Tag: Pat Limerick

Wednesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/23/18


Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Attleboro, 1 @ North Attleboro, 3 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.

Foxboro, 8 vs. Coyle & Cassidy, 2 – Final – Click here for a recap of this game.

King Philip, 2 @ Bishop Feehan, 15 – Final – Pat Limerick had three hits on the day but the Warriors fell on the road to Bishop Feehan. One of Limerick’s hits was a solo home run while Jeremy Rhines also chipped in with three hits and an RBI for the Warriors.

Sharon, 4 @ Milford, 7 – Final – Click here for a photo gallery of this game.

Sharon, 5 @ Milford, 2 – Final

Taunton, 5 @ New Bedford, 0 – Final – Taunton scored two runs in the top of the fourth and then put the game away with three more runs in the top seventh to beat New Bedford. The Tigers had nine hits as a team with Andrew Gomes (two RBI) and Tyler Medeiros (RBI) each recording two. Josh Lajoie pitched six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts to earn the win.

Mansfield, 16 @ Bridgewater-Raynham, 1 – Final – Mansfield’s offense used 12 hits, four walks and took advantage of four Trojan errors to pick up a big win on the road. Mansfield broke open a scoreless gae with four runs in the fourth and added seven more in the fifth. Although the Hornets had 12 hits, only one player – Tyler Dalton (three RBI, two runs) – had more than one hit. Ten other Hornets each had one hit with Chris Jenkins and Kyle Moran providing two RBI and a run scored each. Connor Sheehan earned the win, striking out seven with just two walks and three hits allowed in five shutout innings of work.

Softball
North Attleboro, 5 @ Attleboro, 1 – Final – Bella Erti struck out 13 and walked just one, while going 2-for-3 at the plate with a homer and two RBI, leading North to the Blue-Red Cup title. Abby Gallagher also went 2-for-2 and drove in three runs, while Olivia Capobianco had two hits and scored two runs and Emily Nardelli, Ashley Cangiano and Katherine Munley each had a hit.

Canton @ Randolph, 4:00

Franklin, 0 @ Bridgewater-Raynham, 3 – Final – Franklin had the same amount of hits as Bridgewater-Raynham but couldn’t string them together to find a run. Both teams had five hits but the Trojans cashed in on a couple of unearned runs. Jackie Cherry had two hits for the Panthers while Maggie Hobby had one and made two nice catches in foul territory behind the plate. Emily Valentino allowed five hits while striking out four.

Mansfield, 8 @ Duxbury, 4 – Final – The Hornets opened the game with three runs in the first, added three in the fifth and scored a pair of insurance runs in the seventh to pick up the road win. Mady Bendanillo drove in the first run with a double and scored on a double by Felicity McMullin, who scored on a single by Caty DeMassi. In the fifth, Kara Bendanillo again got it started with a single and Megan beat out a bunt to put two on. Mady Bendanillo doubled again, driving in two more runs and then she scored on a sac fly. In the seventh, Letendre and Mady Bendanillo singled and moved up into scoring position on good base-running. McMullin plated one run with a slow roller on the infield and Bendanillo scored on a wild pitch.

Sharon, 0 @ Milford, 28 – Final (5 inn.) – Click here for a photo gallery of this game.

Taunton, 14 @ Oliver Ames, 5 – Final – Taunton’s Kelsey White had three hits and knocked in four runs while sister Alexa tossed a complete game with six strikeouts and no walks as the Tigers beat OA. Alexa White scattered five hits while allowing just one earned run to improve to 3-0. Jaylin Couto (home run, four RBI, three runs) and Jaime Brown (RBI) each had two hits for Taunton while Kya Enos (two RBI) and McKenzie McAloon (three runs, two stolen bases) had one hit apiece. For OA, Caroline Mahoney was 2-for-4 with a single, a solo home run and two runs scored, Katie Mills was 1-for-3 with two RBI, and freshman Grace Simone had a single and a run scored.

Stoughton, 1 @ Milton, 5 – Final


Boys Lacrosse
Franklin, 12 @ Canton, 5 – Final – Franklin built a 7-1 lead after 24 minutes of play and never looked back to finish its regular season with a win on the road over Canton. Eric Civetti netted seven goals and had three assists while Jake Davis scored a hat trick and had two helpers for the Panthers.

Foxboro, 6 vs. Wayland, 15 – Final – Click here for a recap of this game.

North Attleboro, 5 @ Old Rochester, 2 – Final

Sharon, 12 vs. Cambridge, 0 – Final – Eight different players found the back of the net for Sharon and Jonny Greenberg recorded a shutout in the Eagles’ win over CambridMitchellchll Director scored a team-high three goals while Kadin Nestler had two goals and two assists. Daniel Lilenfeld added a goal and two assists for Sharon.

Stoughton, 1 @ Milford, 14 – Final – Click here for a photo gallery of this game.

Girls Lacrosse
Attleboro, 7 @ Taunton, 14 – Final – Click here for a recap of this game.

Canton, 1 @ Franklin, 20 – Final – Katie Jones led Franklin’s offense with four goals and two assists as the Panthers picked up a win at home. Lilly Kolb added two goals and an assist while Haley DeStefano found the back of the net twice for the Panthers.

Mansfield vs. Natick, 4:00

North Attleboro, 12 vs. Old Rochester, 16 – Final – North Attleboro was tied 7-7 at the half but Old Rochester broke the game open with a strong second half. Kayla Moulin made 11 saves in the game, including the 300th of her career. Camille Pizarro scored five goals, Julia Dakin had three and Mackenzie Rosenberg had a pair for North.

Sharon, 18 vs. Cardinal Spellman, 2 – Final – Lydia Chase led the Eagles with five goals and an assist, while Emma Eberhardt played provider with six assists. Sabrina Robbins had a hat trick, while Mia Lappen, Abbi Solomon (two assists), and Jenna Goldstein all scored two goals apiece. Maeve Barbera added one goal.

Boys Tennis
Stoughton, 1 @ Foxboro, 4 – Final

King Philip, 4 vs. Bishop Feehan, 1 – Final – King Philip dominated doubles play, losing a combined five games and winning both matches in straight sets to defeat Feehan. Sean Desroches and Nate Ihley won 6-0, 6-1 at first doubles and the team of Nick Ihley and Aidan Ignatius notched a 6-1, 6-3 win at second doubles. Nick Putney prevailed with a 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 win at second singles and Jack Cannon lost just one game (6-0, 6-1) in a victory at third singles.

Sharon, 2 @ North Attleboro, 3 – Final – North Attleboro’s Ben Pfeffer and Vikram Senthilakumaran emerged from an epic three-set match at first doubles with a win to clinch a victory for the Rocketeers as well as a perfect league record. Pfeffer and Senthilakumaran won 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3) to clinch the Davenport title for Big Red. With North’s win, Sharon’s run of 38 straight years with a league title comes to an end. Richard Bermudez won 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (1) at first singles and Christian Bermudez picked up a 6-1, 6-0 win at second singles. Sharon sophomore Danujan Thirumavalavan won 6-2, 6-0 at third singles and the team of Ashwin Sreevatsa and Arie Chinnappan picked up a 6-1, 6-3 win at second doubles for the Eagles.

