 0 @ #7 Brookline, 5 – Final

#12 Oliver Ames, 2 @ #5 Weymouth, 3 – Final – One match went to three sets and another a second set tiebreaker but Weymouth won both to edge Oliver Ames. OA’s Rachel Stryke and Olivia Groebe won 6-1, Def. at second doubles for the Tigers.

D2 South
#5 Foxboro, 5 vs. #12 Falmouth, 0 – Final – Foxboro opened its 2018 playoff campaign with a sweep of visiting Falmouth. Sophia Prinos won 6-0, 6-1 at first singles, Pamela Nelson didn’t drop a game in a 6-0, 6-0 win at second singles, and Julia Muise earned a 6-2, 6-2 decision at third singles. The team of Kayla Prag and Sarah Prag won 6-3, 6-4 at first doubles while Olivia Dantona and Kendell Milender won 6-0, 6-0 at second doubles.

05/24/201805/25/2018

Thursday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/24/18

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Stoughton, 4 @ Attleboro, 5 – Final – Attleboro’s Tim Callahan drove in the winning run with a two-out hit in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Bombardiers a walk-off win. Senior Gavin Wildrick earned a one-out walk, senior Brian MacDonald (2-for-2, run, RBI) singled, both advanced on a passed ball, and Waldrick scored on Callahan’s hit. Jon Candiales pitched a complete game for the win, striking out three without issuing a walk. Evan Gibb had two RBI for the Black Knights while Ruben Gonzalez added an RBI triple.

Mansfield, 15 @ Foxboro, 0 – Final (6 Inn.) – Mansfield’s offense continued to roll, collecting 18 hits and scoring double-digit runs for the second straight game. Thirteen different Hornets collected a hit, with Tyler Dalton (3-for-4, four RBI, two runs), Kevin Dow (two RBI, three runs), Justin Pena (RBI, run), and Kyle Moran (RBI) each having multiple hits. John Carney earned the win, scattering six hits over six innings of work with eight strikeouts and just one walk. JT Burke had two hits for Foxboro.

Franklin, 4 vs. Lincoln-Sudbury, 1 – Final – Senior Colby Fitzgibbons and juniors Scott Elliott and Cooper Ross each had two hits to help the Panthers pick up a win over the Warriors in the first round of the Pedroli tournament. Fitzgibbons had two doubles and scored a run while Elliott had a triple, a run scored and an RBI in the win. Evan Wendell (hit) and Alex Haba (RBI) each added a run scored. Bryan Woelfel earned the win, scattering eight hits, striking out six, walking one and allowing just one run in 5.2 innings of work. Jason Ulrickson earned the save with 1.1 perfect innings of relief.

Milford, 3 vs. Hopedale, 0 – Final – Milford senior Andrew Fauerbach allowed just three hits in a complete game effort to earn his first career win. Senior Matt Nickerson went 2-for-3 and knocked in all three of the Hawks’ runs.

Sharon, 1 @ Oliver Ames, 9 – Final – Oliver Ames senior Matt Muir collected three hits and drove in three runs to help the Tigers defend home field against rival Sharon. Chris Pearsons added two hits and also had three RBI while Jacob Levine added a hit and an RBI for the Tigers. Tom Parker tossed a complete game one-hitter, striking out seven to pick up the win. Ben Schwartz went 1-for-3 with an RBI for Sharon.

Softball
Attleboro @ Stoughton, 3:45

Foxboro, 21 vs. Medway, 9 – Final

Franklin, 0 @ Milford, 12 – Final (6 inn.) – Milford senior Kelley Reichert fired a no-hitter to lead the Hawks to a win over Franklin. Reichert struck out eight without issuing a walk for the Hawks. Offensively, Kate Irwin (two runs, stolen base), Sabrina Haarstick (double, two runs, RBI) and Antonia Bonina (two runs) had three hits apiece for the Hawks while Jess Tomaso (two doubles, four RBI) and Maddy Bonvino (two-run home run, three RBI, two runs) each recorded two hits.

Oliver Ames, 12 @ Sharon, 3 – Final – Oliver Ames had four players record three hits on the day as the Tigers picked up their second win in the last three games. Lexie Campbell (three runs), Caroline Mahoney (three RBI), Katie Mills (three RBI), and Rachel Han (RBI, three runs) each had three hits in the win. Campbell pitched five innings with five strikeouts and no earned runs allowed while freshman Emma Varella struck out one in two innings of work. Rebecca Clayman had a triple for Sharon.

