Category Archives: Amesbury

March 2, 2017 · 11:53 pm

Second half surge gets tourney win for Amesbury 48-34 over North Reading

Abbie Sartori (17 points) fires from the corner

Maddie Napoli (13 ponts) floats in the lane

(Amesbury MA) Amesbury was in trouble.

Tied with North Reading (27-27) 2 ½ minutes into the second half, and having top scorer Flannery O’Connor and starter Julia LaMontagne benched with foul trouble, the #1 seeded Indians appeared headed for a short post-season.

But Amesbury recovered and put together an impressive 19-1 segment over the next 10+ minutes of playing time and went from there to win, 48-34, on Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the Division 3 North tournament.

The Indians (20-1) will play the winner of tomorrow night’s matchup between Green Academy and St. Mary’s.

#8 seed North Reading got off to a rough start as senior Maddie Napoli (13 points) hit two three’s in the first 4 ½ minutes and the Indians led, 13-1.

Kat Hassapis (16 points) finds space in the lane

But the Hornets came all the way back riding the terrific play of senior Kat Hassapis. Kat’s three, halfway through the 2^nd period, put the visitors in front, 18-17.

The Indians finished the half on a 7-2 run, helped by two technical foul shots, to lead at intermission, 27-22.

As I referenced before, Amesbury got into foul trouble early in the second half. Losing Flannery O’Connor was serious since the sophomore had twenty-three points in the last NR/AHS meeting and only had four points so far in this one.

After the Hornets (11-12) knotted things at 27, the Indians took the game over for the next 10+ minutes of playing time. Ali Napoli and Chelsea Lynch replaced their foul-prone teammates and before long Amesbury was going one way and North Reading was going the other.

In the 19-1 breakaway time, senior Abbie Sartori hit three jump shots and one triple while freshman Ali Napoli made a neat move in the lane to get a layup and assisted on three of the AHS baskets.

On the NR side, scoring was a big-time struggle. The Hornets missed five-of-six free throws and had seven turnovers.

Mia DeNofrio

When North Reading finally made a field goal (Mia DeNorfio) with two minutes left, the visitors were down, 46-28, and the game had gotten away from them.

Mikayla Porcaro had a 3-pointer and a successful jump shot during Amesbury’s winning run.

Abbie Sartori led all scorers with seventeen points.

NR used a box-and-one to try to keep Flannery O’Connor from getting the ball. Worked quite well although Flannery found some room inside late in the game.

The Indians defeated North Reading, 72-57, on January 6^th. The Hornets made eight three’s in the first half of that game. Amesbury’s 1-3-1 zone defense worked well this time around, however, by limiting NR to only three long ones in this tourney win.

North Reading was called for a technical foul after a player entered the game and their name was not in the official scorebook.

Good crowd on hand.

Box for North Reading

Box for Amesbury

(All pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Lauren Sullivan blocks from behind

Flannery O’Connor draws a crowd

Loose ball

Kat Hassapis defended by the Napoli sisters

Noel Riley

Amesbury cheerleaders show how it’s done

Mikayla Porcaro and Victoria Grasso

Flannery O’Connor with Abbie Sartori

Maddie Napoli

Abbie Sartori

Kat Hassapis and Ali Napoli (Two pretty good goalies in another season)

Casey McAuliffe (#10) had two three’s

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Filed under Amesbury, North Reading

Tagged as Abbie Sartori, Ali Napoli, Flannery O'Connor, Kat Hassapis, Maddie Napoli

January 24, 2017 · 11:25 pm

Late three by Abbie Sartori pushes Amesbury past Newburyport 40-39

Abbie Sartori at center court

Maddie Napoli pressures Krysta Padellaro

(Newburyport MA) Amesbury won a thriller over Newburyport, 40-39, on a three-point shot by senior Abbie Sartori with twelves second left.

The win was the 13^th for the Indians and it erased the sting of their lone loss last week to Pentucket.

The Clippers made three 3’s in the final quarter and nearly had a fourth in the final seconds after Abbie’s 3-pointer.

Paige Gouldthorpe had the final shot. She had already made two three’s in the quarter. How she could be so wide open must have had AHS coach Matt Willis wondering. Of course, how Abbie Sartori (11 points), who had a triple in the game, could be wide open near the arc with Amesbury down by two, probably had the same effect on NHS coach Gregg Dollas.

This game was not sloppy. The shooting was. The total on both sides for missed layups, and wild shots in traffic, was large. On this night neither defense was giving much ground and there were few second shots.

Free throws? Both teams missed six. The report of Newburyport’s loss last week to Hamilton-Wenham placed the blame on poor foul shooting. Versus Amesbury the FT shooting wasn’t necessarily poor, just off at the wrong time.

