Tag: Paige Silvia

Tigers Can’t Cash In Against Feehan In South Semifinal

Taunton softball Kelsey White
Taunton sophomore Kelsey White delivers a pitch in the first inning against Bishop Feehan. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
TAUNTON, Mass. – Sophomore Kelsey White and the Taunton softball team didn’t give third-seeded Bishop Feehan many chances, but the Shamrocks took advantage of the little opportunities they had.

Meanwhile, the Tigers had a handful of opportunities, putting at least one runner in scoring position in five innings, and a runner on base in six of the seven innings, but an uncharacteristic performance from second-seeded Taunton put an end to its season.

Bishop Feehan scored single runs in the first, sixth, and seventh innings while Taunton was limited to just one run, leaving six runners on base in scoring position as the Shamrocks earned a 3-1 win a D1 South Semifinal contest.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“We had many chances,” said Taunton head coach Dave Lewry. “It comes down to a game of execution. You have to execute at the plate, in the field, and on the bases, and we picked the wrong game not to execute. It wasn’t a good game for us all around. We didn’t execute. We took too many called strike threes. We played well all year, but the wrong game to play poorly.”

The Shamrocks got off to an ideal start with leadoff hitter Jessica Levesque clubbing a triple to right center field. White (7IP, 6H, 1BB, 3R, 1ER, 3K) induced a ground ball to shortstop and the runner originally held, but after a brief bobble a throwing error allowed Levesque to score and the Feehan runner to get to second.

After a walk, McKenzie McAloon started a double play to get two outs and White got a fly ball to center to strand a runner at third and minimize the damage to just one run.

Taunton had a bevy of chances to tie the game and even take a lead, but couldn’t find the timely hit necessary.

“We had timely hitting,” said Feehan coach Bill Milot. “We did not play a flawless game but fortunately [Taunton] wasn’t able to capitalize on our mistakes and we were able to capitalize on theirs.”

In the bottom of the first, sophomore Hanna Aldrich ripped a two-out double but Feehan pitcher Brooke Scorzinski (7IP, 4H, 4BB, 1ER, 9K) got a pop up in foul territory behind the plate for the third out.

Heads up base running allowed White to get to second on an error in the second with one out, and quickly moved to third on a ground out. But the Tigers couldn’t get the run in as Scorzinski got one of her nine strikeouts to end the frame.

Jaime Brown doubled with one out in the third inning, Alexa White walked, and both advanced on a passed ball to put runners in scoring position with one out. But again Scorzinski got a big strikeout (looking) for the second out. McAloon was hit by the pitch to load the bases but Taunton couldn’t manufacture anything as Scorzinski got a soft line drive back to the circle.

A walk and an error put Kelsey White and Paige Silvia on first and second with no outs but neither runner would advance any further as the Tigers failed on a sac bunt attempt and had three straight fly ball outs.

“I would definitely say it was uncharacteristic,” Lewry said. “Defensively we had a couple of silly little plays, not being aware of the base runners…not being able to get down bunts, that was critical. We tried three or four times and we didn’t get one down. We talked about executing bunts all year, we’ve practiced it all year, we just didn’t do it tonight.

Meanwhile, Kelsey White was cruising on the mound. She retired the side in order in each the second and fourth innings and didn’t let a one-out single past first in the second. A two-out single from Sierra Basara went nowhere in the fifth went nowhere when White got a big strikeout.

“Kelsey had to really battle tonight,” Lewry said. “Some of her pitches weren’t working the way they normally do so we had to go a different way and I thought she did a heck of a job. We could have been out of there allowing one run if we made a couple of plays, it came down to execution and we didn’t get it done.”

The Shamrocks added to their lead with a run in the top of the sixth inning as Caroline Deem blooped a one-out single and took second on a ground ball. Scorzinski sliced a single to right field that Abbie McDonough fielded, firing a throw home but it wasn’t handled at the plate and the runner from second came across.

Taunton finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth but again left runners in scoring position. Silvia had a one-out single and moved to second on a two-out walk from Rylie Murphy. Brown sliced an RBI double to left field to bring a one run in and make it 2-1. With runners on second and third, Scorzinski got the third out with a strikeout.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Feehan tacked on a big insurance run in the top of the seventh inning. Haley Coupal had a one-out single and moved to third on a soft grounder in front of the plate. With two outs, Levesque was able to reach when her grounder was bobbled at first, and Coupal ran all the way from second to home before the Tigers could fire a throw home.

The Tigers brought the heart of their lineup for the seventh inning but Scorzinski retired the side in order for the first time all game.

Taunton softball finishes the season at 22-3 while Bishop Feehan will play Bridgewater-Raynham in the D1 South Final on Sunday.

Tuesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 06/11/19

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Super 8
#7 Mansfield vs. #5 BC High – Postponed to Wednesday, 6/12 at 4:00 at Campanelli Stadium.

Softball
D1 South
#10 Marshfield, 0 @ #2 Taunton, 1 – Final – Taunton sophomore Kelsey White was masterful on the mound and senior Alexa White drove in the game-winning run as the Tigers walked off with a win over the Rams. White didn’t issue a walk and allowed just two hits, striking out six in a complete game shutout, getting help from McKenzie McAloon at second and Jaime Brown at second. McAloon (two hits) got things started with a single in the seventh and moved to second on a sac bunt from Payton Ceglarski. Kelsey White drew a walk and Alexa White clubbed a two-out single towards second for the game winning hit. Paige Silvia had a double for the Tigers in the win. Taunton will host #3 Bishop Feehan on Thursday at 7:00.

Girls Lacrosse
D1 East
#3 Concord-Carlisle, 11 vs. #2 Franklin, 10 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.

D2 East
#4 Foxboro, 15 vs. #1 Wayland, 13 – Final – Sophia DiCenso, Meg Curran, and Jaime Notarangelo each scored a hat trick to pace the Warriors past the top seed. Foxboro will play #4 Medway in the D2 East Final on Friday at 7:00 at Walpole.