Taunton, 10 vs. Dighton-Rehoboth, 4 – Final – With the game tied 1-1, Taunton’s offense exploded for nine runs in the fifth inning to pick up a big win over a top team in the state. Mackenzie Handrahan went 4-for-4 with a double and two RBI while Liana Duarte added three hits, including a triple, and had two RBI. Kya Enos (double, two RBI) and Alexa White (RBI) each added two hits for the Tigers. Freshman Kelsey White (complete game) earned the win in the circle, striking out five with three earned runs allowed on 11 hits.

Boys Lacrosse
Attleboro, 7 @ Norton, 0 – Final

Foxboro, 21 @ Milford, 5 – Final – Foxboro’s Louis Piccolo scored three goals and had four assists to pass the 100-point mark on the season.

Girls Lacrosse
Attleboro, 12 vs. Norton, 11 – Final – Attleboro’s Kyra Lyons scored just as time expired to give the Bombardiers the close win over Norton.

Milford, 0 @ Foxboro, 16 – Final

Franklin, 8 vs. Notre Dame Academy, 15 – Final – Franklin cut the deficit to just three late in the first half but the visitors scored three goals inside the final minute to push the lead to six, a lead they wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the way. Erin Walsh had three goals and an assist and Katie Jones scored twice and had an assist. Head coach Kristin Igoe Guarino said Annie Walsh (seven draw wins) played well in the midfield and Grace MacCallum had a strong game defensively.

King Philip, 10 vs. Medway, 7 – Final

Oliver Ames, 8 @ Milton, 18 – Final – Chloe Kilkelly scored three goals while Olivia Piazza scored two goals but the Tigers fell on the road to Milton. Sofia Masciarelli, Emalyn Duvall, and Ella Hogan each found the back of the net once.

Boys Tennis
Mansfield, 5 vs. Westwood, 0 – Final – Mansfield picked up a sweep at home, though three matches were forced to either a third set or a tiebreaker. Luke Nickerson earned a comfortable 6-1, 6-2 win at first singles, Max Bank prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (5) at second singles and Luke Devine emerged from third singles with a 6-2, 4-6, 10-5 win. Sethu Odayappan and Jalaj Singh won 6-0, 6-2 at first doubles and Danny Radev and Ben Salden notched a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win at second doubles.

Milford vs. Medway, 3:30

Sharon, 3 @ Bishop Feehan, 2 – Final – Sharon showed off its depth with a 3-2 win on the road over Feehan. Andre Olivei earned a 6-3, 6-0 win at second singles and junior Danujan Thirumavalavan had a strong performance with a 6-2, 6-0 win at third singles. The team of Ashwin Sreevatsa and Arie Chinnappan moved up to first doubles and recorded a 6-0, 7-5 win for the Eagles.

Girls Tennis
Foxboro, 5 @ Taunton, 0 – Final – Foxboro’s three singles players combined to drop just one game as the Warriors went on the road and swept Taunton. Sophia Prinos won 6-0, 6-0 at first singles, Pamela Nelson earned a 6-0, 6-0 win at second singles, and Julia Muise picked up a 6-1, 6-0 win at third singles. The team of Kayla Prag and Sarah Prag earned a 6-1, 7-5 win at first doubles and Olivia Dantona and Kendall Milender prevailed 6-4, 7-5 at second doubles.

Oliver Ames, 3 @ Mansfield, 2 – Final – In a rematch from earlier this week, Oliver Ames prevailed with another win by the same score. The Tigers picked up wins at third singles (Maura Kiernan, 6-0, 6-1), first doubles (Kristin Bloumbas and Emily Yu, 6-4, 6-0), and second doubles (Olivia Groebe and Rachel Stryke, 6-2, 6-2). Mansfield’s Sarah Doyle won 6-0, 6-3 at first singles and Elizabeth Elsner earned a 7-6 (4), 6-3 win at second singles.

Bishop Feehan, 0 @ Sharon, 5 – Final – Sharon defended its home court with a sweep over visiting Bishop Feehan. Lulu Yuan completed her second straight undefeated regular season with a 6-1, 6-0 win at second singles. Seniors Katie Merport and Emily Wen won 6-1, 6-0 at first doubles and Rithika Neti and Sophia Fein notched a 6-2, 6-0 win at second doubles.

Boys Volleyball
Taunton, 3 @ Milford, 0 – Final – In a clash between conference champions, undefeated Taunton prevailed with a 3-0 sweep of Milford (25-15, 27-25, 25-23). Lens Esquil (12 kills) and Lance Law (11 kills) paced the offense while Malik Charles added nine kills and Collin Hunter chipped in with seven kills. Ricardo DaFonseca finished with 37 assists.