Krysta Padellaro at the line

Katie Hadden’s FT try

Twice in the final thirty seconds the Clippers were at the foul line shooting one-and-one’s with a two-point (39-37) lead. Misses both times (Krysta Padellaro and Katie Hadden). Amesbury turned the ball over after Krysta’s miss but after Katie’s they produced the winning 3-pointer. Maddie Napoli found Abbie for the clincher.

The Clippers (7-5) fell behind early (4-3) after a Flannery O’Connor drive and stayed there for most of the game. The AHS lead was eight at the half (25-17) and after the third quarter (34-26).

The Clippers hadn’t made a three and the AHS interior defense was limiting most good looks inside. The exception being Anna Hickman (14 points) who managed four layups through heavy AHS traffic in the second quarter.

Anna Hickman (14 points) in the lane

That Amesbury eight-point lead looked safe entering the final quarter. But it wasn’t. The home team put a 13-1 run together to grab a 39-34 lead with 2 ½ minutes left. Now who’s in control! It’s the Clippers.

In the 13-1 run, the Clippers made shots from everywhere. Krysta Padellaro had a layup. Katie Hadden a jump shot. And then there were the three’s: one by Anna Hickman, and two by Paige Gouldthorpe.

Amesbury was in trouble but was able to recover as Newburyport did not score a single point over the final 2 ½ minutes. The Clippers had chances but they couldn’t cash them on this night. I did think that Paige’s late 3-point try was a good bet after one of her three’s earlier in the quarter had come from the same spot. But not this time.

Amesbury had nine unanswered in the second quarter to get a ten-point (18-8) lead. A jump shot and a three by Abbie Sartori, a jump shot by Chelsea Lynch, and full-court drive by Flannery O’Connor (12 points) did the damage for AHS.

Both Julia LaMontagne and Mikayla Porcaro turned up layups in the final thirty seconds of the third quarter. Mikayla’s just beat the buzzer.

Krysta was injured the in the 4^th quarter but a quick tape job by the NHS trainer enabled the junior to be on the floor in crunch time.

Paige Gouldthorpe (singer/defender)

Paige Gouldthorpe easily transitioned from singer to starter.

The big surprise for me was seeing Krysta and Maddie Napoli held to only two points each. Maddie did a good job of denying passes to Krysta. I saw her do the same thing to Triton’s Tessa Lafrance in AHS’s win over Triton.

NHS now has three straight losses. They face a tough one (Pentucket) away on Friday night. Later they will get Pentucket at home.

Amesbury hosts Manchester-Essex on Friday night. In the games ahead, the Indians will face four teams that they have already beaten this season. You have to like their chances of being a near-the-top seed in Division 3 North come tourney time.

Amesbury box

Newburyport box

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Abbie Sartori stopped by Katie Hadden

Julie LaMontagne goes for a baseline drive

Katie Hadden stops Julia LaMontagne

Flannery O’Connor tries to get the ball from Katie Hadden

Abbie Sartori blocks Anna Hickman’s shot

Flannery O’Connor (12 points) looks to score

Crucial late-game jump ball

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Filed under Amesbury, Newburyport

Tagged as Abbie Sartori, Anna Hickman, Flannery O'Connor, L, Paige Gouldthorpe

January 16, 2017 · 11:27 pm

Third quarter surge key in undefeated Amesbury’s 44-30 win over Triton

Flannery O’Connor (#12) had ten points for Amesbury in the third period.

Tessa Lafrance (15 points) was shadowed by Maddie Napoli

(Byfield MA) Amesbury (11-0) remains unbeaten after defeating Triton, 44-30, on Monday night in Cape Ann League action.

This game was anything but pretty as the two teams combined for forty-three turnovers and nineteen missed free throws.

How did Amesbury win? The Indians had a 19-3 third quarter. Flannery O’Connor (16 points) had ten points and two assists in the breakaway frame. The Vikings (6-4), meanwhile, had seven turnovers in that same quarter and didn’t score at all in the final four minutes.

The run of good offense/defense by Amesbury brightened a dismal 18-18 first half for both teams.

Triton “won” the other three quarters but certainly not the crucial third quarter and that cost the home team.

Another factor in the Indians’ victory was the denial defense Maddie Napoli played on Tessa Lafrance. Tessa did get fifteen points but eight of them were in the final quarter.

Outside accuracy was almost non-existent for both teams. Amesbury found layups off turnovers and rebound breakouts.

It turned out that Amesbury had an excellent 2-2-1 pressing defense but because of their infrequent baskets we didn’t see much of it in the first half.