Taunton Starts Title Defense with Shutout of KP

Taunton softball
Taunton senior Jaime Brown makes a play on a KP bunt in the opening round of the state tournament. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

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TAUNTON, Mass. – Defending state champion Taunton kicked off its title defense on Monday night at Jack Tripp Field against a familiar foe. It is never easy to play a team three times in a season, especially when it is a league rival and annual competitor for the league title.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

The Tigers made it a clean sweep against King Philip and earned their third shutout of the Warriors this season, earning a 4-0 victory and getting started on the road to a potential repeat.

“First game of the tournament is always tough,” said Taunton coach Dave Lewry about facing an atypical No. 15 seed in the opening round. “We’ve been there before but all the kids were saying they had the butterflies and were a little nervous early on, so get this out of the way and we can move onto tomorrow.”

Senior outfielder Alexa White added, “It’s definitely a relief to have the first one in the books. We have a young team, so we made sure to talk to them yesterday at practice to be prepared that the atmosphere is different, everything’s different, so you need to keep the energy up and you need to relax, at the plate or in the field.”

King Philip (13-9) had been outscored 19-0 in two regular season meetings with Taunton, but the Warriors came into Monday confident that they could pull the upset and had an early chance to get on the board. Raegan Simeone bunted for a hit with one out in the first and then stole second. After a strikeout, Liliana Rolfe walked to put two on base, but Taunton starter Kelsey White snagged a comebacker by her opposite number, Faith Turinese, to end the inning.

The Warriors wouldn’t have another base runner until a one-out single by Rolfe in the fourth. Rolfe was controversially called out on a steal attempt and a pop up to first baseman Tayah DaCosta ended the threat.

“It’s been a struggle against most quality pitchers,” Beauchemin said about the lack of offense. “You’ve got to get that key hit, but we didn’t have many hits to begin with.”

Taunton wasted no time jumping in front. JJaime Brown led off the bottom frame with a double to right center. Abigail McDonough dropped down a bunt to move Brown to third and a wild pitch allowed her to come home with what would turn out to be the game-winning run.

Beauchemin said, “You can’t make any mistakes against this team. They’re as strong as they were last year, if not stronger.”

It stayed 1-0 until the third inning. With one out Brown drew a walk and again McDonough dropped down a bunt to move her into scoring position. Hanna Aldrich, who was robbed of a single in the first by KP shortstop Meghan Gorman, lined a base hit to left to double the lead.

Lewry said, “I just had a feeling it was going to be one of those games, so we want to get runs any way we can, chip away one at a time if we have to and it seemed to work out.”

In the fourth Taunton gave itself a cushion with a two-out rally. Turinese got a pair of fly balls, including one to deep center by Kelsey White, and seemed to be cruising through another inning, but Paige Silvia took a pitch off her thigh. Alexa White followed with a triple that was crushed into the gap in left center. White scored on a double by eighth grader Ava Venturelli.

“It brings the confidence in the next batter up to keep it going and it definitely gets the girls pumped,” said Alexa White about the importance of two-out rallies.

There was one more threat by the Warriors in the seventh, as they tried to keep their season alive. Rolfe was hit by a pitch with one out, reaching base for the third straight time, and Turinese hustled to beat out an infield single. Taunton’s defense made the plays it needed to with Aldrich and Brown grabbing grounders and getting the outs to seal the win.

“I think the kids gave a very good representation today, we played hard,” said Beauchemin. “We’re not young, but we’re inexperienced and I think next year we’re going to be a very formidable team.”

Lewry praised the Warriors and was happy to get through a third meeting with KP. He said, “I think they’re a much better team than they were at the beginning of the season and I thought they played an excellent game tonight. Their defense was good, their pitching was real good, and they just had some trouble hitting Kelsey, which is good for us.”

When asked if things felt any different entering the playoffs defending last year’s title, White said that the Tigers were just trying to focus on the moment rather than the ultimate destination.

“We’ve got a tough road ahead, we know that, but I think we have the talent to do it,” she said. “It’s about pulling everything together with clutch hits and keeping those rallies going. We have the mentality to take every game one step at a time. Just focus on the game you’re playing.”

Taunton (21-2) will host No. 10 seed Marshfield on Tuesday night at Jack Tripp Field.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Taunton Bounces Back With Big Win Over King Philip

Taunton softball
Taunton’s Hanna Aldrich (11) slides in safely for a stolen base as King Philip’s Meghan Gorman awaits the throw. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
TAUNTON, Mass. – No team wants to lose a game, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any benefits from doing so.

Taunton softball dropped just its second game of the season on Friday night, falling behind North Attleboro early and seeing its rally come up short. With one game left to correct things before the state tournament, the Tigers bounced back in a good way.

The defending state champs belted out 12 hits, scoring three runs in each the fourth and fifth innings before exploding for five more in the sixth to earn a 12-0 win over potential playoff foe and league rival King Philip.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

The win clinches the Kelley-Rex division title outright for the Tigers, their third ever Hockomock title and second division crown since 2016.

“I don’t take losses very lightly myself but you’d like to think some good can come out of a game like [last night],” said Taunton head coach Dave Lewry. “Cocky is too strong of a word but maybe we were a little overly confident. Hopefully, it let us know we are human, that you have to play the game. Hopefully, we can look back on it and that is the one that propelled us.

“We started the hitting last night and it seemed like it carried over to today. It took us a couple of innings to get going but we started putting the bat on the ball and started looking more like the Tigers that we think we are.”

The hosts took the lead in the bottom of the second inning with a solo run but the offense really got going over the final three innings. Taunton pushed across three runs in the fourth (all with two outs), three more in the fifth, and ended the game via mercy rule with a five-run sixth inning against the Warriors, the two-time defending division champs.

“It’s nice to get the Kelley-Rex, that’s not an easy championship to win,” Lewry said. “There are some really good teams in this league. Franklin had a heck of a year, KP came back and played well…everybody. It feels good to win it. I really didn’t want jackets with co-champs on it.”

Kelsey White got back on track after suffering a loss to the Rocketeers the night before. The sophomore tossed six scoreless innings, allowing just three hits — a two-out grounder up the middle in the first, a bloop single that didn’t reach the outfield in the third, and a dribbler up the third base line in the fourth. She had one walk (in the first inning) and struck out five, retiring the final seven batters in order.