05/22/2018

Mansfield Walks Off With 1-0 Win Over OA In Extras

By Brian Hines, HockomockSports.com Contributor

MANSFIELD, Mass. – With runners on the corners and two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, Mansfield’s Justin Pena had the chance to play hero — and that’s exactly what he did.

Pena dropped a bloop single over the first base bag to drive in Dan Saraceno to give Mansfield a 1-0 walk-off victory over Oliver Ames.

“We kind of had tabbed [Pena] coming into the season as a pitcher only, and he’s taken on a whole new life as a designated hitter,” said Mansfield head coach Joe Breen. “He’s just been unbelievable the last few weeks, so I’m just really happy for him. He’s worked his butt off the last few years and he deserved that one.”

The eighth inning rally by Mansfield didn’t come easy, as Oliver Ames starter Michael Mulrean quieted the Hornets’ bats the majority of the afternoon. Mulrean pitched 7.2 innings, allowing just one run and seven strikeouts.

“I’m not sure we ever did figure [Mulrean] out,” Breen said. “He pitched a heck of a game, you got to tip your cap to a kid who goes out there and busts his butt like he did.”

But in the eighth, a strong at-bat by Saraceno and a single by Kevin Dow provided the spark the Hornets needed. A sacrifice fly was able to advance Saraceno to third, where he then scored on Pena’s walk-off single.

“We just got one more, one hit, that’s all we needed there in the end there,” said Breen. “Dan Saraceno obviously started up the rallying, getting that leadoff guy on with a great two-strike at-bat and then just keeping the inning alive. Getting him to third from Tyler’s sac fly and then Justin Pena.”

As brilliant as Mulrean was for Oliver Ames, Tyler Dalton was just as good on the hill for Mansfield. The senior right-hander pitched an eight-inning complete game shutout, piling up 11 strikeouts throughout.

“[Dalton’s] kind of hit his groove here,” said Breen. “The last few games he’s basically just taking the ball and refused to give it back to me until the game is over and we win.”

Dalton was able to retire 24 of the 27 batters he faced over his eight innings of work. Oliver Ames’ only real threat came in the fourth when leadoff batter Michael Friel reached first and proceeded to advance all the way to third.

The inning ended without Frier scoring, and it was the only player the Tigers’ saw reach third base all game.

With the win, Mansfield stays in control of the race for the Kelley-Rex division championship. The Hornets are currently tied with Franklin for league wins but have two league games left compared to just one for the Panthers.

“Honestly at this point just every win, doesn’t matter who you play, how you get the win, there all huge at this point,” said Breen. “We just got to keep battling and keep being led by our seniors, and hopefully we can pull a few more out.”

Mansfield baseball (11-3 Hockomock, 15-3 overall) returns to action on Wednesday, as they travel to take on Bridgewater-Raynham. Oliver Ames (9-5 Hockomock, 11-6 overall) retakes the field Tuesday at home against King Philip.

05/17/201805/18/2018

Thursday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/17/18

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Taunton, 1 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final

Canton, 8 vs. Norwood, 4 – Final

Franklin, 5 vs. Framingham, 3 – Final – Jason Ulrickson picked up his second win in relief in as many days to help the Panthers pick a non-league win over Framingham. Ulrickson struck out six while allowing six hits, one walk, and an unearned run in 4.2 innings of work. Jake Macchi had a strong day offensively, going 3-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Scott Elliott, Steve Luttazi, and Jake Noviello (RBI) all had one hit and a run scored. Mike Langmeyer and Evan Wendell each had a hit and an RBI for the Panthers.

Mansfield, 8 @ Bishop Feehan, 1 – Final – Mansfield scored single runs in each the second, third, and fourth innings and then blew the game wide open with a five-run fifth inning. The Hornets had 10 hits on the day with Sam Nugent (triple, RBI) and Justin Pena (RBI, two runs) each contributing two. Cullin Anastasia (double) added two RBI and a run scored. Sophomore John Carney earned the win, scattering five hits over six innings of work with two walks, four strikeouts and just one run allowed.

Stoughton, 3 @ Brockton, 4 – Final

Softball
Attleboro, 11 vs. Brookline, 0 – Final

Sharon vs. Norwood, 3:45

Taunton vs. New Bedford – Postponed to 5/28 at 7:00.

Boys Lacrosse
Attleboro @ Bishop Feehan, 3:30

Taunton @ Dighton-Rehoboth, 3:45

Sharon, 9 @ Oliver Ames, 6 – Final

Girls Lacrosse
Attleboro vs. Bishop Feehan, 3:30

Foxboro, 20 @ North Attleboro, 12 – Final – North Attleboro coach Colleen Carchedi praised her team’s play against the league champs. North goalie Kayla Moulin made 15 saves and Mackenzie Rosenberg and Camille Pizarro each scored hat tricks in the loss.