Sophomore Flannery O’Connor

Late in the third period, however, was a different story, as AHS turned pressure into points. The Indians closed the 3^rd quarter with ten straight points. Flannery had eight of those points; two of them off Triton turnovers, one on a full-court layup, and a 4^th on a feed from Ali Napoli.

Given the opportunity in the first half to function without facing full-court pressure, Triton was much more comfortable. They passed the ball and they saw to it that Erin Savage was in a position to make plays.

Defensively in the first half, the Vikings forced long shots and really swallowed up Amesbury penetrations.

At halftime, you didn’t know how the second half might go. The Indians, however, did play most of the first half without foul-plagued Flannery. The sophomore certainly made a difference in the third quarter. She can rebound, pass, and score inside.

One scary moment in this game was when Maddie Napoli dove into the stands to save a ball. Maddie collided with a man holding a baby as she saved the ball to her sister Ali. Ali made a layup while Maddie made sure that things were okay in the stands…….and they were.

Amesbury came into this game averaging sixty-four points per outing.

Amesbury matched last season’s win total with their eleventh win.

The Vikings had won four straight before losing their last two.

The undefeated Indians have yet to face Pentucket, Newburyport, and Manchester-Essex. All of those teams have winning records.

Tessa Lafrance puts in a rebound

Amesbury’s next game is Tuesday hosting non-league Stoneham.

Triton visits Essex Tech on Wednesday.

Julia LaMontagne had five baskets and four of them were off feeds from Flannery O’Connor.

Triton box from the game

Amesbury box from the game

(All the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Ali Napoli scores while her sister Maddie checks on spectators.

Ali Napoli scores while her sister Maddie (in the background) checks on spectators.

loose ball

Maddie Napoli gets to the basket

Chelsea Lynch shoots over Mel Primpas

Maddie Napoli in heavy Triton traffic

Kate Carter

Tessa Lafrance on a break with Abbie Sartori chasing

Abbie Sartori tries to stop Erin Savage

Bridget Sheehan looks for an opening

Chelsea Lynch surrounded by a trio of Vikings

Abbie Sartori and Erin Savage

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Filed under Amesbury, Triton

Tagged as Erin Savage, Flannery O'Connor, Julia LaMontagne, Maddie Napoli, Tessa LaFrance

December 22, 2016 · 11:37 pm

Great free throw shooting earns Amesbury a 76-59 win over Ipswich

Kyle Martin (21 points) at the line

(Amesbury MA) The Amesbury Indians used their size and excellent free throw shooting to defeat Ipswich, 76-59, on Thursday night in Cape Ann League play.

Kyle Martin paced the home team with twenty-one points.

Amesbury (2-1) employed an active 2-3 zone that kept Ipswich away from second chances and limited the Tigers (2-2) to long-range opportunities. Even the long-range Ipswich tries were heavily contested by the taller Indians.

The Tigers took an early 4-2 lead but went cold for over four minutes while Amesbury ran fourteen straight points to create separation, 16-4, in the first quarter. Kyle Martin contributed five points while Ryan Patterson (11 points) added two fast-break layins.

Amesbury was intent on breaking after every rebound and they had plenty of fast-break chances.

Zach Long made four 3’s for Ipswich

The Indians had a 12-turnover second period and let the visitors back into the game. Two consecutive 3’s by junior Zach Long forced Amesbury out of the zone defense and Ipswich was able to get to within five (30-25) on a third Zach Long three with less than two minutes left in the 2^nd quarter.

Amesbury returned to their zone defense and Ipswich resumed struggling to get scores.

Amesbury led, 32-25, at the half.

The Indians took control of the game in the 3^rd period. They frequently took the ball to the basket to get points. Plenty of fouls were called and Amesbury was remarkable at the foul line making 24-of-28 in the second half.

Amesbury had the lead to twelve (37-25) a minute into the third quarter after a three by Will Parady (15 points) and a layup by Tim Hudson assisted by Will Parady.

A run of eight unanswered later in that quarter elevated the gap to nineteen (50-31) with less than two minutes to go. Four free throws by Kyle Martin (he made ten of twelve) and fast-break layups by John Sydlowski and Tim Hudson provided the points.

The final separation had been established and Amesbury went on to get their second win of the season. They have now defeated Ipswich three straight times.

Will Parady (15 points) in plenty of Ipswich traffic

Ben Yanakakis (12 points) connected three times from downtown in the final quarter for the Tigers.

The foul shooting of Amesbury was impressive. They only hit three of seven in the first quarter but after that they were 32-for-36. That will win you a lot of games!