KP had one of its best changes in the opening inning as senior Meghan Gorman drew a two-out walk and Liliana Rolfe singled to put runners on first and second, but White got a chopper back to the circle for the third out.

The Warriors’ biggest threat came in the third when Destiny Goyco hit a bloop single to second. Courtesy runner Kara McWhinnie took second after a nice basket catch from Jaime Brown in foul territory on the third base side and advanced to third on a sac bunt. But White prevented what would have been the tying run from crossing by getting a strikeout for the third out.

“Kelsey pitched much better today, she definitely did,” Lewry said. “She didn’t have all of her good breaking balls but they were good enough and her changeup was excellent tonight, and she was spotting everything. She did a real nice job and she needed that too, she was a little bit shaken by her quick exit last night.”

Taunton took the lead in the bottom of the first inning behind a leadoff walk from Payton Ceglarski. Courtesy runner Kylie Thorpe moved to second on a sac bunt from Kelsey White and came around to score on a two-out bloop single from Alexa White to make it 1-0.

Kelsey White helped her own cause in the bottom of the fifth with a two-out double. Paige Silvia and Alexa White followed suit with back-to-back RBI doubles, and the latter scored on a single from Ava Venturelli up the middle to push the advantage to 4-0.

The Tigers stayed hot in the fifth inning, putting up three more runs. Abbie McDonough showed off her wheels with a leadoff triple and scored on a single from Hanna Aldrich. McKenzie McAloon clubbed an RBI double, Tayah DaCosta advanced the runner with a fly ball, and Kelsey White drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

Venturelli got the big sixth inning started with a leadoff walk and pinch hitters Skylar Rheaume and Olyvia Mendonca both walked to load the bases. Aldrich hit a hard ground ball to third and beat the throw at first to bring courtesy runner Haylee Hartung in and keep the bases loaded.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Pinch hitter Kaysie DeMoura brought a run in by drawing a bases-loaded walk and Thorpe, in a pinch-hit situation, drove in two more runs with a hard hit ball through the right side. Kelsey White brought in the final run with a hard hit ball to left that was mishandled, allowing DeMoura to score.

“We swung the bat good, we made good contact,” Lewry said. “We have to hit…we have the pitching and defense but we have to hit to score runs, you’re not going to score many unless you do.”

Both Taunton (14-2 Hockomock, 20-2 overall) and King Philip (11-5, 12-8) will now await seeding for the MIAA D1 South Sectional tournament. The Tigers are likely to be a top four seed while the Warriors could potentially host a preliminary game.

North Holds Off Taunton Rally to Win Finale

North Attleboro softball
North Attleboro third baseman Annabelle Hebard (9) celebrates after the final out at Jack Tripp Field. North ended the regular season with a win in a battle of league champs. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

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TAUNTON, Mass. – As she walked off the field following the final out, North Attleboro third baseman Annabelle Hebard, smile on her face, head back, lifted her outstretched arms up and took a big breath. It had been a long couple of days for the Rocketeers, who traveled to Taunton on Friday night for their third game in three days. After suffering back-to-back losses, North went into the regular season finale against its fellow league champion trying to build momentum entering the playoffs.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

North showed no ill effects from its busy schedule, jumping out to a four-run lead in the first inning, twice led by the Tigers by five runs, and then held off a late Taunton rally to earn a 6-5 victory at Jack Tripp Field. It was exactly the response that head coach Bill Wallace wanted from the Davenport division champions.

“We kind of needed this tonight,” North coach Bill Wallace explained. “We lost two games that weren’t the easiest to swallow, if you know what I mean, and this one, the kids are like okay we’ve got our mojo back. We did the little things, we bunted, we moved runners along.”

While North had been playing every day, Taunton had been off for five days and there was a little rust at the beginning of the game. Starting pitcher Kelsey White retired the first two North hitters, but then Ashley Cangiano beat out an infield hit on a slow roller to short. Hebard followed with almost the exact same play. Katie Daby made it three straight hits, lining a single to right to score the first run.

After Emily Nardelli drew a walk, Alex Moulson got North’s third infield hit, this time right up the third base line, and brought in the second run. Belle Clarkin, North’s No. 8 hitter, doubled the lead with a bloop single to right that scored a pair of runs.

“They came through with the hits when they needed them,” said Taunton coach Dave Lewry, “but sometimes you’ve got to make those dribbler plays when you need them too. We were a little bit slow reacting today.”

A one-out error proved costly in the second inning for Taunton. Cangiano bunted Abby Gallagher to third with two outs and Hebard got her second hit of the day, grounding it right back up the box, to make it 5-0. All five runs were scored with two outs.

“That was really helpful,” said Wallace. “Bella [Erti] has thrown 24 innings in the last three days against three really good teams, so I think she could relax a little bit. She’s got more guts and that’s what it was, a gutsy performance.”

Despite having pitched 17 innings in the previous two days, including an 11-inning outing against Dartmouth on Wednesday, North starter Bella Erti came out firing. She struck out a pair in the first and didn’t allow a hit until the third. She only allowed six hits overall.

Taunton got one back in the fourth inning. Hanna Aldrich drilled a lead-off homer to straightaway center that made it 5-1. An error put McKenzie McAloon on and it looked like the Tigers might be able to start chipping away at the deficit but Moulson and Nardelli turned a quick 6-4-3 double play that effectively ended Taunton’s momentum.

The reason that Taunton was still in the game was the relief effort from Alexa White. The senior replaced her sister in the circle with two outs in the second and retired the first 11 batters she faced, nine of them by strikeout. She finished with 12 strikeouts in just 5-1/3 innings and allowed only one hit.

“She was amazing, especially considering she hasn’t pitched much in the last month,” said Lewry about White. “She pitched an inning or two here or there, so I really didn’t know what to expect. Today she was right on, kept us in it.”

North did manage a crucial insurance run in the sixth. With one out, Clarkin hit a deep fly ball to left that went off the fielder’s glove. Mandi Hanewich dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Clarkin to third and then lead off hitter Olivia Capobianco stunned Taunton with a perfect safety squeeze to get the run in.

That run proved to be the game-winner because the potent Taunton offense found its footing against a tiring Erti in the bottom half of the inning.