Mansfield, 16 @ Taunton, 5 – Final – Ann Maher and Katy Garvin each recorded six points as the Hornets picked up a big win on the road. Maher had four goals and two assists while Garvin finished with a hat trick and three helpers for Mansfield.

Sharon, 19 vs. Ursuline Academy, 15 – Final – The Eagles trailed by four at halftime, but dominated the second half, outscoring Ursuline 11-3, to pick up the win. Emma Eberhardt scored eight goals and had two assists for the Eagles and Abbi Solomon scored five as well. Sabrina Robbins scored three goals and had an assist, Maeve Barbera scored two goals, and Jenna Goldstein scored once for Sharon, which won 26-of-36 draws as a team.

Boys Tennis
Attleboro @ Milford, 3:45

Franklin, 1 vs. Hopedale, 4 – Final – Franklin’s first doubles team of Tyler DiPalma and Derek Wu won in straight sets but the Panthers fell to Hopedale. DiPalma and Wu earned a 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 win.

Stoughton, 5 @ Brockton, 0 – Final – Stoughton freshman Waseem Sablon and junior Erik Anderson both won in straight sets without losing a game to beat the Boxers. Sablon and Anderson each won 6-0, 6-0 while LJ Ferrandiz picked up a 6-4, 6-1 win at third singles. Hassan Khan and Chu Chu Ikoro won 6-2, 6-3 at first doubles and Brendon Buckley and Mike Veliotis won 6-0, 6-0 at second doubles.

Taunton, 5 vs. New Bedford, 0 – Final – For the second straight day, the Tigers notched a convincing win over a team from the Big 3, this win qualifying Taunton for the state tournament for the second straight year. Francois Hennaux (first singles), Brett Beaulieu (second singles) and the team of Charlie Fiske and Dylan Kullas (first doubles) all won 6-0, 6-0. Mike Briggs picked up a 6-0, 6-2 win at third singles and Kyle Dennehy and Trevor Hart earned a 6-2, 6-1 win at second doubles.

Girls Tennis
Milford, 2 @ Attleboro, 3 – Final

Stoughton vs. Brockton, 3:45

Boys Outdoor Track
Stoughton, 76 @ Canton, 60 – Final – Despite losing to the Black Knights, the Bulldogs had some memorable performances. Cordel Smith set a new school record in the 200M with a time of 22.0, Colin Messiner was a double winner, taking first in the 1 Mile (4:44.3) and the 2 Mile (10:49.2), and Marquise Montes won the triple jump (40’11.5″), the long jump (20’3), anchored the winning 4×100 relay team, and took second in the 100M (11.1).

Girls Outdoor Track
Stoughton, 82 @ Canton, 54 – Final – Canton had a pair of double winnners but fell to Stoughton. Sarah Collins won the 400M hurdles (66.7) and the 800M (2.38) while Bronwyn Mahoney won the discus (95’8″) and the shot put (30’6″) for the Bulldogs.

05/15/201805/15/2018

Hornets Land Big Win Over Visiting Franklin

MANSFIELD, Mass. – With the bases loaded and the go-ahead run at the plate for the visiting Franklin Panthers, Mansfield head coach Joe Breen had no hesitation going to sophomore John Carney in the big moment.

Carney needed just four pitches to get the third out — a ground ball to third — to help the Hornets escape from further damage. The sophomore right-hander was just one of many players that stepped up and delivered for the Hornets in a 10-3 victory.

There was also senior Justin Pena, who had two hits, two RBI and two runs scored.

And senior Mike Hargadon, who was pivotal in getting the Mansfield offense going from the nine-hole with the teams’ first two hits.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

And of course senior Tyler Dalton, the Hornets’ right-handed starting pitcher that struck out 10 batters in 5.2 innings of work, allowing just five hits to earn the win on the mound. And on top of that, Dalton had a big two-RBI single that sparked a five-run fifth inning for the Hornets.

“Our guys have really battled the last couple of weeks, they aren’t afraid of any challenge at this point, and today was no different,” said Mansfield head coach Joe Breen. “Franklin is one of the top teams in the state and Jake Noviello is one of the top pitchers in the state.

“If you told me we’d put up 10 runs today, you would have fooled me. We knew we had a big challenge with Jake on the mound. He certainly pitched well but our guys kept battling and found a way to get the barrel on the ball, had some great at-bats, and put ourselves in position to score some runs.”