What won’t win a lot of games, however, were the plethora of turnovers. Neither team took good care of the ball. I had Ipswich for thirty-one turnovers while Amesbury had twenty-seven miscues. That will lose you a lot of games!

Amesbury was still able to win because they could get close to the basket and score or cash in from the line.

Ipswich lived outside (made ten 3’s) and capitalized on some of the Amesbury turnovers.

The Tigers were 10-10 last season and made the MIAA tourney for the first time since 2008.

Amesbury was 12-7 last year and went out in the first round in the tournament at home to Saugus. I covered that game.

The Indians graduated all five starters but have the size to cause teams trouble. They will have to learn to take much better care of the ball to get another 12-win season in my opinion.

Ipswich box from the game

Amesbury box from the game

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Zach Labrecque (22) goes for the block

Chris Levasseur screens for Kilian Morrissey

Amesbury cheerleaders

Cam Leary (11) looks for an inbounds pass

Kyle Martin made ten free thows

Kyle Martin surrounded by Tigers

Ryan Patterson (4) defended by Jason Finkst

Ben Yanakakis (5) and Jarod Day (2)

John Sydlowski drives

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Filed under Amesbury, Ipswich

Tagged as Ben Yanakakis, Kyle Martin, Ryan Patterson, Will Parady, Zach Long

November 4, 2016 · 10:48 pm

Amesbury shuts out Innovation Academy 6-0 in tourney first round

Plenty of pressure in the Innovation end throughout the game

Mollie Lynch gets a point-blank shot off on Hawks goalie Melissa Fonseca

(Amesbury MA) Amesbury pressured visiting Innovation Academy from start to finish and won their Division 4 First Round game, 6-0, on Friday night at Landry Stadium.

The #6 seed Indians (10-4-5) will play #3 seed Matignon next on Monday.

Amesbury racked up three goals in the first half and substitute Schuyler Snay had assists in two of them. In both cases, Schuyler sped along the right sideline before finding teammates Chelsea Lynch and Maia Etsy in the middle.

After two point-blank shots by the Lynch cousins (Mollie and Chelsea) it was Mollie who converted a rebound to open the Amesbury scoring at 19:58.

Michaela Halloran had a goal disallowed for colliding with Innovation goalie Melissa Fonseca late in the first half. My photos would suggest otherwise.

Emily Reed (3) and Ashley Pettet (8)

Less than two minutes into the second half sophomore Ashley Pettet tallied a low bullet from the left. Ashley was the best player on the field from where I was watching. She constantly created space for herself and found teammates with excellent passes.

Emma Richardson finished off a Mikayla Porcaro throw-in to collect the 5^th Indians goal.

Two plus minutes later freshman Sophia Carter used a strong left foot the garner the home team’s final goal.

The Hawks of Tyngsboro (8-6-5) had plenty of speed but couldn’t get any sort of passing attack in motion. Good Amesbury defense led by Emma DiPietro, Hannaih Burdick, and Mikayla Porcaro spelled the difference.

Emma Richardson (25) scores on a throw-in

No question that Mikayla Porcaro’s long throw-ins created problem in front of the Innovation goal.

Ashley Pettet had some very dangerous corner kicks for the Indians.

Plenty of students on hand supporting the AHS girls soccer team.

I knew that identifying Innovation players would be an adventure when the game program had their names without numbers. I also discovered that the MIAA roster for the team was inaccurate.

Surprised that there were no announcements about the specifics of each goal.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge significantly if you click on them.)

Amesbury celebrates a tourney win

Sophia Carter (26) and Ashlee Porcaro (14) in on GK Melissa Fonseca

Innovation Academy team

Sunset before the game

Contact as Ivana Dauwer, Mollie Lynch, and Sydney Mallen watch

Sarah Milne (4) and Michaela Halloran (9)

Ashley Pettet dribbles to daylight

Chelsea Lynch in on goal

Eyes on the ball

Sarah Milne and Mollie Lynch

Where’s the ball?

Amesbury celebrates first goal

Chelsea Lynch (12) looks to head

Maia Etsy (15) shoots and scores assisted by Schuyler Snay (1)

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Filed under Amesbury, Innovation Academy

Tagged as Chelsea Lynch, Emma Richardson, Maia Etsy, Melissa Fonseca, Mollie Lynch, Schuyler Snay

October 31, 2016 · 9:11 pm

Amesbury girls win rematch with Essex Tech 5-0

In front of the Essex Tech goal was a busy place most of the afternoon.

Cape Ann League All-Star Emma DiPietro (11) looks to pass

(Amesbury MA) A month ago it took a penalty-kick save by Indians goalie Alli Napoli to preserve a scoreless tie.