Abigail McDonough singled to center with one out to start the rally. Aldrich ripped a single up the middle and then both runners read a pitch in the dirt to move into scoring position. McAloon walked to load the bases and then Payton Ceglarski belted a single to right to score a pair.

After a fly ball for the second out, Paige Silvia got her first hit of the game, singling to center to score another two runs and bring the Tigers back within one. Erti managed to escape with the lead, getting a grounder to third to end the threat.

“I think we developed some character tonight,” said Lewry. “We haven’t been in that position this year, we haven’t had to play from behind. I didn’t know how they would react, but they reacted pretty well. We learned that we can come back and we had some kids come through with some big hits tonight.”

Erti made quick work of the seventh, getting the Tigers in order to secure a win that has ramifications in the league title race, in the seeding for the upcoming tournament, and for North Attleboro (15-5, 13-3) confidence as it looks to make a run at bringing home a trophy.

Wallace said, “Part of what made this so important for a lot the kids is that we haven’t done very well against the Kelley-Rex (four of North’s five losses came against teams from the opposite division) and we were wondering, where are we? Now, we showed we can play with anyone.”

Taunton (19-2, 13-2) will now go into Saturday night’s rivalry game with King Philip needing a win to secure the outright league title and also to hang out to one of the top two or three seeds in D1 South.

“It’s a big game tomorrow,” Lewry admitted. “We want to win the Hock outright, so we need to win tomorrow. It’s as simple as that. It’s another big game, we just need to play from inning one not inning four.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Saturday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/25/19

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Franklin, 6 vs. Lincoln-Sudbury, 4 – Final – Franklin beat Lincoln-Sudbury to claim the Pedroli tournament championship. The Panthers built a 4-0 lead, and once the Warriors threatened by scoring twice, added two runs of their own and then held off Lincoln-Subdury in the final innings for the win. Senior Jake Macchi had two hits and scored two runs to earn tournament MVP honors. Alex Haba also had two hits with an RBI and two runes scored. Scott Elliott (run), Jack Nally (run, RBI), Joe Lizotte (run), Shane O’Neil (run), Cooper Ross (RBI), and JB Floris (RBI) all contributed for Franklin. Brennan Rivera earned the win, allowing one earned run on four hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts in 6.2 innings of work while Liam Dailey fanned the final batter for the save.

Taunton, 8 @ New Bedford, 6 – Final – Taunton erased a five-run deficit, scoring eight straight runs between the fifth and sixth innings to earn a win on the road over the Whalers. The Tigers scored three in the fifth to get within two runs before using a five-run sixth inning to take the lead. Junior Colby Lariviere went 2-for-4 and drove in a team-high four runs, junior Nic Notarangelo added two hits, a run scored and three RBI, and junior Jared Roderick had two hits and scored a run. Junior Logan Lawrence was strong in relief with one unearned run allowed on two hits and one walk in two innings of work, striking out three.

Softball
Taunton, 13 @ Attleboro, 2 – Final – In a game continued from earlier in the week, Taunton earned a season sweep of the Bombardiers. Sophomores Hanna Aldrich (walk, RBI, run), McKenzie McAloon (two doubles, three RBI, run) and Kelsey White (home run, double, RBI, run) each belted out three hits for the Tigers while Jaime Brown (three RBI, run), Paige Silvia (two runs), Ava Venturelli (two runs), and Abbie McDonough (three RBI, two runs) each had two hits. White earned her 14th win of the season, allowing two runs on four hits, one walk, one hit batter, and eight strikeouts in six innings of work.

Attleboro, 6 @ Marblehead, 1 – Final – After finishing a game with Taunton in the morning, the Bombardiers hit the road and picked up a win over Marblehead to qualify for the state tournament. Trailing by a run, McKenzie Bergdoll smashed a two-run home run over the fence in center field to put the visitors up for good in the fourth inning. Meghan Gordon and Lindsey Perry each had RBI singles in the fifth to score Kayla Battisti and Hailey Perry to make it 4-1. Attleboro tacked on two big insurance runs in the seventh when Bergdoll and Lora Woyton (double) each drove in a run. Emily Gittle earned the win in the circle, allowing one unearned run on two hits with eight strikeouts, retiring the last 13 betters in a row.

Boys Lacrosse
Franklin, 15 @ Cohasset, 7 – Final – Franklin had one of its best performances of the season, going on the road and beating a good Cohasset team in impressive fashion. The Panthers raced out to a 9-3 lead at halftime and had a 15-4 lead in the fourth quarter. Jacob Alexander won 20-of-25 faceoffs to give the Franklin offense a boost. Matt Lazzaro had four goals and four assists to lead the charge while Jake Davis added four goals and one assist, Ben Greco scored a hat trick and had two assists, and Nitin Chaudhury chipped in with two goals and one helper. Will Davis was solid in net with 12 saves.

Friday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/24/19

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Canton, 1 @ Quincy, 3 – Final

Oliver Ames, 7 @ Foxboro, 5 – Final (13 inn.) – For the second straight game, Foxboro rallied in the bottom of the seventh inning to force extras but saw the visiting team earn the win. With the win, OA keeps its postseason hopes alive with one game to go. OA plated five runs in the top of the fifth inning to take a 5-2 lead before the Warriors rallied to score three runs in the seventh to send the game to extras for the second straight day. After five scoreless innings, OA tacked on two runs in the top of the 13th. Freshman Jack Richardson, who earned the win in relief, led off the inning with a single and Matt McCormack followed with a base hit of his own. Cam Perron brought the go-ahead run in with a sac fly and the second run scored on a wild pitch. McCormack (two runs) and Jake Erlich (RBI) each had two hits for OA while Kyle O’Connor had two RBI. Michael Devlin (RBI, run), Joe Cavaleri (RBI), and Sean Yoest (run) each had two hits for Foxboro while Cam Prescott was strong in relief, tossing 7.1 innings with six strikeouts, allowing one run on five hits.

Mansfield, 1 @ Walpole, 2 – Final – Mansfield took a lead in the third inning but Walpole used a pair of doubles in the sixth inning to jump in front and beat the Hornets. Kyle Moran was strong on the mound, allowing just four hits and one walk while striking out five. He also had one Mansfield’s two hits.