Franklin scored a run in the first inning but Mansfield tied the game with a run in the third game. It wasn’t until Dalton’s big hit in the fifth that the Hornets had a lead; from there Mansfield’s offense was clicking.

Dan Saraceno led off the bottom of the fifth with a single and moved to third on a deep fly ball to left field from Kevin Dow that just landed fair. Dalton plated them both with a single and took second on the throw. Pena delivered with a soft line drive down the left field line to score Dalton.

Kyle Moran reached on an infield error and both Pena and Moran moved up a base because of the error. Sophomore Chris Jenkins came up clutch with a single to bring both Pena and Moran home, making it 6-1.

“Our approach as a team offensively has certainly improved since the last game,” Breen said. “We’ve seen in the last couple of games, with two strikes, our strikeout numbers are way down. Guys get two strikes on them and it’s now a battle to get them out. I think we had quite a few important two-strike hits today and I think that was the difference. If you foul off some of those pitches, you’re making [Noviello] throw more pitches, and we tried to drive that pitch count up early.

“And one big difference this game is that last time, we had a decent amount of baserunners but we didn’t do anything with them. Today we did, we had time timely hits. Tyler Dalton, Justin Pena, Kyle Moran…guys just stepped up and had big hits when we needed them.”

Franklin’s offense responded in the top half of the sixth inning but ended up leaving the bases loaded. A one-out single from Scott Elliott and walks to Alex Haba and Jake Macchi loaded the bases for the Panthers.

Cooper Ross had a nice at-bat that resulted in a single through the right side for a run and Steven Luttazi drew a two-out walk to bring in another room.

Breen brought Carney in for Dalton (5.2 IP, 5 H, 10 K) and the sophomore came up big, getting the third out to leave the bases loaded.

“We have all the confidence in the world in Carney,” Breen said. “He is a sophomore but anyone that’s seen him pitch one or two times knows what a competitor he is. Anytime I look around when a starter gets tired, the first set of eyes I see are his, he wants the ball. That says a lot for a sophomore.”

The Hornets took advantage of one of Franklin’s five errors in the bottom half of the inning. Sophomore Will Pacheco sandwiched a walk and a hit batter between two outs. It looked like the Panthers would get out of the inning unscathed when Pacheco induced a ground ball, but an infield error allowed Saraceno to score and Dow to take third.

Dow then scored on a wild pitch and Cullin Anastasia went from first to third after a throwing error. Pena singled Anastasia in and a double from Moran plated Pena to make it 10-3.

“It was just uncharacteristic of us today,” said Franklin coach Zach Brown. “Don’t take anything away from Mansfield, they played great and competed hard. Some of the errors were forced but we had some mental mistakes, some walks, things like that that we haven’t been doing all year. When you’re playing a good team, the margin of error is slim and you have to make sure that you minimize all those things. Unfortunately, we didn’t do that today but we have to bounce right back because we’re playing a good Attleboro team on Wednesday.

“Both teams had opportunities, and today Mansfield capitalized on their opportunities. Unfortunately we opened the door for them to capitalize a couple of times.”

Franklin took the lead in the top of the first inning when Haba hit one deep to center for a double and then scored when Macchi drilled a bouncer off the third baseman’s glove.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Mansfield behind a leadoff double from Hargadon, a groundout that moved Hargadon to third, and then Dow’s high hit to center field was lost, allowing the ball to drop and Hargadon to cross home.

“We had Michael in the two-hole in the very beginning of the season and it wasn’t that he did poorly to move him down, I think we needed a few more guys on for the top of the order and we just weren’t getting it,” Breen said. “We moved him to the nine-hole and get him a few more fastballs. Today was a breakout day for him.”

Mansfield baseball (9-3 Hockomock, 11-3 overall) moves into a first place tie with the Panthers in the Kelley-Rex division, and with a game in hand. The Hornets are back in action on Wednesday when they host King Philip. Franklin (9-4, 12-4) is scheduled to host Attleboro on the same day.

05/08/201805/08/2018

Dalton, Mansfield Earn Revenge Against Taunton

TAUNTON, Mass. – Mansfield senior Tyler Dalton found himself in an unusual spot on Monday afternoon, looking to bounce back after a tough outing in his last start.

Dalton allowed nine runs – six earned – in his previous start on the road at Oliver Ames. But with a chance to bounce back, Dalton was at his best. The senior right-hander allowed just two hits — only one out of the infield — while striking out 10 and walking just one in a complete game effort, helping the Hornets pull out a 7-2 win over Taunton.