Taunton, 5 @ New Bedford, 0 – Final – Taunton picked up its 14th win of the season with a sweep of New Bedford. The Tigers didn’t drop a single game in singles play as Francois Hennaux (first singles), Brett Beaulieu (second), and Charlie Fiske (third) each won 6-0, 6-0. Dylan Kullas and Mike Briggs won 6-0, 6-2 at first doubles and Kyle Dennehy and Trevor Hart paired up for a 6-0, 6-2 win at second doubles.

Girls Tennis
Foxboro, 1 @ Martha’s Vineyard, 4 – Final – Foxboro’s Sophia Prinos picked up a win at first singles but the Warriors fell to Martha’s Vineyard. Prinos earned a 7-6 (6), 6-4 win for the Warriors’ lone point.

King Philip @ Bishop Feehan, 3:45

North Attleboro, 0 @ Sharon, 5 – Final – Sharon defended home court with a sweep of North Attleboro, winning all five matches in straight sets. Nupur Shukla won 6-0, 6-3 at first singles, Lulu Yuan earned a 6-1, 6-1 win at second singles and Katie Merport recorded a 6-0, 6-3 win at third singles. The Eagles’ first doubles team of Emily Wen and Sachi Bhasin won 6-1, 6-0 while Rithika Neti and Sophia Fein picked up a 6-3, 6-1 win at second doubles.

Taunton vs. New Bedford, 4:00

Boys Volleyball
Milford, 3 vs. BC High, 2 – Final

Taunton, 3 @ Durfee, 0 – Final – Taunton went on the road and swept the Hilltoppers (25-18, 25-17, 25-16) to improve to 16-0 on the season. Ricardo DaFonseca set the offense in motion with 40 assists while Lens Esquil and Lance Law had 13 kills apiece. Collin Hunter and Malik Charle chipped in with six kills each.


Monday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/21/18


Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Attleboro, 3 @ Taunton, 2 – Final – Taunton scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning but Attleboro chipped away with single runs in the third and fourth innings and then scored the winning run in the top of the fifth. Dakota Kirby had a leadoff single in the third and scored when Jon Candiales drew a bases-loaded walk. In the fourth, Troy Gamache led off with a single and scored to tie the game on an RBI double from James Weir. The Bombardiers took the lead in the fifth when Corey McKenna had a two-out single, stole second, and scored on an RBI single from Gamache. Ryan Morry earned the win, allowing two first-inning runs in a complete game effort. Morry allowed six hits — four in the first inning — before settling down, striking out three and walking one.

North Attleboro, 13 @ Foxboro, 3 – Final – North Attleboro’s Nate Pearce launched a grand slam in the second inning, highlighting the Rocketeers’ sixth run frame in a win over Foxboro. North scored two runs in the first inning and tacked on five more in the third inning. Nick Sinacola improved to 7-0 on the season, allowing one run on two hits and one walk, striking out six in four innings of work. Matt Seavey earned the save, striking out five in three innings of work. Brendan McHugh went 3-for-3 and Zach DeMattio was 2-for-2 with five RBI.

Stoughton, 9 @ Canton, 5 – Final – Stoughton got off to a great start, pushing across six runs in the first inning and never looked back. The Black Knights added three more in the second inning to build a large lead. Evan Gibb got the win on the mound, going 6.2 innings with three earned runs allowed on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Gibb, Ruben Gonzalez, and George Currier each had two hits. James Genest added a two-run single, Robbie Seaman had a double with two walks, and Mike Nazzaro had two RBI and two stolen bases. Jack Brown got his first varsity hit and Tim Kellogg played stellar defense in the field for the Black Knights.

King Philip, 2 @ Franklin, 5 – Final – Franklin senior Jake Noviello scattered five hits, struck out five, allowed two runs and didn’t issue a walk in a complete game effort to lead the Panthers to a win. Steve Luttazi (two doubles, RBI, run) and Jack Nally (RBI, run) each had two hits for the Panthers while Alex Haba (triple, run), Jake Macchi (RBI), and Colby Fitzgibbons (double) each had a hit. Pat Limerick (RBI, run), Jeremy Rhines (RBI), and Ian Zimmerman each had a hit for KP.

Oliver Ames, 0 @ Mansfield, 1 – Final (8 inn.)

Softball
Taunton, 21 @ Attleboro, 6 – Final (6 inn.) – Taunton held a one-run lead after five innings but exploded in the sixth for 15 runs to get the win. Kya Enos had four hits, including a double, with five RBI and four runs, Hanna Aldrich (double, home run, six RBI) and Mackenzie Handrahan (two runs) each had three hits, and Liana Duarte went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Jaylin Couto got the win with four strikeouts and three runs allowed in 3.2 innings of work. Kelsey White came on in relief and struck out five with two runs allowed in 2.1 innings of work.

Canton, 0 @ Stoughton, 7 – Final – Gina Carafa was 2-for-3 with a triple, two RBI and a run scored, Karly Estremera and Nikki Coppola each had two hits, and Taylor Levine contributed with a hit and two RBI. Carafa picked up her sixth win of the season, striking out five and allowing only four hits.

Foxboro, 3 @ North Attleboro, 16 – Final – Bella Erti struck out sixth, recording her 100th of the season and went 3-for-4 with a double at the plate to pace the Rocketeers to a win over Foxboro. Olivia Capobianco was 3-for-3, including a leadoff home run and had four RBI, Annabelle Hebard added three hits and two runs, and Jaclyn Buckley had two hits and four RBI. Emily Nardelli and Stephanie Inglese both added two hits while Emily Pastore and Katherine Munley had one hit apiece and a run scored.

Franklin, 0 @ King Philip, 9 – Final – Brooke Taute set the tone early with a first-inning grand slam to help the Warriors sweep the season series against Franklin. Sydney Phillips, Jessica Bonner (two-run home run) and Brianna Lacy each had two hits. Elise Pereira pitched a complete game shutout, giving up only three hits while striking out five.

Oliver Ames, 9 @ Mansfield, 7 – Final

Boys Lacrosse
Taunton, 2 @ Attleboro, 12 – Final

Foxboro, 7 @ Xaverian, 17 – Final

Franklin, 17 vs. Dover-Sherborn, 7 – Final – Franklin’s offense had another strong game, picking up a win over D3 powerhouse Dover-Sherborn. Eric Civetti was responsible for 10 of those goals, scoring seven and assisting on three more. Jake Davis (three goals, one assist), and Matt Lazzaro (two goals, two assists) each had four points while Nitin Chaudhury and three assists. Jacob Alexander dominated the face-off X, winning 24 of 28 attempts. Connor O’Rourke made nine saves while Will Davis came in and made two stops.

King Philip @ Westford Academy, 5:00

Mansfield, 11 @ Stoughton, 2 – Final

North Attleboro, 8 @ Scituate, 7 – Final

Oliver Ames, 17 @ Southeastern, 4 – Final – Oliver Ames recorded its 12th win of the season, setting a new program mark for regular season wins. The Tigers had 11 different goal scorers in the win with Owen Gallagher leading the way with three goals and three assists.

Girls Lacrosse
Taunton vs. Southeastern, 3:30

Attleboro @ Oliver Ames, 3:45

Canton, 7 @ Holliston, 15 – Final – Leah McClellan scored three goals and assisted on three others for the Bulldogs in the loss. Maggie Connolly had a goal and an assist, while Caroline Tourgee, Molly Colburn and Rachel Beatty had one goal apiece. Vicki Revanche made 21 saves in defeat.