North Attleboro, 8 vs. Bishop Feehan, 3 – Final – North Attleboro jumped ahead in the first inning and senior Todd Robinson (3-for-3, two stolen bases, two runs, four RBI) belted his third home run of the season as the Rocketeers ran away with a win over Feehan. The Rocketeers took a 3-1 lead after an inning of play when Robinson drove in Brendan McHugh (HBP), Nick Raneri scored on a double steal, and Shawn Watters singled Robinson home. In the second inning, Robinson increased the Rocketeers’ lead with a two-out, two-run home to to make it 5-1. With the bases loaded in the fourth, Robinson was hit by a pitch to bring McHugh in and sophomore Jared Penta scored on a fielder’s choice from Jake Palmer. Robinson added another run by stealing home. Matt Seavey pitched a complete game, striking out six with three walks.

Softball
North Attleboro, 5 @ Foxboro, 2 – Final – Foxboro took a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning but the Rocketeers rallied to score five runs in the sixth inning, including four with two-outs, to upend the Warriors. Mandi Hanewich and Olivia Capobianco had back-to-back hits for the Rocketeers, and Abby Gallagher (double, two hits) drove in Hanewich to tie the game. With two outs, Katie Daby, Emily Nardelli and Alex Moulson (two hits, stolen base) strung together three consecutive singles to bring in four runs. Junior Bella Erti allowed just one earned run on two hits, striking out eight.

Franklin, 0 vs. Bridgewater-Raynham, 1 – Final

King Philip, 5 vs. Walpole, 4 – Final

Taunton, 6 @ Mansfield, 1 – Final – Taunton eighth-grader Ava Venturelli blasted a grand slam, her first career home run, in the sixth inning to spark a six-run frame that helped the Tigers beat the Hornets. Mansfield took a lead in the third when Megan Letendre put the ball in play and Sydney Woods came in to score. In the sixth, Peyton Ceglarski walked and Paige Silvia and Tayah DaCosta followed with base hits to load the bases for the Tigers. Venturelli then put one over the left field fence to put Taunton ahead. Hanna Aldrich drove in Jaime Brown with a double and scored on a squeeze from McKenzie McAloon to make it 6-1. Kelsey White earned the win, limiting Mansfield to six hits while striking out 13. Woods, Kara Bendanillo, and Mady Bendanillo (triple) each had two hits for the Hornets.

Boys Lacrosse
Canton, 8 @ Dartmouth, 7 – Final – Canton’s David Allen had one of his best games of the season and Dan Cohen made several key plays throughout to help the Bulldogs get a win on the road. Canton peppered the Dartmouth cage but Charles Gamache thwarted plenty of Bulldog chances. Allen had three goals, Andrew Canto added three goals and an assist, Griffin Roach scored once and had three helpers, and Tommy Vaughan chipped in with a goal and an assist.

Attleboro @ North Attleboro, 5:15

Foxboro, 5 vs. Xaverian, 9 – Final

Sharon, 11 vs. Pembroke, 10 – Final




Girls Lacrosse
North Attleboro, 18 @ Attleboro, 13 – Final

Mansfield, 22 vs. Milton, 12 – Final – Katy Garvin scored seven goals while Hayleigh Crawford and Olivia Murray each found the back of the net four times to lead the Hornets to a win over Milton. Lauren Whitman added three goals for Mansfield.

Taunton, 21 vs. Coyle & Cassidy, 0 – Final – Taunton sophomore Alana Tavares scored nine goals as the Tigers earned a big win over Coyle. Emma Sheehan added a hat trick while Mabel Smith, Tasia Lajoie, and Rosemary McGrath each scored twice for Taunton. Kamryn Li, Jade Holmes, and Kristen Hearrold each scored once while Emily Gannon made six saves in the shutout.

Boys Tennis
Franklin, 4 @ Bishop Feehan, 1 – Final – Franklin won three matches in straight sets and one more in a super tiebreaker to take care of Feehan. Rohan Herur won 6-1, 6-2 at second singles while Lucas Gulick picked up a 6-2, 6-0 win at second singles. The team of Saketh Saripalli and Vayshnav Malhotra earned a 6-1, 6-4, and the second doubles team of Saket Gandham and Shoyaib Shaik rallied for a 4-6, 7-5, 10-8 win.

King Philip, 4 @ North Attleboro, 1 – Final – King Philip swept both doubles matches and earned two wins in straight sets in singles action to knock off North Attleboro in a non-league clash. Nate Ihley and Jack Cannon won 6-2, 4-1 (retired) at first doubles while the team of Jake Mager and Zak Ryan picked up a 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 10-3 win at second doubles. Marco DiStefano won 6-2, 6-1 at first singles and Nick Putney won 6-1, 6-0 at second singles. North Attleboro’s Sam Gallagher didn’t drop a game in a 6-0, 6-0 win at third singles.

Taunton, 0 @ Mansfield, 5 – Final – In a match continued from earlier in the week, Mansfield knocked off visiting Taunton. Luke Nickerson won 6-0, 6-1 at first singles, Luke Devine picked up a 6-3, 6-2 win at second singles, and Sam Donellan earned a 6-3, 6-3 win at third singles. The team of Max Bank and Sethu Odayappan prevailed 6-0, 6-1 at first doubles while Sam Shirmacher and Ben Newcomb won 6-3, 6-1 at second doubles.

Girls Tennis
King Philip, 5 vs. Walpole, 0 – Final

Franklin vs. Bishop Feehan, 4:00

Taunton, 5 vs. Coyle & Cassidy, 0 – Final

Boys Volleyball
Taunton, 3 vs. Durfee, 2 – Final – Taunton earned a win over Durfee in five sets (26-28, 25-23, 18-25, 25-19, 15-11) to finish the season 11-9. Fabio Goncalves had a game to remember with a career-high 25 kills, sophomore Tyler Stewart added 12 kills, and Alex Tavares (nine blocks) chipped in with 10. Gage Kingman anchored the defense with 22 digs.