“After his bullpen, the only thing he said to me was ‘We’re not losing today,’ and I could see the look on his face, you just knew he was going to go out and deal,” said Mansfield head coach Joe Breen. “He knew what he was up against with Taunton being a good team and [Jack] Moynihan being one of best pitchers in the league. He had his work cut out for him, but he certainly met the challenge, that’s for sure.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Dalton limited Taunton to one hit in the third and one in the fourth, the two innings the Tigers scored single runs. Beyond that, he faced the minimum in the first, second, fifth, sixth, and seventh. Taunton had a runner in the second (HBP), but he was erased by catcher Cullin Anastasia trying to steal second.

He also recorded at least one strike out in every inning, getting a pair of Ks in each the second, third, and sixth innings.

After a pair of scoreless innings, Taunton finally broke through in the bottom of the third. Griffin Tomaszycki battled back from down 0-2 in the count to lead off with a walk. He then took second on a ground out from Andrew Gomes and came around on a sharp grounder down the first base line from Josh Lajoie to make it 1-0.

Mansfield got its first two hits of the game in the top of the fourth with Dan Saraceno and Dalton both singling. Dalton and Kevin Dow (reached on fielder’s choice) got to second and third with two outs but Taunton starter Jack Moynihan got the final out to prevent any damage.

Taunton added to its lead in the bottom of the fourth. Senior Jacob Crawford reached after an infield error and took second when he beat the throw on Tyler Medeiros’ ground ball. With two outs, Tomaszycki hit a hard ball to the left side of the infield for a single, but the throw was off which allowed Crawford to come home from third to make it 2-0.

But the lead didn’t last too long as Mansfield responded in the top of the fifth, with a little help from the Tigers’ defense. Justin Pena’s single was followed by Chris Jenkins’ grounder, which resulted in a fielding error and then a throwing error. Pena moved all the way to third and Jenkins to second.

Mike Hargadon drove Pena in with an RBI ground out, and a couple of pitches later Jenkins took third on a passed ball and scored on a two-out single from Sam Nugent to make it 2-2.

“I think the first few games of the season, once we got to two strikes in the count, we were pretty much an automatic ‘K,’” Breen said. “We’ve really changed our approach with two strikes over the last month and the guys are really taking to it. Everyone is up there battling with two strikes, and once we get two strikes, we’re not an easy out anymore. I think that pesky attitude paid off and we put some balls in play.”

Mansfield’s offense continued in the top of the sixth inning. Dalton drew a one-out walk, ending Moynihan’s day on the mound. Dalton took second on a passed ball and scored on a hard hit ball by Anastasia, who took second on the throw to home. With Anastasia taking off, he came around to score on another infield error to make it 4-2.

“You can’t do it, we’re hurting ourselves,” said Taunton head coach Blair Bourque of his team’s six errors. ”We didn’t leave guys on base too much today, obviously [Dalton] pitched an outstanding game today. But we have to eliminate the mistakes and have to play sound baseball because we’re not that great of an offensive team. Any extra bags or extra outs, they come back to haunt you and it’s killing us right now.”

The Hornets put the game out of reach with three insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning. Saraceno was hit by a pitch with one out and moved all the way to third on an errant pick off attempt. Dow drove Saraceno in with an RBI single. Another error proved costly for Taunton as Anastasia was able to reach and Dow came all the way around make it 6-2.

Anastasia took third on that error and came home on a line drive single from Pena.

“If you told me we were going to get seven runs today, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Breen said. “I knew we’d have a few baserunners and that we’d have to maximize those guys as much as possible. We knew getting an extra 90 here or there, with a steal or something, would be huge. We have a lot of good athletes with some wheels, so we definitely want to use that as much as possible.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Despite suffering the loss, Moynihan pitched well, allowing just one earned run in 5.1 innings of work, four hits, one walk, and three strikeouts.

“I don’t think he had much on his fastball today, so he did really well for himself to work the off-speed pitch and do as well as he did without necessarily his best fastball,” Bourque said of Moynihan. “He’s learning how to be a pitcher, not just a thrower. In games when you don’t have your best stuff and can still get guys out is something he can be commended for. But we have to help him out and make sure we’re making those plays.”

Mansfield baseball (6-3 Hockomock, 8-3 overall) will try to extend its win streak to five when it hosts Attleboro on Wednesday afternoon. Taunton (5-4, 8-4) will try to bounce back the same day when it hosts Franklin.

“At this point, every game you win is the biggest of the season,” Breen said. “Being able to come on the road and beat a good team, especially with a good pitcher like that…we’ve had this one marked on the calendar for a while especially after the first game and the boys were certainly up for the challenge.”