Foxboro, 13 @ Wellesley, 14 – Final

King Philip, 15 vs. Bishop Feehan, 4 – Final – Caroline Klim continued her all-star season with six goals to lead KP to a big win over a potential playoff opponent. Alli Meehan added four goals and an assist and Olivia Tormey had two goals and an assist for the Warriors. KP also got goals from Shayla Weitzman, Jess Sullivan, and Mackenzie Mazur.

North Attleboro, 4 vs. Natick, 18 – Final – Julia Tolfa scored two goals for North but the Rocketeers fell at home to Natick.

Sharon, 13 @ Ursuline Academy, 12 – Final – For the second time this season, the Eagles rallied from four goals down at halftime to beat Ursuline. Sharon went on an 8-3 run in the second half and won the game on Sabrina Robbins’ fourth goal of the afternoon with just one second remaining. Emma Eberhardt scored five goals to lead the Eagles, adding the 100th of her career in the process. She also had two assists. Rose Wald made nine saves, including six in the second half. Maeve Barbera scored a pair of goals and Cass Barbera and Lydia Chase each had one.

Boys Tennis
Taunton, 5 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final

Canton, 3 @ Stoughton, 2 – Final – Stoughton won at first and second singles but the Bulldogs got the win at third singles and swept doubles play to beat the Black Knights. Freshman Minh Duong won 7-5, 6-2 at third singles, the team of Charlie Malloy and Aidas Jakubenas earned a 7-6, 6-3 win at first doubles and Ethan Nguyen and Justin Luk picked up a 6-1, 7-6 (4) win at second doubles. Stoughton freshman Waseem Sablon won 6-1, 6-2 at first singles and junior Erik Anderson earned a 6-2, 6-2 win at second singles.

Foxboro, 0 @ North Attleboro, 5 – Final – North Attleboro’s three singles players combined to lose just a single game in a convincing sweep over Foxboro. Richard Bermudez won 6-1, 6-0 at first singles while Christian Bermudez and Jonah Manso each won 6-0, 6-0 at second and third singles, respectively. Ben Pfeffer and Vikram Senthilakumaran pulled out a 6-3, 6-2 win at first doubles and senior Alex Rinaldi and freshman Sam Gallagher notched their fourth straight win, 6-3, 6-2, at second doubles.

Franklin, 0 @ King Philip, 5 – Final – King Philip clinched its second straight Kelley-Rex title with a sweep over Franklin. Marco DiStefano earned a 6-1, 6-4 win at first singles, Nick Putney prevailed 5-7, 6-0, 6-2 at second singles and Jack Cannon won 6-1, 6-4 at third singles. The team of Sean Desroches and Nate Ihley emerged with a 7-5, 3-6, 10-5 at first doubles and Nick Ihley and Aidan Ignatius teamed up for a 6-1, 6-0 victory at second doubles.

Oliver Ames, 0 @ Mansfield, 5 – Final

Sharon, 5 @ Martha’s Vineyard, 0 – Final – Sharon swept the first of two matches with Martha’s Vineyard, winning all five matches with proset rules. Fred Bondar won 8-2 at first singles, Andre Olivei earned an 8-6 win at second singles and Danujan Thirumavalavan won 8-5 at third singles. The team of Max Brody and Ashwin Sreevatsa picked up an 8-5 win at first doubles and Arie Chinnappan and Alex Asprevailedaled 8-5 at second doubles.

Sharon, 3 @ Martha’s Vineyard, 2 – Final – Sharon earned its second win on the day with a 3-2 proset win. Fred Bondar won 8-3 at first singles, Danujan Thirumavalavan earned an 8-7 (7-1) win at third singles, and Arie Chinnappan and Alex Aspel recorded an 8-2 win at second doubles.

Girls Tennis
Attleboro, 0 @ Taunton, 5 – Final – Taunton earned its second win of the season over the Bombardiers, this time taking all five matches and doing so in straight sets. Junior Jillian Pagliuca won 6-2, 6-2 at first singles, senior Vanessa Rosa picked up a 6-0, 6-0 win at second singles, and freshman Jocelyn Pagliuca walked away with a 6-0, 6-0 decision at third singles. Juniors McKenzie Lucie and Samantha Martin won 6-0, 6-3 at first doubles and seniors Amanda Pugh and Gabrielle Fagundes earned a 6-0, 6-0 win at second doubles for the Tigers.

Stoughton, 0 @ Canton, 5 – Final – Canton freshmen Natalie Keppler and Rachel Kupferman had strong performances on the day with neither losing a game in their respective matches. Keppler (first singles) and Kupferman (second) each won 6-0, 6-0 while sophomore Sarah Hernandez picked up a 6-0, 6-4 win at third singles. Senior Caitlin Matthews and sophomore Stelina Michaelidis won 6-1, 7-6 (6) at first singles and the team of seniors Jenna Moyle and Anjali Mandal earned a 6-1, 6-4 win at second doubles for the Bulldogs.

North Attleboro, 2 @ Foxboro, 3 – Final

King Philip @ Franklin, 3:45

Mansfield, 2 @ Oliver Ames, 3 – Final – Oliver Ames swept doubles play and earned a win at third singles to edge Mansfield. Kristin Bloumbas and Emily You prevailed 7-6 (5), 6-0 at first doubles, Olivia Groebe and Rachel Stryke picked up a 6-3, 6-2 win at second doubles, and sophomore Maura Kiernan dropped just one game in a 6-1, 6-0 win at third singles. Mansfield’s Sarah Doyle recorded a 6-1, 6-2 win at first singles while Elizabeth Elsner emerged victoriously, 6-4, 7-5, at second singles.


North Attleboro’s Wanless Wins In Season Debut


By Joe Clark, HockomockSports.com Student Reporter

WRENTHAM, Mass. – Making his first appearance of the season on Friday afternoon at King Philip High School, North Attleboro junior Matt Wanless didn’t appear to be the least bit nervous. Wanless, a junior, threw a complete game, scattering hits, leading his North Attleboro baseball team to a 5-1 win over King Philip.

“He was in command of all his pitches, he felt really good about all of them, I think it was a lot of confidence, he got himself in a couple jams but I think he had a lot of confidence in his fielders and in his ability to pitch,” said North Attleboro head coach Mike Hart about Wanless.

North Attleboro was able to give Wanless some run support right from the get go, as after Nick Sinacola (1-for-3, two runs, RBI) was hit by a pitch, he advanced to second on a groundout. and then was singled home by Zach DeMattio (1-for-3, two RBI).

In the bottom half of the inning, Wanless allowed a leadoff single to Robbie Jarest, and after getting Tim Nault to fly out, he hit Pat Limerick with a pitch. After a Jeremy Rhines groundout, KP threatened with runners on first and third, but a flyout ended the inning for the Warriors. Wanless worked out of another jam in the bottom of the second, as with two outs, Jackson Shiebler and Ian Zimmerman hit back-to-back singles before Jarest drew a walk, but Wanless forced a fly ball to end the inning and preserve the 1-0 North Attleboro lead.

North Attleboro went back to work in the top of the third, showing off their patience at the plate as Kyle Bolger (1-for-2, triple, walk, run) and Ryan Warren drew back-to-back walks to open up the inning. Sinacola then delivered an RBI single to score Bolger, and Jeff Gale was hit by a pitch to load the bases. DeMattio then got hit on the elbow, which brought in Warren. After a popup, Brendan McHugh walked which brought home Sinacola, and Nick Raneri followed that up with an RBI groundout to plate the fifth North Attleboro run and fourth of the third inning.