Taunton Uses Small Ball To Get Past Panthers

Taunton softball Kelsey White
Taunton’s Kelsey White delivers a pitch in the fourth inning against Franklin. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
TAUNTON, Mass. – The Taunton softball team has been one of the most lethal and dangerous offenses in the state over the past couple of seasons, and with 165 runs scored this year, they are among the best again this year.

While the Tigers can certainly mash and string together hit after hit, one thing that Taunton is focusing on as the state tournament approaches is cashing in when the opportunity arises.

Taunton turned to small ball on Wednesday night at Jack Tripp Field, scoring the first three runs of the game via squeeze plays, earning a 5-0 win over Franklin in a battle of top teams in the Kelley-Rex.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

The win avenges the Tigers’ lone loss, which was to the Panthers back in April, a loss that snapped the defending D1 State Champions’ 28-game win streak.

“It’s something that we’ve used in the past and it depends on the situation and the batters,” said Taunton coach Dave Lewry of the small ball approach. “We haven’t been great at bunting this year but we’ve hit so well its kind of been hidden. But tournament time, you have to be able to bunt.”

Taunton scored once in the third inning on a squeeze play and then used back-to-back bunts in the fourth inning to bring in two more runs. Sophomore Kelsey White, who threw a complete game shutout with four hits allowed and eight strikeouts, smashed a two-run home run in the fifth inning for insurance runs.

“Tonight and the other night game against Feehan, a night game between two good teams, a playoff-like atmosphere,” Lewry said. “That’s why we try to have these games towards the end of the year because it helps come tournament time.

“That was a huge win, I thought both teams played very, very well. We have a tough schedule coming up so It’s a lot nicer to have a two-game lead gap than it is to be in a tie, that’s for sure.”

With first place in the Kelley-Rex division up for grabs, both teams had a bit of a nervous start. Franklin’s Ally Shea smacked a single to lead off and Anna Balkus dropped a bunt down to put the first two Panthers on base with no outs. White answered with back-to-back strikeouts and induced a grounder back to the circle for the third out and no damage done.

“We missed our opportunities against an outstanding team, they are a great team without a doubt,” said Franklin coach Kate Fallon-Comeau. We missed our chances, we had a good chance in the first inning getting the first two on, and you can’t do that against a team like that.”

Jaime Brown singled to open for the Tigers and moved to second on a wild pitch but Franklin starter Jackie Cherry (6IP, 7H, 3BB, 5K, 5ER) fanned the next two batters and got a fly ball to center to escape the first.

After a scoreless second, Brown led off the bottom of the third with a walk. Alexa White dropped down a sac bunt and Brown used heads’ up base running to scamper all the way to third. With an emphasis on bringing in the first run, Lewry elected to have sophomore Hanna Aldrich — who leads the league in home runs — drop down a bunt for a squeeze play and Brown sprinted home to make it 1-0.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had Hanna bunt, certainly not this year, I can’t remember before that,” Lewry said. “But you have to get that first run. Hanna is a good bunter too. Payton Cegarlski bunted a few games ago for us. It doesn’t matter who’s at the plate, you have a runner at third with one out or no outs, you have to get in that run.”

Ceglarski drilled a deep single to lead of the fourth and pinch runner Kylie Thorpe moved up to second on a sac bunt from Kelsey White. A wild pitch third strike put runners on the corners and Lewry again called for the squeeze. Eighth-grader Ava Venturelli laid the bunt down and Thorpe was able to score when the ball was mishandled at home.

On the next pitch, Abbie McDonough dropped another bunt and Paige Silvia came sprinting home to make it 3-0. The Tigers loaded the bases but Cherry got a fly ball to center and Balkus gunned a runner at home for a double play to prevent any more runs.

White retired eight straight before Franklin’s Maggie Hobby singled through the left side with two outs in the fifth. After Shea was hit by a pitch, the Panthers had runners on first and second but white got a ground ball to Brown at third for the third out.

In the bottom of the fifth, Aldrich had a leadoff single before Cherry retired the next two batters. After bunting in her previous at-bat, Kelsey White got a hold of a pitch this time and sent it over the center field fence for a two-run home run.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

A two-base error was erased by Kelsey White on a fielder’s choice in the sixth, and then she retired the side in order in the seventh, getting the final two outs on strikes.

“Kelsey was amazing tonight, huh?” Lewry said. “She had everything going, the changeup was probably the best she’s had all year and she got a lot of kids with that nice change. She’s been struggling a little at the plate, I told her yesterday I was thinking about flexing for her and she told me she was ready. She got into that pitch though and hit it pretty darn good.”

Taunton softball (10-1 Hockomock, 14-1) takes sole possession of first place with a game in hand. The Tigers return to action on Saturday night against Attleboro at 7:00. Franklin (9-3, 10-4) returns home for a game against Oliver Ames on Friday afternoon.

Thursday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/09/19

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Canton, 0 @ Braintree, 7 – Final

Mansfield, 3 @ Xaverian, 2 – Final – Xaverian tied the game in the top of the seventh inning but the Hornets responded with the winning run in the bottom half to walk off with the win. Senior Sam Nugent (2-for-2, two runs) led off the bottom of the seventh with a single and then stole second. Mike Hargadon put a bunt down to advance the runner but a collision at first allowed Nugent to scamper around third and home for the winning run. Mansfield took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning when Hargadon drove in Jake Gerraughty and Nugent with a double. Mike Scibilia went five innings, scattering five hits and one walk, striking out two with one earned run allowed. Kyle Moran got the win in relief, allowing one run on two hits, two walks, and four strikeouts.

Sharon, 3 @ North Attleboro, 4 – Final – Sharon jumped ahead in the top of the seventh with a two-run home run but North Attleboro responded with two in the bottom half to walk off with the win. Eagles freshman Dan Zagoren smacked a two-run homer in the top of the seventh to give Sharon a 3-2 lead. In the bottom half, Shawn Watters reached on an infield error to lead off, Kyle Briere pinch ran and stole second, and Owen Harding single up middle advanced him to third. Briere scored on a slow roller single down the first base line by Brendan McHugh, moving Harding to third. North coach Mike Hart put Todd Robinson in as a pinch-runner at third and the senior rewarded him, racing home on a wild pitch for the winning run. Sharon went up 1-0 in the first on an RBI single from Noah Martinez but North sophomore Dennis Colleran scored classmate Jared Penta with an infield single to make it 1-1. North took a 2-1 lead in the fifth when McHugh drew a two-out walk and scored on a single from Penta. Matt Seavey struck out nine in five innings of work for North, allowing one earned run on four hits and three walks.