04/17/201804/18/2018

Wednesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 04/18/18

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Mansfield, 9 @ Attleboro 2 – Final – Mansfield struck for five runs in the top of the third inning and never looked back on the road at Attleboro. Senior Tyler Dalton earned the win on the mound, striking out six in five innings of work with three hits and two runs allowed. Jake Gerraughty and Justin Pena each pitched a scoreless inning in relief. Kyle Moran (RBI), Dan Saraceno, and Kevin Dow (three RBI) each had two hits apiece to pace the Mansfield offense.

Canton, 7 @ Norwood, 9 – Final

Foxboro, 1 @ Stoughton, 2 – Final – Stoughton edged Foxboro in a pitchers duel between Zak Paquette (S) and Steve McLaughlin (F). Paquette allowed just one run on five hits and one walk with five strikeouts in a complete game effort. McLaughlin allowed two runs in over five innings of work for the Warriors. George Currier (2-for-3) came up with the big hit for Stoughton, connecting on a two-strike, two-out, two-RBI single in the first inning.

Franklin, 1 @ Walpole, 0 – Final – Franklin senior Jake Noviello dazzled in a complete game effort, helping the Panthers pick up a 1-0 win. Noviello blanked the Rebels through seven innings, allowing just four hits and two walks while striking out six. Franklin’s lone run came off the bat of James Leofanti, scoring classmate Steve Luttazi (2-for-3) on a sacrifice fly. Jake Macchi and Jack Nally also had two hits for the Panthers.

North Attleboro, 8 @ Bishop Feehan, 1 – Final – North Attleboro turned a pitchers’ duel into an impressive with behind a big fifth inning. The Rocketeers pushed eight runs across in the fifth inning, all with two outs. Big Red loaded the bases (Nick Sinacola single, Zach DeMattio walk, Nate Pearce walk) to get things started. Nolan Buckley had a two-run single, Aidan Harding (4-for-4) knocked in a run with an infield single, Sinacola (4-for-5) got back up and plated two with a single and Jeff Gale capped the scoring with a two-run single. Sinacola got the win on the mound, throwing a complete game with 10 strikeouts and just two walks. He had a no-hitter through four innings of play.

Sharon, 1 vs. Archbishop Williams, 6 – Final

Taunton, 6 vs. Durfee, 5 – Final – Taunton scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to knot the score at five and scored the game-winning run an inning later to stay unbeaten so far this season. Christian Simoes (two RBI), Tyler Medeiros (two hits), and Jack Moynihan (two hits) all had RBIs in the fifth inning to tie the game. Trevor Pietrzyk (two hits) drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth. Medeiros earned the win on the mound, striking out five with six hits allowed in six innings. Josh Lajoie pitched a scoreless seventh inning to record the save.

Milford, 2 vs. Concord-Carlisle, 3 – Final

Softball
Foxboro, 2 @ Stoughton, 15 – Final (5 inn.) – Foxboro opened the game with two runs in the top of the first inning but Stoughton answered with four runs in the bottom half to take the lead and never look back. The Black Knights added single runs in each the second, third, and fourth innings and then exploded for eight runs in the fifth to get the win. Gina Carafa (three doubles) and Nikki Cappola (two doubles) each finished with four hits and three RBI to pace the Stoughton offense. Lexi Baptista and Bri Ferrandiz each had two RBI as well. Hannah Davis had two hits for Foxboro, including the 100th of her career. Carafa got the win in the circle, striking out eight with three hits and two walks allowed in five innings of work.

Franklin, 1 @ Taunton, 14 – Final (5 inn.) – The Tigers scored in four of the five innings of play in a big win over visiting Franklin. Jaime Brown (three runs), Liana Duarte (three RBI), Mackenzie Handrahan (two RBI) and Kelsey White (two runs) each recorded two hits for Taunton while Payton Ceglarski chipped in with a pinch-hit two-run home run and Rylie Murphy had a pinch-hit two-run single. Jaylin Couto struck out three with four hits allowed in four innings of work. Alexis White recorded three strikeouts in one inning of relief. Ally Shea went 2-for-3 for the Panthers. Kylie Bouzan knocked in courtesy runner Maggie Hobby in the fourth inning for Franklin’s run.

King Philip, 16 @ Bishop Feehan, 6 – Final – King Philip’s offense roared to life, belting out 16 hits in a big win on the road at Bishop Feehan. Hailey McCasland and Jessica Bonner (three RBI) each had three hits for the Warriors while Marjorie Guerrier, Meghan Gorman (three RBI), Brooke Taute, and Sydney Phillips each had two hits. Bonner put the Warriors ahead, 8-6, with a hit in the top of the sixth inning. Faith Turnese allows just one hit in three innings of relief work to earn the win.