“[Our patience] is just kind of part of our approach, we’re looking for certain pitches to hit, and we didn’t get them, so we just kept battling and we were able to get a couple off some walks with the bases loaded,” Hart said about NA’s patience at the plate

In the top of the fourth, North threatened again, as Bolger hit a rocket over the left fielder’s head for a leadoff triple, but Jarest was able to retire the next three hitters. In the bottom of the fifth, King Phillip pushed their only run of the game across, as Tim Nault walked, Limerick got by a pitch, and a single by Rhines scored Nault from second and left KP with runners on first and second with one out. Wanless was able to work out of it again though, as he struck out the next two KP batters to get out of the inning.

With the win, North Attleboro improves to 7-1 on the year. They’ll head to Canton on Monday to face off with the Bulldogs.

“We’ve had great senior leadership, and that’s carried over to our juniors, we’ve got a couple juniors that are really contributing,” Hart said about North’s hot start to the year.

King Philip (4-5) will look to rebound on Monday in Attleboro against the Bombadiers.

Thursday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/03/18


Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Attleboro, 1 @ Canton, 2 – Final (8 Inn.) – Attleboro took a lead in the top of the eighth inning, breaking open a scoreless game, with an RBI single by Alvaro Espinel, but the Bulldogs rallied for two runs in the bottom of the inning to walk off with the win. With one out, Tommy DeLello reached on an error and Nate Quan drew a walk. Matt Casamento singled to left to bring in the tying run and Matt Pigeon dropped a single just fair down the line to score Quan with the game-winning run. Robbie Wilkinson went five innings on the mound for the Bulldogs and Kevin McGonigle got his first varsity win in relief. Attleboro starter Drew Pagano went seven scoreless but ended up with a no-decision as the Bombardiers lost to a walk-off for the second straight day.

Sharon, 0 @ Franklin, 11 – Final – Bryan Woelfel went six innings to pick up the win for the Panthers, striking out two and allowing only two hits. Will Pacheco threw a scoreless seven and struck out two to finish the game for Franklin. Brendan Rivera, Cooper Ross, Jake Noviello, and Alex Haba each scored a run and drove in a run in the game, while Jake Macchi scored three times in the win. Ben Schwartz and Max Tarlin had the two hits for the Eagles.

Foxboro, 0 @ King Philip, 5 – Final – David Morganelli had a great game on the bump for the Warriors, picking up a complete game shutout with six strikeouts and only three hits allowed. Collin Cooke had a hit an RBI for the KP offense, while Pat Limerick and Chris Sawyer each had two hits and each scored a run.

Softball
Canton, 5 @ Attleboro, 4 – Final – Caroline Hughes struck out five for the Bulldogs and picked up a complete game win on the road. Hughes also hit a double. Freshman Liz Bickett went 2-for-4 with a homerun and drove in three runs for Canton. Evelyn Carrington went 2-for-4 and scored the eventual game-winner. Steph Trendell threw out a pair of Attleboro runners, including one in the bottom of the seventh that ended the game.

Franklin, 15 @ Sharon, 1 – Final (6 Inn.) – Franklin broke the game open with a seven-run second inning to put the Panthers on the way to a third straight win. Jackie Cherry held the Eagles without a hit in her three innings in the circle, striking out seven. Cherry also went 2-for-3 with a triple, homer, and four RBI at the plate. Natalie Stott also went 2-for-3, drove in a pair of runs and scored three times. Gabby Colace went 2-for-2 with two RBI for the Panthers and Macie Phillips threw three innings in her varsity debut, allowing only one hit and striking out three. Nickie Martinez drove in the lone run for the Eagles and junior catcher turned a nice double play from behind the plate.

Taunton @ Oliver Ames – Postponed to TBD.

Boys Lacrosse
Franklin, 22 @ Taunton, 1 – Final

Girls Lacrosse
Taunton, 1 @ Franklin, 21 – Final – Mairead Goguen scored two goals and had two assists for the Panthers, while Corinne Lewis had two goals. Kate Morse and Sydney Hawkins both scored their first goals of the season in the win.

Sharon, 17 @ Milford, 1 – Final – Sharon coach Shara Ginthwain said that the Eagles “played a strong game today and worked together to get the win” Sharon collected 29 ground balls as a team, won 16-of-19 draws, and assisted on 10-of-17 goals. Abbi Solomon and Sabrina Robbins each scored five goals for the Eagles and Emma Eberhardt collected a hat trick. Jenna Goldstein scored a pair and sisters Maeve and Cass Barbera each tallied once in the win.

Boys Tennis
Canton, 3 @ Attleboro, 2 – Final
Franklin @ Sharon, 3:45
King Philip @ Stoughton – Postponed to TBD.
Taunton, 3 @ Oliver Ames, 0 – Final

Girls Tennis
Attleboro @ Canton, 3:45
Sharon @ Franklin, 3:45
Stoughton @ King Philip, 3:45
Taunton, 5 vs. Coyle & Cassidy, 0 – Final


Wednesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/02/18


Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Attleboro, 2 @ Milford, 3 – Final (8 Inn.) – Milford junior Nick Marcolini earned the win on the mound and scored the game-winning run as the Hawks took down visiting Attleboro in extra innings. Marcolini led off the eighth with a walk, stole second, and advanced to third. He came in to score the winning run on a sacrifice fly from Colby Pires. In a relief appearance, Marcolini tossed three scoreless innings with two strikeouts to get the win. Luke Rosa was the starter for Milford, allowing two runs in five innings with four strikeouts. Matt Swanson added two hits, including a double and a run scored, for the Hawks.

Oliver Ames, 13 @ Foxboro, 4 – Final – Foxboro held a 4-2 lead after an inning of play but OA chipped away and used five runs in the third inning to seize an 8-4 lead and never looked back. Jack Erlich went 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBI and Mitch Goulet had three hits, including a pair of doubles, and four RBI. Nick Zwerle and Tom Parker combined for 6.1 innings of scoreless relief for the Tigers. Foxboro’s Chad Bearce was 2-for-4 with a triple while Joe Cavaleri and JT Burke each drove in a pair of runs.

Taunton, 7 @ Canton, 0 – Final – Taunton’s Trevor Pietrzyk (two doubles, triple) set the tone, going 3-for-4 from the leadoff spot with an RBI and a run scored as the Tigers notched a win on the road. Jakob Roberts added two hits and two RBI while Ben Joyce drove in a pair of runs. Tyler Medeiros and Jacob Crawford each had a hit, an RBI and two runs scored for the Tigers. Medeiros got the win on the mound, scattering three hits over five innings of work with five strikeouts. Brendan Bignar and Logan Lawrence each tossed a scoreless inning in relief.

Franklin, 14 @ Stoughton, 10 – Final – Franklin scored five runs in the top of the seventh inning to break a 9-9 tie and emerge from Stoughton with a win on the road. JB Flores went 4-for-4, including a double and an RBI while scoring a pair of runs. Evan Wendell also had a strong day for Franklin with a pair of doubles, runs scored and four RBI. Jake Macchi added three hits and three RBI for Franklin while both Scott Elliott and Colby Fitzgibbons had two RBI apiece. Ben Guzman got the win in relief, allowing three hits and one run over three innings of work. Stoughton’s Matt Hadley and James Genest both went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored while Geroge Currier and Cian Swierzewski each drove in two runs for the Black Knights.