This time around it was all Amesbury as they routed Essex Tech, 5-0, on a cold, breezy Monday afternoon at Cashman Elementary School.

The non-league match involved two Division 4 teams who could meet again in the MIAA tournament.

ET (12-4-2) had won nine straight before losing to Georgetown and now Amesbury, both from the Cape Ann League.

The Hawks from Danvers have dominated their league (Commonwealth Athletic Conference) the last few seasons but this season’s short sample suggests that the competition is more rugged in the CAL. One of ET’s other defeats was to another CAL team, Triton.

Amesbury (9-4-5) had a slim 1-0 advantage after the first half. Credit the Hawks defense led by junior Skylah Mahon-Dixey for some of that. The Indians hit the goal post (Emma Richardson) and the crossbar (Chelsea Lynch) in that first half.

The only goal of the half belonged to senior Mollie Lynch. Mollie got in close from the left and overpowered freshman GK Olivia Cassidy early in the half.

The shot of Mollie Lynch (19) goes over ET goalie Olivia Cassidy

Things got off to a bad start for Essex Tech in the second half. Senior Ella Spiess chased a ball that Amesbury GK Alli Napoli was sliding out to save. The two collided and Ella landed on her back and left the game. Ella is the Hawks second leading scorer with thirteen goals.

Ella Spiess flies over Amesbury goalie Alli Napoli

After a Chelsea Lynch near-miss (wide left) a long punt by GK Alli Napoli sent Chelsea away for a long run down the middle. Chelsea sped in close and didn’t miss. Alli should have an assist on that second goal.

Chelsea Lynch (12) finds the far corner for Amesbury’s second goal

Essex Tech never gave up but the chances for Amesbury kept coming. The Indians had only nineteen goals in seventeen games coming in but you couldn’t tell that by the way they pressured the visitors in this game.

A good example of pressure was the number of corner kicks that Amesbury had. In the second half two of those corner kicks turned into goals.

The third goal belonged to Ashlee Porcaro who parked in front of the net on teammate Ashley Pettet’s CK. A loose ball turned up in front and it was an easy finish for the freshman.

Ashlee Porcaro (left 14) set to cash in a loose ball

A later CK, by Emma DiPietro, was mishandled by Hawks GK Olivia Cassidy and junior Michaela Halloran had a juicy setup on the doorstep which she converted.

Michaela Halloran (9) eyes the goal she just scored

Mikayla Porcaro turned a throw-in into a goal

The final goal was a throw-in by senior Mikayla Porcaro which she literally threw into the goal. The throw-in was high and Olivia Cassidy jumped in vain for it.

Christine Russo (nineteen goals, three assists) made several good runs for the Hawks in the game. Amesbury, however, had three second-team Cape Ann League All-Stars (Alli Napoli, Julia LaMontagne, and Mikayla Porcaro) as their final three defenders so the chances for ET were few.

Amesbury’s two first-team CAL All-Stars (Emma DiPietro, and Ashley Pettet) played that way. They controlled the ball without panicking and could get by defenders often with clever dribbling. Their passing was excellent.

Some things are what they are. The Cashman Elementary School field leaves plenty to be desired. Uneven, muddy, and minus a scoreboard would be starters. There will be no tournament games there.

For a team like Amesbury, which had only nineteen goals in seventeen games, to get five in one game was a nice way to end their regular season.

This was the Indians first winning season in a while. The previous three have been, 5-10-3 (2015), 5-12-1 (2014), and 6-10-1 (2013).

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Mikayla Godding

CAL All-Star Ashley Pettet

Amesbury shot grazes the crossbar in the first half

Christine Russo (17) and Maddy Creps (2)

Maia Etsy (15) and Emma Richardson (25) chase Rachel Luddy (6)

Olivia Cassidy makes a save

ET defender Skylah Mahon-Dixey

Amesbury captain Julia LaMontagne

Virginia Vienneau (39) chases a loose ball

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Filed under Alli Napoli, Amesbury, Essex Tech

Tagged as Ashlee Porcaro, Chelsea Lynch, Christine Russo, Ella Spiess, Michaela Halloran, Mikayla Porcaro, Mollie Lynch

October 6, 2016 · 10:48 pm

Emma Richardson 2nd half goal gives Amesbury 2-1 win over Triton

Alex Kennedy (14) kicks in traffic

(Byfield MA) Amesbury ended a two week, win drought with a 2-1 Cape Ann League victory against Triton on a sunny Thursday afternoon.

The Indians (4-2-4) used a second-half score (see above) by senior Emma Richardson to get the job done.

Triton (2-6-1) played well enough to win but, thanks to a solid Indians defense, were limited to long shots for most of the afternoon.