Oliver Ames, 0 @ Brockton, 1 – Final

Softball
Foxboro, 17 vs. Ursuline Academy, 10 – Final – Morgan Sylvestre and Chelsea Gibbons each hit a home run and Foxboro’s offense exploded for 17 runs in a win over Ursuline Academy. Nicole Theriault had a big day offensively, going 4-for-5, and Jill Finn added three hits for Foxboro.

King Philip, 20 @ Milford, 0 – Final (5 inn.) – King Philip senior Heather Nix tossed her second straight shutout, allowing just two hits and one walk in five innings, striking out 10 to earn the win. Meghan Gorman paced the Warriors’ offense with a leadoff home run in the first, finishing with four hits and seven RBI. Paige Berdos (three-run home run) and Raegan Simeone each had three hits for the Warriors while Faith Turinese added a three-run home run.

Mansfield, 2 @ Braintree, 4 – Final – The Hornets put the tying run on base in the top of the seventh and had the go-ahead run at the plate but couldn’t connect for a timely hit, falling to Braintree on the road. The Hornets put a run on the board in the third off the bat of Ashlyn Conley (2-for-3), who doubled in Caty DeMassi (2-for-3). Mansfield added another run in the sixth when DeMassi knocked in Mady Bendanillo (2-for-4), who led off with a double. Megan Letendre and Sydney Woods also had a hit each for Mansfield. Sarah Cahill allowed six hits and struck out three for the Hornets.

Oliver Ames, 4 @ Walpole, 9 – Final – Oliver Ames had an early lead and got within one run in the fifth inning but Walpole scored four runs late to pull away with the win. OA jumped ahead with a suicide squeeze by Katie Mills (2-for-4, RBI, run) knocking in Katie Abreu (4-for-4, two runs scored) in the first inning. OA scored another in the second inning when Mollie Crabtree crossed the plate on an error. Grace Simone was 3-for-4, Kayla Georgeu was 2-for-4 with an RBI, and Colleen Larson struck out two in six innings of work.

Taunton 7 vs. Bishop Feehan, 2 – Final – Taunton sophomore McKenzie McAloon led off the top of the second with her first career home run, sparking the Tigers to a big non-league win against a strong Bishop Feehan team. McAloon added a sac fly in the third to make it 2-0, Taunton added three more runs in the fourth on back-to-back doubles from Jaime Brown (two hits, two RBI) and Alexa White (3-for-4, three RBI) to make it 5-1. White then tacked on two more runs with a two-run double in the sixth. Feehan loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh but Kelsey White (7IP, 4H, 2BB, 9K 0ER) limited the Shamrocks to just one run. Paige Silvia and Ava Venturelli (double) each had two hits and scored twice for the Tigers.




Boys Lacrosse
Foxboro, 15 @ Bishop Feehan, 5 – Final – Junior Aidan Stapleton had a hand in five goals, helping the Warriors pick up a win on the road over Feehan. Stapleton scored twice and had three helpers, both Brendan Tully (three goals, assist) and Pete Conley (two goals, two assists) had four points, and Charlie Baughan scored a hat trick. Freshman Matt Tully made 12 saves in net for Foxboro.

Oliver Ames, 10 @ Ashland, 11 – Final – Junior Shane Kilkelly led Oliver Ames with four goals and three assists while Remi Creighton and Sandro Masciarelli each found the back of the net twice for the Tigers.

Girls Lacrosse
Attleboro vs. Norton, 4:00

Milford, 12 vs. Norwood, 10 – Final – Milford saw a three-goal lead disappear in the second half when Norwood tied the game at 8-8 but the Hawks scored four straight goals to earn a win over the Mustangs. Jillian Michelson, Eva Parson, Katie Maietta, Hanna Bangert, and Tatiana Martinez had strong defensive performances in front of Savannah Rosado to help preserve the win. Senior Captain Katie Drysdale scored her first goal of the season, Annie Flanagan netted three goals, Emily Haley, Sophia Bucal, and Elena Bon Tempo had two each, and Riley Campbell and Brianna Maietta both scored once for the Hawks.

Oliver Ames vs. Ursuline Academy, 4:00

Sharon, 15 @ Cardinal Spellman, 4 – Final – Sharon’s Rose Wald had a great game, making seven saves to limit the Cardinals to four goals, helping the Eagles punch their ticket to the state tournament with a win. Emma Eberhardt dominated at draws, winning 19-of-21 attempts and paced the offense with seven goals and four assists. Jenna Goldstein added four goals and an assist, Bridget McManus scored a pair of goals, Mia Lappen (goal, two assists) had three points, and Cass Barbera had a goal and an assist for the Eagles.

Boys Tennis
Milford, 0 @ Mansfield, 5 – Final – Mansfield won all three singles matches in straight sets and swept doubles play in a victory over visiting Milford. Luke Nickerson won 6-2, 6-0 at first singles, Luke Devine notched a 6-3, 6-1 win at second singles, and Nilay Pangrekar didn’t drop a game in a 6-0, 6-0 win at third singles. The team of Dheeraj Valluru and Sam Donella picked up a 6-1, 6-3 win at first doubles while Justin Weiner and Peter Rouvalis emerged with a 4-6, 6-2, 10-7 win at second doubles.

Oliver Ames, 0 vs. Milton, 5 – Final

Stoughton, 1 @ Sharon, 4 – Final – Sharon won a pair of matches in singles action and took both doubles matches to beat Stoughton. Junior Alberto Olivei earned a 6-0, 6-2 win at second singles and freshman Rueman Bhattacharyya didn’t drop a game in a 6-0, 6-0 win at third singles. Senior Max Brody and freshman Max Chen earned a 6-1, 6-0 win at first doubles while senior Alex Aspel and junior Jake Ross secured a 6-0, 6-0 win at second doubles. Stoughton sophomore Waseem Sablon battled to a 6-4, 6-3 win at first singles.