King Philip, 8 @ Sharon, 4 – Final – King Philip tied the game in the fifth, took the lead in the sixth, and then tacked on three insurance runs in the seventh inning to complete a comeback from at Sharon. KP took a 3-0 lead in the second before Sharon pulled ahead with four runs in the third. Pat Limerick had three hits and one RBI, sophomore Chris Sawyer had two hits and two RBI, and Tyler Nault delivered with an RBI pinch-hit single for the Warriors. Terry Murray earned the win in relief, throwing three scoreless innings with one strikeout.

Mansfield, 3 @ North Attleboro, 1 – Final – Mansfield senior Kevin Dow had a dominating performance on the mound, throwing a complete game with just two hits allowed and no walked and one unearned run allowed to lead the Hornets to a win over previously unbeaten North Attleboro. Dow struck out nine and didn’t issue a walk to get the win. Offensively, Dow went 2-for-4 and had an RBI triple in the third inning that put Mansfield up 2-0. Dow then scored on an RBI single from senior Tyler Dalton. Mansfield took the lead in the top of the second when Cullin Anastasia scored. Zach DeMattio and Brendan McHugh (run) each had a hit for Big Red.

Softball
Milford, 12 @ Attleboro, 3 – Final – Milford plated six runs in the sixth inning to break open what was a two-run game to grab a win on the road. The Hawks took a 5-3 advantage into the sixth before exploding for six runs. Jess Tomaso (2-for-4, three RBI) hit a home run in the sixth for her 100th career hit. Emily Piergustavo added two hits, two runs, and four RBI, Maddy Bonvino went 3-for-4 with a double, triple, and two-run home run and Kate Irwin had three hits, three runs, and an RBI for the Scarlet Hawks. Kelley Reichert got the win in the circle, striking out nine. Attleboro leadoff hitter Jordyn Lako went 4-for-4 with two runs scored and MacKenzie Killough blasted a two-run home run in the third inning.

Canton, 0 @ Taunton, 13 – Final (5 Inn.) – Taunton sophomore Jaylin Couto struck out 10 while allowing just two hits and one walk to help the Tigers notch a win over visiting Canton. Couto improved to 3-0 with five scoreless innings. Offensively, Kelsey White went 3-for-4 with three runs, two RBI, and a stolen base, Kya Enos had two hits including a double, a run scored and an RBI, Abbie McDonough recorded two hits, scored three runs, stole a base, and had an RBI, and freshman McKenzie McAloon drove in three runs for the Tigers.

Foxboro, 4 @ Oliver Ames, 3 – Final – Foxboro senior Mandy Ryan had an RBI single in the top of the seventh to help the Warriors come up with a win on the road. Hannah Davis and Chelsea Gibbons each had two hits while Emma Rohan earned the win in the circle, striking out four. Oliver Ames’ Caroline Mahoney went 2-for-4 with RBI, Katie Mills was 2-for-3 with an RBI, Marissa Guarino had two hits and an RBI, and Alexis Campbell had two hits and a run scored for OA. Freshman Emma Varella pitched a complete game for OA, striking out three.

Stoughton, 2 @ Franklin, 12 – Final

North Attleboro, 7 @ Mansfield, 1 – Final – North Attleboro broke open a two-run game with four runs in the last two innings to make it two wins in two days for the Rocketeers. Bella Erti struck out 11, allowing only four hits and no walks to pick up the win. Abby Warren and Olivia Capobianco paced the North offense with three hits apiece, while Ashley Cangiano and Katie Daby each had two hits. Katherine Munley came through with a couple of nice grabs in the field, according to North coach Bill Wallace, and Cangiano threw out her third runner attempting to steal in two days. Mary Muldoon drove in the lone Mansfield run in the second, singling in Caty DeMassi. Kara Bendanillo went 2-for-3 for the Hornets.

Boys Lacrosse
Canton, 11 @ Attleboro, 4 – Final – Canton raced out to a 5-1 lead at half time and never looked back to beat Attleboro. The Bulldogs, who never trailed in the game, had seven different goal scorers including senior Joey Vaughan.

Foxboro, 11 @ Sharon, 5 – Final

Stoughton, 0 @ Franklin, 20 – Final

King Philip @ Taunton, 3:45

Mansfield, 9 @ Oliver Ames, 12 – Final – OA goalie Nick Gillis had a huge game in the cage and Frankie Ireland netted three goals to help the Tigers score a big win over Mansfield. Eric LeBlanc and Sam Stevens added two goals each in the win.

Milford, 3 @ North Attleboro, 17 – Final – For Milford, Josh Ligor, Andrew Gallagher, and Mike Demko each scored once while Cullen Burns recorded an assist.


Girls Lacrosse
Attleboro, 6 @ Canton, 15 – Final – Caroline Tourgee had four goals, Molly Colburn scored three goals and had a pair of assists, and Maggie Connolly had two goals and four assists for the Bulldogs. Leah McClellan and Kaitlyn Goyetch each added two goals and an assist, while Alexa Maffeo scored once and had a pair of helpers. Rachel Beatty scored once for Canton and Vicky Revanche made 12 saves in the Bulldogs net.

Taunton, 2 @ King Philip, 19 – Final – KP used nine different goal scorers to put an end to it two-game losing streak. Alli Meehan (one assist), Caroline Klim, Mackenzie Mazur, and Ali Wilson all recorded hat tricks for the Warriors, while Jess Sullivan scored a pair. Izzy Agricola, Jenna Hitchen (one assist), Olivia Tormey, and Dana Truini also scored for KP.

Sharon, 8 @ Foxboro, 19 – Final – Sabrina Robbins and Emma Eberhardt both had hat tricks for Sharon in the loss. Robbins added eight draw controls, while Eberhardt also had two assists and four draw controls. Maxine Gordon and Abbi Solomon scored the other goals for the Eagles and Taylor Kim scooped four ground balls.

Franklin, 15 @ North Andover, 10 – Final

Oliver Ames, 9 @ Mansfield, 19 – Final – The Hornets won for the second time in three days to get back to .500 on the season and move into a third-place tie with OA in the Kelley-Rex division. Mansfield had six different goal scorers in the game, led by Katy Garvin’s six and Maggie Danehy’s four. Hannah Sternburg made six saves in the Mansfield goal.

North Attleboro, 15 @ Milford, 2 – Final – North Attleboro had its passing game working on Wednesday, getting an assist on all 15 of its goals. Freshman Maggie O’Brien notched her first varsity goal in the win and also had four assists on the day. Julia Tolfa chipped in with six draw controls for the Rocketeers.

Boys Tennis
Milford, 2 @ Attleboro, 3 – Final – Attleboro swept doubles play and picked up one win in singles to get a win over visiting Milford. Jared Cooper won 6-3, 6-1 at third singles while the team of Ryan Gordon and Estrada won 6-1, 6-1 at first doubles and Luis Sandoval and Eli Araujo didn’t lose a game in a 6-0, 6-0 win at second doubles. Milford’s Brendan Shaughnessy won 6-3, 6-3 at first singles and classmate Cam Doherty took a 7-5, 6-3 decision at second singles.