Junior Meredith Kennedy drilled home one of those long shots for the Vikings that led to a 1-1 halftime tie.

Chelsea Lynch set to score first AHS goal

Amesbury arrived late (to Triton) but started fast. Sophomore Chelsea Lynch broke in very early with pregame space and time to dribble closer, look up, fire, and score. At that point I suspected that Triton might be in for a long afternoon. But it wasn’t that way at all.

The Vikings defense tightened up considerably and Amesbury chances were few. On the other hand, Triton made runs down the sidelines on several occasions.

Junior Meredith Kennedy made one of those runs down the left sideline midway through the first half. Meredith’s left-footed shot sailed over Amesbury goalie Alli Napoli to tie things.

Second half? Amesbury had chances. Triton had chances.

The Indians got in real close a number of times but senior Triton GK Dayna Rybicki had answers.

Mikayla Porcaro

The Vikings had shots on net and several corner kicks but AHS senior defenders Julia LaMontagne and Mikayla Porcaro helped keep things long range.

Emma Richardson registered the game-winner midway through the second half. The senior took a feed from teammate Emma DiPietro and raced down the right sideline. As Emma cut toward the net she lifted a shot over Dayna Rybicki.

That goal held up.

Impressed with Meredith & Alex Kennedy. Both are returning CAL All-Stars. Defender Apphia Donoghue was very good handling AHS pressure.

Another returning CAL All-Star, Ashley Pettet, did a nice job passing and defending for Amesbury in the midfield area.

Senior Mikayla Porcaro was the ideal defender in front of AHS freshman goalie Alli Napoli. Tall and experienced (Bishop Fenwick), Mikayla cleared numerous Triton attempts before they reached the AHS net minder.

Dayna Rybicki saves for Triton

Next for Amesbury is a game tomorrow (Friday) at home against seriously depleted Pentucket.

Triton will be at Ipswich on the same afternoon.

AHS has now scored ten goals in ten games while giving up seven goals.

Triton has tallied seven goals in nine games while giving up twenty-eight goals. I have no doubt that the Vikings defense I saw this afternoon is a whole lot better than it was earlier in the season!

Instead of punting the ball out, Alli Napoli often passed the ball toward the sidelines. That strategy led to several quick Triton counter-attacks.

Sara Stackpole was on the sidelines for Triton.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Emma Richardson (25) and Madison McGrath (4) challenge Triton keeper Dayna Rybicki

Vikings celebrate Meredith Kennedy’s goal

Chelsea Lynch (12) and Apphia Donoghue (4)

Ashley Pettet (8) and Skyla Lewis (13)

Elizabeth Lindholm (24), Ashley Pettet (8), and Michaela Halloran (9)

Meredith Kennedy (14) and Michaela Halloran (9)

Alex Kennedy

Julia LaMontagne

Action in front of the Triton net

Josie Smith

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Filed under Amesbury, Triton

Tagged as Alex Kennedy, Alli Napoli, Apphia Donoghue, Ashley Pettet, Chelsea Lynch, Dayna Rybicki, Emma Richardson, Meredith Kennedy, Mikayla Porcaro

June 5, 2016 · 8:47 pm

Amesbury advances to D3 North quarterfinals with convincing 9-2 win over Mount Alvernia

Adrienne Harris greeted by teammates at home after a 2-run homer in the third inning

Senior 2B Lauren Fedorchak leaps for a throw as Abby Duggan slides.

(Amesbury MA) The Amesbury Indians took down Mt. Alvernia, 9-2, on a drizzly Sunday afternoon to reach the quarterfinals in D3 North softball.

The Mustangs (13-7) came in with three straight shutouts, including a 12-0 win over Cathedral in the D3 North preliminary round.

That trio of consecutive shutouts ended quickly as sophomore Caity Baker (three hits/two rbi) delivered a two-run homer to left in the first inning at fence-less Perry Field.

The Indians (17-4) were back with another two-run dinger (Adrienne Harris) in the third inning after gathering three runs in the second inning. Adrienne’s shot also sailed over the leftfielder’s head and rolled forever.

Both AHS homers would probably have cleared fences.

Sophomore Caity Baker – three hits including a 2-run homer in the first inning

The Mustangs had eight hits off AHS pitcher Haley Catania but only in the one-run seventh did they put more than one hit together. And also, only one of those hits (triple) was for extra bases.

On the other hand, Amesbury had five extra-base hits and multiple hits in the first four innings and scored in each of those innings.

This afternoon featured an Amesbury defense that was error free. Second baseman Lauren Fedorchak started 4-3 double plays in the sixth and seventh innings.