Taunton, 4 vs. Durfee, 1 – Final – Taunton senior Brett Beaulieu earned a win in straight sets at first singles for his 60th career victory, making him the program’s all-time wins leader. Beaulieu won 7-6, 6-0 at first singles, Charlie Fiske added a 6-2, 6-4 win at second singles, and Dylan Kullas secured a 6-1, 6-1 win at third singles. The team of Trevor Hart and Ryan Hebert dropped just two games at first doubles, winning 6-0, 6-2.

Girls Tennis
Mansfield, 4 @ Milford, 1 – Final – Mansfield went on the road and won two matches in singles action and swept doubles play to knock off host Milford. Lizzy Elsner shined in a 6-0, 6-1 win at first singles and Aryana Khosravani picked up a 6-2, 6-2 win at third singles. The team of Lauren Hobaica and Sam Sternburg recorded a 6-4, 6-3 win at first doubles while Alex Burnham and Alex Wendland prevailed 4-6, 7-5, 10-4 at second doubles. Milford’s Juliana France won 6-1, 6-1 at second singles.

Sharon, 5 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final

Taunton, 3 @ Durfee, 2 – Final – Taunton once again swept singles play to get a close win over Durfee. Jillian Pagliuca earned a 6-2, 6-2 win at first singles, McKenzie Lucie won 6-0, 6-1 at second singles, and Jocelyn Pagliuca picked up a 6-1, 6-1 win at third singles.

Boys Volleyball
King Philip, 3 vs. Bellingham, 0 – Final – King Philip improved to 13-2 on the season with its second sweep of Bellingham this season (25-8, 25-6, 25-14). Junior Kyle Desrochers had 14 service points, including five aces, and made the switch from libero to setter for the final set and recorded 11 assists. Cam Corey (four aces) and Max Armour (two aces) each had 10 service points for KP. Eric Altobello put down a team-high eight kills while Jimmy Peterson and Mike O’Brien each recorded six kills apiece.

Milford, 3 vs. Norton, 0 – Final – The Hawks defended home court to earn their 14th win of the season with a 3-0 (25-6, 25-14, 25-14) win over Norton. Milford had 12 different players record a kill, with Tiago Filadelfo putting down a team-high six kills and Zach Browne added five. Nathan LeBlanc had 10 digs for Milford.

Taunton, 3 @ Quincy, 2 – Final – Taunton rallied from a 2-1 deficit to win the final two games and the match, 3-2 (21-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-22, 15-8) over the Presidents. Chris LaCourse led the way with 51 assists and 21 digs with Tyler Stewart (15 kills), Fabio Goncalves (14 kills), Alex Tavares (11 kills), and Gage Kingman (11 kills) having strong games at the net offensively.

White, Aldrich Power Taunton Past KP On The Road

Taunton softball Hanna Aldrich
Taunton sophomore Hanna Aldrich takes a swing against King Philip. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
PLAINVILLE, Mass. – Going on the road and picking up a win against King Philip at the Plainville Athletic League Complex is no easy feat.

In order to accomplish that, the Taunton softball team knew it had to play a complete game.

The Tigers did just that, playing well in all facets of the game to score a 7-0 victory over King Philip in an early-season showdown between two of the top teams in the Hockomock League.

PAL has been a house of horrors for visitors with the Warriors winning 22 contests at home over the past two seasons and a winning streak against league opponents dating back to 2016.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Fittingly, the Tigers were the last team to win a league game at PAL, back in 2016. Taunton was on the verge of a win last season before a seventh inning rally resulted in a walk-off win.

This time, Taunton jumped ahead early, building a 5-0 lead through three innings and that lead was more than enough for sophomore pitcher Kelsey White (CG, 2H, 4K).

“I thought we played a complete game,” said Taunton coach Dave Lewry. “Our pitching was outstanding, Kelsey was really on today. We played good, solid defense, and we hit the ball well, especially early. Hanna [Aldrich] got into a couple, and that’s what you have to do to beat this team. They are solid, they are going to be around come the end of the year.”

Sophomore Hanna Aldrich was the catalyst for the Tiger offense. In her first at-bat, she launched a two-out solo home run over the fence in left field to put the visitors up a run after an inning.

Eighth-grader Ava Venturelli led off the top of the second with a walk for the Tigers and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Alexa White. A double off the wall in right from Paige Silvia put runners on second and third.

Payton Ceglarski brought Venturelli home with a sacrifice fly into right field with Raegan Simeone making a terrific running catch and nearly getting the runner at home with a great throw. Silvia, who moved to third on the sacrifice, came home to score on a passed ball to make it 3-0.

After allowing a two-out single in the bottom of the first inning to KP’s Faith Turinese, Kelsey White retired the side in order in the second, getting a strikeout and two ground balls.

Taunton’s offense was back at it again in the top of the third. Kelsey White reached on a bunt with one out and Aldrich delivered again. This time, Aldrich smashed the second pitch she saw well over the wall in left for a two-run homer and a 5-0 lead on the scoreboard.

“I think it’s every team’s plan, you want to get an early lead and put the pressure on the other team.=,” Lewry said. “For Hanna get that home run in the first inning and give us the lead, and kind of take a little pressure off, that was huge. And then she added another in the third too.”

King Philip’s Grace Kelley reached on an error to start the bottom of the third but White got a pop up to center, erased the lead running with a grounder, and another out to left to prevent any damage.

The sophomore right-hander retired the side in order in the fourth, five, and sixth innings, getting five ground balls for outs.

“That’s the key, you have to play good defense,” Lewry said. “Kelsey was pitching to contact today. She threw a lot of good changes, she got some swings and misses but she got a lot of ground balls which is what we were trying to do in this situation.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Taunton added some insurance in the top of the sixth inning. Sophomore Tayah DeCosta drew a two-out walk, and courtesy runner Kylie Thorpe advanced to third on a single from Rylie Murphy (Abigail McDonough re-entered to run). Senior Jaime Brown knocked both runners in with a double to left field to increase the score to 7-0.

Taunton softball (2-0 Hockomock, 3-0 overall) is back in action on Friday when it visits Foxboro. King Philip (1-2, 1-2) returns to PAL on Tuesday to host Bishop Feehan.