Canton, 0 @ Taunton, 5 – Final – Taunton picked up its second straight win by sweeping visiting Sharon, taking all three singles matches in straight sets without dropping a game. Francois Hennaux (first singles), Brett Beaulieu (second singles) and Mike Briggs (third singles) all won 6-0, 6-0. The team of Charlie Fiske and Dylan Kulas won 6-3, 6-2 at first doubles while Kyle Dennehy and Alex Pugh prevailed 5-7, 6-4, 10-1 at second doubles.

Foxboro, 5 @ Oliver Ames, 0 – Final

Stoughton, 0 @ Franklin, 5 – Final – Franklin’s doubles teams combined to drop just one game total in a sweep over visiting Stoughton. Tony Calderone and Derek Wu won 6-0, 6-0 at first doubles while Shournik Sompally and Saket Gandham won 6-0, 6-1 at second doubles. Rohan Herur won 7-5, 6-3 at first singles, Liam Marr dropped just two games in a 6-0, 6-2 win at second singles, and Tyler DiPalma won 6-0, 6-1 at third singles.

Sharon, 3 @ King Philip, 2 – Final – King Philip pushed Sharon to the edge but the Eagles prevailed, keeping their lengthy league win streak alive. Senior Andre Olivei won 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 at first singles and sophomore Alberto Olivei recorded a 6-2, 6-3 win at third singles. Sharon’s third win came from Ashwin Sreevatsa and Arie Chinnappan, who won 6-4, 6-2 at second doubles. King Philip’s Nick Putney won 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (4) at second singles and the team of Sean Desrochers and Nate Ihley picked up a 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4) win at first doubles.

North Attleboro, 4 @ Mansfield, 1 – Final – North Attleboro swept singles play in straight sets and took another win in doubles play to record a win on the road at Mansfield. Richard Bermudez won 6-1, 6-1 at first singles, Christian Bermudez notched a 6-2, 6-0 win at second singles and freshman Jonah Manso took care of business with a 6-1, 6-0 win at third singles. North’s second doubles teams of Alex Pfeffer and Sam Gallagher won 6-4, 6-4 at second doubles. Mansfield’s Jalaj Singh and Sethu Odayappan won 6-3, 7-5 at first doubles.

Girls Tennis
Taunton, 3 @ Canton, 2 – Final – Taunton’s first doubles pairing of McKenzie Lucie and Samantha Martin overcame a one-set deficit to record the third and final point to help the Tigers beat Canton. Lucie and Martin won 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 while Taunton’s second doubles team of Amanda Pugh and Brianna Fevrier won 6-0, 6-3 at second doubles. Freshman Jocelyn Pagliuca won 6-4, 6-3 at third singles for Taunton. Canton freshman Natalie Keppler won 6-1, 6-0 at first singles and classmate Rachel Kupferman didn’t lose a game in a 6-0, 6-0 win at second singles.

Attleboro, 4 @ Milford, 1 – Final

Oliver Ames, 0 @ Foxboro, 5 – Final – Foxboro’s Sophia Prinos and Pamela Nelson won their singles matches in straight sets to help the Warriors earn a victory. Prinos won 6-1, 6-0 at first singles, Nelson notched a 6-0, 6-0 win at second singles, and Kayla Prag emerged with a 6-2, 4-6, 10-4 win at third singles. The Warriors’ team of Sarah Prag and Julia Muise won 6-1, 5-7, 11-9 while Olivia Dantona and Kendall Millender recorded a 6-1, 6-4 win at second doubles.

Franklin, 4 @ Stoughton, 1 – Final

King Philip, 1 @ Sharon, 4 – Final – Sharon picked up a pair of wins in singles play and two more in doubles to get a win over King Philip. Nupur Shukla won 6-0, 6-1 at first singles while Lulu Yuan emerged with a 6-1, 6-2 win at second singles. Katie Merport and Emily Wen won 6-2, 6-1 at first singles and Sophia Fein and Rithika Neti recorded a 6-4, 6-3 win at second doubles.

Mansfield, 1 @ North Attleboro, 4 – Final – North Attleboro swept singles play, taking all three matches in straight sets, to defend home court against Mansfield. Jordan Willis won 6-1, 6-1 at first singles, Emily Chiasson took a 6-4, 6-0 decision at second singles, and Azka Siddiq didn’t lose a game in a win at third singles. North’s team of Leah Marceau and Tara Nair won 6-2, 6-1 at second doubles. Mansfield’s first doubles team of Tessa Garufi and Hannah Podolske won 5-7, 6-4, 10-7 for the Hornets.

Boys Volleyball
Milford, 3 @ St. John’s Shrewsbury, 1 – Final

Taunton, 3 @ New Bedford, 0 – Final – Taunton went on the road and returned with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-17) win over New Bedford. Lens Esquil notched 11 kills and four blocks, Collin Hunter added five kills and four blocks, Malik Charles chipped in with four kills and a pair of blocks, and Alex Tavares notched four kills and a block. Freshman Tyler Stewart recorded his first two career kills in the win.


2018 Hockomock League Baseball Preview

2018 Hockomock League Baseball Preview

By HockomockSports.com Staff

2018 Hockomock League Baseball Preview

Attleboro

2017 Record: 6-14
2017 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Matt Bosh

After missing out on the postseason a year ago, Attleboro head coach Matt Bosh believes his team’s depth and versatility will help the Bombardiers get back there.

Junior Eoin Kelleher is back to lead the pitching staff after a stellar sophomore season in which he earned HockomockSports.com Underclassman of the Year honors. Kelleher posted a 1.00 ERA in 35 innings of work, including throwing a no-hitter against rival North. Senior captains Jason Weir and Jon Candiales, senior Drew Pagano along with junior Sam Larkin will all see time on the mound for Big Blue as well.

Candiales and Weir also anchor the offense with the former patrolling shortstop and the latter seeing time in both the outfield and first base. Candiales gives the Bombardiers power from the left side of the plate while Weir is a three-year starter that gives Bosh flexibility in the lineup. Larkin will be in the outfield when he isn’t pitching and can use his speed to hurt teams. Corey McKenna returns as the starting second baseman while senior Dakota Kirby is back behind the dish after a year off. Kirby will add pop to the lineup as he hit 0.425 as a sophomore with 10 RBI.

“The biggest improvement that I see from last year is our team speed and athleticism,” Bosh said. “We have a lot of guys that can play multiple positions and we’re very athletic. We have a high number of kids who can play anywhere.”

Canton

2017 Record: 6-12
2017 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Greg Digirolamo

A strong core of returning players and a good amount of depth will be keys for the 2018 Canton Bulldogs baseball team.

After losing just four players from last year’s team, there is a good mix of experienced players and talented youth for head coach Greg Digirolamo to work with. The Bulldogs will look to three senior captains to the lead the way: Matt Casamento, Robbie Wilkinson, and Tommy DeLello. Casamento is a three-year starter in center field, DeLello will man first base and Wilkinson will try to carry over the momentum from an impressive junior year into 2018. Wilkinson went 3-1 last year with a 1.58 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 31 innings pitched.

Wilkinson will be joined in the pitching staff by seniors Austin Maffie, Niko Donovan, and Ryan Hickey, along with juniors Paul Corcoran, Robbie Sullivan, and Kevin McGonigle. Freshman Matt Connolly will also figure into the mix on the mound.