Down 8-1 in the fifth inning, the Mustangs wrecked a promising inning by running into two outs on the base paths. Abby Duggan broke for third on a grounder back to Haley Catania. Haley looked toward first and then alertly tossed instead to 3B Adrienne Harris who had Abby by a lot. Later in the inning Maeve Moynihan was tagged out by shortstop Maddie Napoli trying to steal.

Shortstop Maddie Napoli lunges and tags out Maeve Maynihan

Shortstop Maddie Napoli lunges and tags out Maeve Moynihan

That tag-out by Maddie on the attempted steal was quite remarkable. The Player-of-the-Year in the Cape Ann League Kinney Division appeared to intercept the throw from catcher Caity Baker to 2B Lauren Fedorchak and then lunged to apply the tag. Very athletic move!

Five wild pitches allowed Amesbury to put up three runs in the second inning. A wild pitch put Adrienne Harris in scoring position after a walk and she scored on Haley Catania’s RBI double. A wild pitch moved Haley to third and she scored when Maddie Napoli singled to center. Maddie got to third on wild pitches and later scored the third run of the inning after yet another backstop ball.

Abby Duggan gets past pitcher Haley Catania scoring the first MA run

Abby Duggan created the first Mount Alvernia run in the third inning. The speedy junior singled, stole second, and reached third on a fielder’s choice. She scampered home on a wild pitch.

Amesbury added solo runs in the 4^th and 6^th.

In the fourth, a hustle double by Caity Baker (head-first slide into second) produced a run after Megan Reid followed with a triple to right center. The Mustangs’ centerfielder (Kaley Moran) nearly made a highlight-reel snag of Megan’s shot. AHS could have had another run but Megan chose to stay at third when a two-out infield popup was dropped by the pitcher.

Megan Reid jars the ball loose at second

In the sixth, alert base-running paid off for the Indians. After Caity Baker singled and Megan Reid walked, Caity raced to third after a pickoff toss to first. Later, Megan stole second by sliding in and dislodging the tag attempt enough that Caity had time to slip home with the 9^th AHS run.

Amesbury’s 9-1 lead going into the top of the seventh got a bit tenuous after a triple (Una Gavin) and a one-out RBI by freshman Alyssa Newton. The next two batters reached, loading the bases with one out. But senior Lauren Fedorchak started her second 4-3 double play to end the game.

Maeve Moynihan, Abby Duggan, and Una Gavin each had two hits for MA.

Centerfielder Kaley Moran chases a fly ball

Mount Alvernia was 14-4 in 2015 and reached the D3 North quarterfinals.

I arrived late to the game after expecting it might be called off by the rainy forecast. Some games were called off. However, with the Mustangs traveling from Newton any postponement needed to happen hours earlier.

The Indians will take on #4 seed St. Mary’s on Wednesday night at Breed Middle School in Lynn in the D3 North quarterfinals. The #5 seed Indians may regret those two losses to powerhouse D1 Concord-Carlisle this season because they might have avoided St. Mary’s this early and their second game in the tournament probably would have been in Amesbury. But playing tough competition such as CC during the season can help prepare a team for the tourney.

I was at Martin Field in Lowell two years ago when Amesbury lost to the Spartans, 8-5, in the D3 North finals. On that afternoon AHS went down 7-0 early but made things close at the end. This time around Collen Newbury will not be coaching St. Mary’s.

Augie, Coach Waters’ dog, did not attend today’s game but his name came up between innings in the fifth inning.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Shortstop Maddie Napoli

Pitcher Haley Catania

Lauren Fedorchak starts a game-ending double play

Brooke Dougherty

Vicky Valdez

Maddie Napoli scores the 5th AHS run on a wild pitch

3B Adrienne Harris throws to first

Caity Baker slides in with a hustle double as Maggie Doldt takes the throw

Lauren Fedorchak tags before throwing to first for a double play in the 6th inning

Zoe Sweeney

Abby Duggan thrown out at third in the top of the fifth

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Tagged as Abby Duggan, Adrienne Harris, Caity Baker, Hayley Catania, Maddie Napoli, Mount Alvernia

May 21, 2016 · 11:46 pm

SC 2016 Cape Ann League Outdoor Championship Track Meet

Meet MVP Alec Reduker

Meet MVP Carolyn Modlish

(Boxford MA) The team winners at the 2016 Cape Ann League outdoor championship track meet were the Amesbury boys and the North Reading girls on a cloudy Saturday afternoon at Masconomet.

Amesbury held off second-place North Reading 113 to 100 while the NR girls had a 125.75 to 91 advantage over runner-up Hamilton-Wenham.