Milford, 11 vs. Hopkinton, 2 – Final – Milford’s offense continued to roll, putting up 11 runs against neighboring Hopkinton. Jess Tomaso had a big day at the plate with three hits, including a home run and a double, whiling knocking in four runs and scoring once. Kelley Reichert went 3-for-3 at the plate with two RBI and earned the win in the circle, striking out six without allowing an earned run in five innings of work. Kate Irwin (double, stolen base), Emily Piergustavo (RBI, run), Emily Hartman (double), and Shannon Cormier (double, two runs) each had two hits for the Hawks.

Oliver Ames, 3 @ Coyle & Cassidy, 7 – Final – Oliver Ames’ Kayla Georgeu was 2-3 with a single and an RBI double while Abbi Holmes and Colleen Larson both had RBIs as well. Lexie Campbell (1-4), Caroline Mahoney (1-3) and Katie Mills (1-2) all scored runs for OA.

Mansfield 13, @ Needham, 0 – Final (5 inn.) – Sarah Cahill struck out seven and allowed only one hit as the Hornets starter and Felicity McMullin struck out one in relief. Mansfield started well with a run in the first before breaking the game open by scoring five runs in each of the second and third innings and adding a pair in the fourth. Caty DeMassi went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI and Kerran Holmes went 2-for-2 with an RBI. The Hornets also got hits from Kara Bendanillo, Megan Letendre, Mady Bendanillo, Grace Benton, and Mary Muldoon.

Boys Lacrosse
Stoughton, 1 @ Canton, 16 – Final – Canton jumped out to a quick start, building an 11-1 lead by halftime. The Bulldogs had nine different scorers including first-career goals from senior Brian Ghostlaw and sophomore Tommy Ghostlaw. Freshman Dylan Coyne had a shutout in net in the fourth quarter for Canton.

Milford, 16 @ Northbridge, 5 – Final – Milford freshman Jack LeBlanc was impressive at the face off X in his first varsity game, winning 8-of-13 attempts to help the Hawks pick up the win. Brendan White (five goals) and Andrew Gallagher (two goals, four assists) paced the offense while Ryan Hazard had a strong all-around game with four goals and five ground balls.

Oliver Ames, 20 @ Milton, 0 – Final – Oliver Ames received strong defensive efforts from Shane Murphy, Matt Saba, and Mark Vasapollo to help goalie Nick Gillis record a shutout on the road against Milton. Owen Gallagher paced the offense with six goals while Eric LeBlanc added three tallies.

Girls Lacrosse
Canton, 11 @ Oliver Ames, 19 – Final – Emalyn Duvall, Chloe Kilkelly, Ella Hogan, Olivia Piazza and Sofia Masciarelli all tallied points for OA while Ariana Waldorf had a strong game in net. Maggie Connolly scored four goals for the Bulldogs and Vicki Revenge stepped in as the back-up goalie to make 11 saves in the loss.

Mansfield vs. Watertown, 12:00

Milford vs. Ashland, 12:30

Sharon, 8 @ Hopkinton, 13 – Final – Sabrina Robbins scored four goals and grabbed five ground balls for Sharon and Emma Eberhardt added a hat trick of goals, four assists, and six draw controls. Jenna Goldstein scored Sharon’s other goal and Bridget McManus led the Eagles defense with an interception and three ground balls.

Boys Tennis
Attleboro, 0 @ Mansfield, 5 – Final

Girls Tennis
Mansfield, 3 vs. Norton, 2 – Final – Mansfield notched two wins in singles play and one in doubles to pick up a non-league win over Norton. The team of juniors Tessa Garufi and Hannah Podolske had the game of the match, earning a 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (8-6) win at first doubles for the Hornets. Senior Sarah Doyle won 6-3, 6-3 at first singles while junior Elizabeth Elsner recorded a 6-4, 6-3 decision at second singles.

Milford, 0 vs. Hopedale, 5 – Final

Tag: Justin Pena

2018 Hockomock League Baseball All Stars

Hockomock League MVP

Hockomock League All Stars

Mansfield Drops Extra Inning Heartbreaker To Walpole

Wednesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 06/06/18

Thursday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/24/18

Mansfield Walks Off With 1-0 Win Over OA In Extras

Thursday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/17/18

Hornets Land Big Win Over Visiting Franklin

Dalton, Mansfield Earn Revenge Against Taunton

Wednesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 04/18/18