Casamento anchors the defense from the center field spot while junior catcher Matt Pigeon and sophomore shortstop Nate Quan bolster the defense up the middle.

“It’s a good group of kids that like to compete every day, what else can you ask for as a coach?” Digirolamo said. “For us the biggest thing will be seeing live pitching. If we’re to have any success this year we’ll need to do a better job at the plate.”

Foxboro

2017 Record: 7-14
2017 Finish: Reached D3 South First Round
Coach: Derek Suess

New Foxboro head coach Derek Suess sees a little bit of the past in his first team as head coach. Suess, a former Warrior himself, said the 2018 version of Foxboro reminds him of a team that won 15 games during his senior year just over a decade ago.

“This team is hungry to put the program back on the map,” Suess said. “I couldn’t ask for a better senior group to lead us. They remind me of the senior group I was a part of in 2007 in which we won 15 games. With a good mix of underclassmen, I’m looking forward to seeing everyone’s hard work pay off on the field.”

After losing a painful eight games by just one run a season ago, including a near upset of third-seeded and D3 South Finalist Norton in the playoffs, the Warriors will be looking to turn those losses into wins this time around.

“We need to make more winning plays to put those tallies in the win column,” Suess said.

Junior Anthony Mollica will spearhead the offense after leading the Warriors with a 0.367 batting average a year ago. Senior Chad Bearce and sophomore Joe Cavaleri will bolster the middle of the lineup, freshman Sean Yoest has shown flashes early on at the dish, and seniors Joe Freitas, Matt Rongione, and Jack Franceschelli provide the Warriors with some speed.

Senior Steve McLaughlin returns after an impressive 2017 season. Despite posting an 0-6 record, McLaughlin struck out 24 batters in 32.2 innings of work and posted a 1.73 ERA. McLaughlin will be joined by Cavaleri, Yoest, and junior Guy Quartarone in the rotation while senior Robert Theriault returns behind the dish after getting a year of experience last season.

Franklin

2017 Record: 18-6
2017 Finish: Reached D1 South Quarterfinal
Coach: Zach Brown

Focusing on pitching and defense, the Panthers will be looking to get better each and every day as they try to replicate the success from a season ago.

Franklin won the Kelley-Rex division last year, its first league title since 2012. And the mix of pitching and offense put the Panthers in some conversations for Super 8, but the Panthers ended up in the D1 South and bowed out in the quarterfinals after being forced to play on back to back days.

The arms that helped the Panthers have so much success last year as almost all back, starting with staff ace senior Jake Noviello. The Fairfield-commit struck out a Hockomock-best 61 batters a year ago, going 6-2 with a 1.65 ERA in 55.1 innings of work. Noviello is complemented by lefty Jason Ulrickson (7-0, 0.80 ERA, 35 K), Bryan Woelfel (3-2, 0.91 ERA, 4 SV, 31 K) and senior James Leofanti.

The defense will be anchored by a pair of returning starters in junior shortstop Alex Haba (0.360, 12 runs) and junior catcher Jake Macchi.

“While we are returning a number of experienced arms we are also turning over a number of positions last season,” said Franklin head coach Zach Brown. “So, we will be young or inexperienced at a number of positions. Offensively, my hope is that as the season progressing we will be able to develop an identity and find a way to manufacture runs.”

King Philip

2017 Record: 10-11
2017 Finish: Reached D1 South Preliminary Round
Coach: Greg Kessler

After just squeaking into the postseason a year ago, first-year KP head coach Greg Kessler is hoping his team will be in contention for a Kelley-Rex division title in 2018.

One reason for that is the senior class and the handful of returning players that have plenty of experience at the varsity level. Ben Furfari returns as a key piece of the Warriors’ outfield and lineup. He hit 0.298 last season and will provide the power on offense. Senior Pat Limerick, committed to play at St. Joseph’s (ME), will set the tone as the leadoff hitter.

On the mound, senior Jeremy Rhines (2-1, 1.45 ERA) and junior David Morganelli will be the main options while hard-throwing senior Liam Rohan will also be in the mix. Nolan Bradley returns behind the plate as one of the top catchers in the league while sophomore Robbie Jarest will step in to take over at shortstop.

“We have a great group of senior this year,” Kessler said. “They have been dedicated to the weight room and leading our underclassmen. They continuously strive to build a team that will compete for the Hock championship. They deserve to have a great year. I guarantee that will be the most vocal and most energetic team in the Hock. We pride ourselves on being positive and enthusiastic every pitch.”

Mansfield

2017 Record: 14-8
2017 Finish: Reached D1 South First Round
Coach: Joe Breen

There is a lot of optimism surrounding the Mansfield baseball program this season. And with the arms they have back, there’s good reason for it.

Senior Tyler Dalton, a UMass Amherst commit, returns after missing the majority of his junior year with an injury. Dalton was tremendous during the 2016 season as a sophomore, posting a 6-2 record while striking out 35 batters and posting a 1.78 ERA. He will be joined on the Hornets’ staff by senior Kevin Dow (UMass Amherst commit, 4-1, 1.93 ERA), junior lefty Connor Sheehan (2.82 ERA, 28 K), and junior Kyle Moran (three saves). Sophomore John Carney will also likely see time on the mound for the Hornets.

Senior catcher Cullin Anastasia returns after being named to the 2017 HockomockSports.com Second Team. Anastasia had 19 hits a year ago, knocking in 10 runs and scoring 10 runs as well. Sam Nugent will give the Hornets a spark in center field and on the base path with his speed, Moran picked up plenty of experience at third base last season, and Eric Longley will provide Mansfield with some pop in the middle of the lineup.

“We will rely heavily on our pitching staff this season to keep us in games and look to make the plays behind them and be aggressive with our offensive and baserunning approach to get those guys a few runs per game,” said Mansfield head coach Joe Breen. “As always, we will turn to our senior class to set the tone and for our underclassmen to blossom under their leadership.”

Milford

2017 Record: 12-10
2017 Finish: Reached D2 South Quarterfinals
Coach: Alex Dion

Milford baseball starts a new chapter in its historic history as longtime assistant Alex Dion takes over the reigns of the program.

Dion’s first challenge will be having to overcome the loss of a dozen seniors, including team ace Alex Macek, reliable infielders Zack Tamagni and Anthony Arcudi, and hard-hitting outfielder Ryan Goncalves. However, the good news is that Dion has one of the best players at his disposal in Stonehill-commit Aidan Wilde. Wilde had 59 hits between his freshman and sophomore years and added 21 more in the regular season a year ago. After seeing time as a catcher last season, Wilde will mainly man the corner infield positions in 2018.

Wilde will be complemented by junior Matt Shaver, who picked up some experience a year ago at both shortstop and on the mound. The Hawks will rely on Shaver to anchor the defense from short and give the offense a spark from the leadoff position. Junior Tyler Almeida will step in behind the dish and will provide some offense from the left side of the plate. Sophomores Luke Rosa and Colby Pires look to be in the mix as well as junior Nick Marcolini, who will pitch and patrol the outfield.

“We graduated a strong senior class this past year and are now in a situation where we have a lot of new players who we will look to take advantage of new opportunities,” Dion said. “I am excited about the athleticism that we have on our roster and the energy that these guys bring to practice each day. I think our philosophy is simple, but we preach a team-first mentality to our guys and strive to get quality pitching, play clean defense and get timely hits to win games.”