Newburyport’s Alec Reduker and Pentucket’s Carolyn Modlish were selected by the CAL coaches as the top performers at the meet.

I was at Masco for the afternoon part of the event.

OFFICIAL STATS FROM THE MEET

Girls’ team stats

Boys’ team stats

(All of the pictures in this blog entry will ENLARGE considerably if you click on them.)

Alex Reduker

Alec Reduker (Newburyport), Brandon Amello (Triton) – 110 meter hurdles

Daniela Garcia (Hamilton-Wenham), Brooke Taylor (Amesbury), Caroline Schissel (Amesbury) – 100 meters

Keith Merchant (Amesbury), Ian Riaf (Hamilton-Wenham), Jackson Hastings (North Reading) – 100 meters

lunge for the finish

Sam Coppola (Pentucket), Jack Carleo (Newburyport) – 800 meters

Carolyn Modlish (Pentucket), Julia Koenig (Hamilton-Wenham) – 400 meters

Daniel Allara (Hamilton-Wenham), Fred Halloran (Amesbury) – 400 meters

Geena Gangi (Masco), Carolina Ivanov (Ipswich), Brooke Taylor (Amesbury) – 200 meters

Relay start

Keith Merchant and Nick Copelas

Jack Carleo and Joe Molvar exchange the baton for Newburyport

Katryn Dwyer (Pentucket), Daniela Garcia (Hamilton-Wenham), Jenna Raffael (North Reading) – 4X100 relay

Tight relay finish

Passing the baton

Amanda Recupero ((pswich), Sarah Maggiacomo (Triton) - 4X400 relay

Amanda Recupero (Ipswich), Sarah Maggiacomo (Triton) – 4X400 relay

Ipswich baton exchange

Keith Merchant

Sam Coppola (Pentucket), Fred Halloran (Amesbury), Tom Helms (North Reading) in 4X100 relay

Maddie Quigley and Morgan Snow

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Filed under Amesbury, Hamilton-Wenham, Ipswich, North Reading, Pentucket, Triton

Tagged as Alec Reduker, Brooke Taylor, Daniel Allara, Daniela Garcia, Geena Gangi, Keith Merchant, Sam Coppola

May 12, 2016 · 8:04 pm

Hayley Catania holds Newburyport to one hit in 6-0 shutout

Hayley Catania struck out nine Clippers and allowed only one hit

Hayley Catania prepares to throw to first

(Amesbury MA) Sophomore Hayley Catania tossed a one-hitter and recorded nine strikeouts as Amesbury defeated Newburyport, 6-0, on a sunny Thursday afternoon.

Hayley retired the last ten Clippers she faced and also drove in a run in Amesbury’s two-run first with a sacrifice fly.

Sophomore Caity Baker had the big hit for the Indians when she homered to left center in the sixth inning. No fence at Amesbury Middle School so Caity’s line drive rolled a long way. There was no play at the plate.

Newburyport’s only hit came in the fourth when freshman Olivia Salvatore lined to right.

Freshman Olivia Salvatore had Newburyport’s only hit

In much of the game the Clippers struggled to make contact. It was a game in which most of the pitches taken by Newburyport batters were usually strikes and most of the pitches swung at were missed.

It has been a rough last eight days for Newburyport. The Clippers went into the eight days 6-5 but after today’s loss are now 6-9.

Amesbury (10-2) has won six straight and have qualified for the post-season tournament.

The Clippers did get Paige Gouldthorpe to third base in the first inning but a Caitlin Clarke groundout ended the threat.

The Indians took the lead (for good) in the first inning. Maddie Napoli reached on a bunt and then stole second on a very close play. Senior Zoe Fitzgerald singled to right center scoring Maddie. Zoe took second on the throw in from the outfield and reached third on a Stephanie Gleason wild pitch. Hayley’s sacrifice fly delivered Zoe.

Hannaih Burdick had an RBI in the third inning

Amesbury added two more runs in the second inning. Caity Baker singled down the third base line and reached second on a passed ball and third on Adrienne Harris’ sacrifice bunt. She scored on Hannaih Burdick’s infield out.

Lauren Fedorchak continued the inning with a bunt single and then stole second base. Maddie Napoli drove Lauren home with Amesbury’s fourth run.

Paige Gouldthorpe reached second with two outs in the third but Hayley was able to catch freshman Annie Siemasko looking to end the inning.

In the Amesbury third Emily Robinson got caught rounding second and was tagged out after a brief rundown by third baseman Colleen Twomey.

In the Amesbury fifth, with Hayley on second, centerfielder Paige Gouldthorpe made a nice catch of Emily Robinson’s line drive to end the inning.