North Attleboro

2017 Record: 8-10
2017 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Mike Hart

North Attleboro didn’t have to go far to find its new coach. Mike Hart takes over for Paul Tobin and Hart truly bleeds Big Red – a graduate from the school and three-sport coach.

And expectations are high for the Rocketeers after just missing out on the postseason a year ago. Senior captain Nick Sinacola returns after having an MVP-caliber junior season. Big Red will rely on Sinacola on both sides of the plate, leading the offense (he batted 0.415 last year with 15 runs scored) and being the ace of the staff (48.1 IP, 49 K, 2.01 ERA). Senior captain Zach DeMattio is also back after being named to the 2017 HockomockSports.com First Team, batting 0.333 with 15 RBI and three home runs. Big Red also gets senior Nate Pearce (0.371) back after a strong junior year.

Senior Peter Cohen (24 IP, 0.29 ERA) will look to build upon a superb junior year while Nolan Buckley and Jeff Gale bring experience to the outfield. Aidan Harding also has varsity experience and will be in the mix to get innings on the mound along with juniors Matt Wanless, Jake Palmer, Matt Seavey, Nick Raneri, and Ben Arrighi.

“We have a truly industrious group of players,” Hart said. “We’re going to keep moving guys around until we find the lineup that works for us. Some may have to play multiple positions, depending on whose pitching on any given day. We had a decent season last year, with many guys getting some varsity time, but we’re still unproven. We need to continue to improve every day and only worry about the things we can control. Guys will be competing every day all season, which will only make us better. We will approach each day, with a great attitude, high effort, and a steadfast approach.”

Oliver Ames

2017 Record: 14-9
2017 Finish: Reached D2 South Semifinals
Coach: Joe Abarr

A lot of the players that helped Joe Abarr have a successful first season as head coach last year are back, which means the Tigers are aiming to replicate that success.

Despite finishing in a tie for third in the Kelley-Rex, the Tigers put together the best playoff run of any Hock team, knocking off #2 Dighton-Rehoboth on the road to reach the sectional semifinals. Junior Matt McCormack is back after earning a spot on varsity late in the season this year, and along with classmate Tom Parker, should give OA a solid 1-2 punch. With a handful of capable arms in the mix, the third spot in the rotation is still up for grabs.

Abarr won’t have to worry much about anything hit to the left side of the infield as the Tigers return third basemen Chris Pearsons and shortstop Matt Muir, two of the top defensive players at their positions. Both are capable hitters as well and will provide some pop to the lineup. Another returning starter is senior Mitch Goulet. Goulet had a breakout junior campaign in center field (0.347, 7 RBI), catching fire in the second half of the year. Abarr is hoping that momentum will carry over to this season.

The Tigers have a battle for the spot behind the plate as both junior Jake Erlich and junior Reid Latham are back, both with experience behind the dish.

“We have a great core of returning players that will be the backbone of the program,” Abarr said. “We have to fill positions in the outfield and at first. If we have some guys step up in that role we should have a decent lineup from top to bottom.”

Sharon

2017 Record: 6-14
2017 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Kee Arguimbau

Sharon is aiming to improve on its six-win season in 2017, and will be looking to ride its senior leadership to do so.

Senior captains Max Tarlin and Drew Naisuler are two of the most experienced players in the league and will be spearheading the Eagles’ offense and defense this year. Tarlin (5-4, 46 K, 1.11 ERA) is the anchor of the pitching staff, picking up five of Sharon’s six wins last season. When he’s not on the mound, expect to see Tarlin patrolling shortstop. Naisuler returns as the team’s No. 4 hitter to provide some pop to the lineup and will be a key defensive piece at both center field and first base.

The Eagles will also rely on senior Ben Schwartz, who will mainly be catching this year as well as being a major offensive contributor. Junior Noah Kamens will be a major piece of the pitching puzzle after impressing during his sophomore year. Similar to Tarlin, Kamens will be a major player in the offensive lineup and will see time off the mound spent in the outfield. Spencer Singer is transitioning to the outfield and will continue to be one of the players the Eagles look at for offensive production.

“I have a lot of guys who are multifaceted baseball players and I can foresee a lot of games being played with straight nine in the lineup,” Arguimbau said. “We have great senior leadership and some very promising sophomores that are going to play a major role in our season’s success.”

Stoughton

2017 Record: 15-6
2017 Finish: Reached D2 South First Round
Coach: Mike Armour

There are a lot of questions to be answered for this year’s Stoughton baseball team, but head coach Mike Armour is excited for his players to rise to the challenge.

The Black Knights graduated nearly their entire team (10 of its 13 rostered players), which won its second straight Davenport division title. So not only will Armour be leaning heavily on his three returning players, he is looking for new faces to seize the opportunity.

“This is an exciting year for our program,” Armour said. “It’s an awesome opportunity for our younger guys. The JV and freshmen teams both over 15 or more games last year, so we’re looking for them to carry that winning attitude into this season. I expect our team to play with heart and execute the fundamentals to make us a competitive team.”

2017 HockomockSports.com First Team selection and senior captain Ruben Gonzalez returns as one of the top players in the league, both defensively at shortstop and offensively at the plate. Senior Matt Hadley and junior Evan Gibb, both captains, are the other two returning players for the Knights. Gibb has plenty of varsity experience behind the plate and Hadley, although he will miss some time with injury, will be key piece in the outfield.

Meanwhile, Armour is looking for sophomores James Genest (first base) and Michael Nazzaro (third base/catcher) to step up and play important roles both offensively and defensively this season. Juniors Kyle Gagnon, Kevin Dixon, and Cian Swierzewski will see time in the outfield and classmate Robbie Seaman will be in the mix for middle infield.

For pitching, Gibb will see time on the mound as well as behind the play. Senior Will Eckhart has some varsity experience and junior Zak Paquette will likely log some meaningful innings for the Knights. Seniors Tim Kellogg, Talyor Atkinson, and Mike Anderson provide infield depth and Jack Brown and Ryan Semler will be in the mix in the outfield.

Taunton

2017 Record: 12-10
2017 Finish: Reached D1 South First Round
Coach: Blair Bourque

There are a lot of good pitchers in the Hockomock League this year, and it looks like the Tigers’ staff could be right near the top of the list.

Taunton returns senior Tyler Medeiros, who had a terrific junior campaign and will get junior Jack Moynihan back on the mound. Moynihan was impressive during his freshman year two seasons ago but an injury limited his action on the mound last season. Medeiros fanned 68 batters in 56.1 innings of work, posting a 1.98 ERA to anchor the staff. Look for senior Trevor Pietrzyk and juniors Griffin Tomaszycki and Josh Lajoie to get some meaningful innings on the mound as well.

“Tyler clearly emerged as our top pitcher last year,” said second-year head coach Blair Bourque. “Fortunately, he’s a big kid and was able to put us on his back and carry us. Hopefully, we’re able to provide more support for him this year.”

Moynihan will also play a big role in Taunton’s offense this year. While patrolling third base, Moynihan will try to provide some pop in the middle of the lineup. The Tigers also get their top two batters back with senior shortstop Jacob Crawford (0.350, 15 runs) and senior Christian Simoes (0.340, 12 RBI).

Taunton will carry nine seniors and eight juniors this season so experience will be key.