Category Archives: Ipswich

May 17, 2022 · 9:36 pm

7-6 walkoff win for Amesbury vs Ipswich

(Amesbury) Amesbury may not have played well…..but they played well enough.

Amesbury (12-4) got a walkoff, 7-6 win against Ipswich on Tuesday afternoon.

Jake Harring delivered the walkoff hit.

“It felt good,” he said, “but I’m not sure we should have celebrated that hard. We’ve got to be better.”

Unofficially, Amesbury had more errors (eight) than they had runs. Outfield drops, infield bobbles, you name it, it was happening this afternoon.

“It was an ugly baseball game,” said Amesbury coach Joel Brierley afterwards. “Someone had to win, and it happened to be us.”

Luke Arsenault homered in the second inning for Amesbury

It was just another tough loss in a season of tough losses for Ipswich (3-11).

“Today is the third game we’ve had the lead going into the seventh inning and lost in a walkoff,” said Ipswich coach Zack Lamkin afterwards.

The Tigers had seven hits and stranded ten baserunners.

Matt McGowan ended up with three hits and drove in two runs for Ipswich.

Trevor Kimball was the hard-luck starter for Amesbury. The AHS junior went five innings, allowing six hits and five runs (all unearned).

Amesbury, despite its defensive misadventures, put single runs on the board in each of the first four innings.

A Luke Arsenault homer to left accounted for the Amesbury run in the second inning.

Ipswich carried a 5-4 lead after five innings.

Things turned for Amesbury in the Ipswich sixth inning when centerfielder Drew MacDonald made a good catch and then a very good running catch. Those catches kept the Tigers from enlarging their one-run lead.

In the bottom of the sixth, Drew whacked a double to rightfield that drove in two runs and put Amesbury in front, 6-5.

Credit Ipswich for recovering.

Drew Lane walked leading off the seventh. Josiah Scarano pinch-ran and was bunted to second by AJ Pezza. Matt McGowan delivered the tying run with a single.

Amesbury came into this game averaging seven runs per game. They only had six going into their half of the seventh inning.

Luke Arsenault doubled down the leftfield line with one out to lead off the seventh. He was moved to third by a Tyler Bartniski sacrifice bunt. That set Jake Harring up for the game-winning hit.

“It was off the end a little bit,” said Jake of the game-winner. “I didn’t think it would go over his (rightfielder) head, until I saw his back turned.”

“For the most part we controlled this game,” said Coach Lamkin afterwards. “We battled today. It’s just a matter of finishing.”

Amesbury is currently #1 in the Division 4 MIAA power rankings. Staying there will eliminate any early-round bus rides in the post-season. Playing on the Amesbury High School field does have its drawbacks, however.

“This field is tough to figure out,” said Coach Brierley. “You would think that we would have an advantage since we practice here but not necessarily. Shea (Cucinotta) is a D2 shortstop and he still doesn’t know how to play this field.”

“That being said,” he added, “we still have to make the routine plays if we want to go far in the tournament.”

Cade Wetter scored two runs for Ipswich while Evan Stein had two hits.

Jake Harring, Drew Scialdone, Drew MacDonald, and Luke Arsenault each had two hits for Amesbury.

Drew Scialdone pitched two innings and picked up the W for Amesbury.

The weather was perfect.

Ipswich 0 1 3 0 1 0 1 = 6

Amesbury 1 1 1 1 0 2 1 = 7

(The pictures will enlarge.)

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Filed under Amesbury, Ipswich

Tagged as Drew MacDonald, Drew Scialdone, Jake Harring, Luke Arsenault, Matt McGowan, Trevor Kimball

May 12, 2022 · 9:57 pm

Triton wins third straight 10-0 over Ipswich

Cole Daniels slides home with the second Triton run

(Rowley) No mercy shown.

Triton has now gone the mercy-rule route three straight games.

Today the team on the other end of it was Ipswich. The game concluded in the fifth inning after the Vikings (8-5) got a 10-0 lead.

“I have mixed feelings about the mercy rule,” said Triton coach Chris Lamothe afterwards. “It does save your pitchers, but it also keeps you from putting in players who haven’t had much playing time.”

Ipswich (3-9) stranded runners in all five innings and collected five hits.

Triton starter Tyler Egan was hit hard at times but the defense behind him made plays especially in the outfield.

“Ipswich hit some balls but right at people,” said Coach Lamothe.

“Tyler didn’t have his good stuff, but he battled,” Coach Lamothe added.

The Tigers struggled defensively in the first inning and Triton made them pay.

After the first two Vikings (DJ Watson & Cole Daniels) singled, Tyler lined to left. The Tigers’ leftfielder hesitated, and the ball sailed over his head and a run scored. The relay back in was mishandled and a second run scored.

Next batter Andrew Johnson grounded to third. The Ipswich third basemen had Tyler picked off second, but Tyler got into a rundown. A bad throw in the rundown not only got Tyler to third but he kept going and slide home for the third Triton run.

In the fourth inning, Triton sent up twelve batters and added six more runs.

The Vikings had six hits in that inning. The biggest hit was Tyler’s long two-out single that cleared the bases.

“We had great hitting today from top to bottom,” said Tyler afterwards. The Vikings collected twelve hits.

Jack Lindholm took over for Tyler in the fifth inning and kept the shutout going. The Tigers did get two baserunners (Jeremy Lathrop and Evan Stein) but Jack got a popup and a force-out to get out of it.

Evan Piscitelli led off the 5th with a hit

Pinch-hitter Evan Piscitelli led off the Triton fifth with a single up the middle. Connor Rumpf came in to pinch-run. Connor reached third on an infield error and came home with the game-winner thanks to an infield hit by Jakob Lennon.

“This is a good time for us to be hitting our stride,” said Coach Lamothe. “We have North Reading on Saturday and Lynnfield and Newburyport next week.”

Triton needs two more wins to qualify for the state tournament.

Tyler, Cole Daniels, and Jack Lindholm all had two hits. DJ Watson and Connor Rumpf each scored two runs.

Finn MacLennan pitched the entire way for Ipswich. He did have a hit in the third inning.

I was fooled again by the weather. Eiras Field had little wind and bright sun.

Ipswich 0 0 0 0 0 = 0

Triton 3 0 0 6 1 = 10

(The pictures will enlarge.)

Tyler Egan slides home in the first inning

Tyler Egan picked up the win and had four RBI

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Filed under Ipswich, Triton

Tagged as Coach Chris Lamothe, Connor Rumpf, DJ Watson, Jack Lindholm, Tyler Egan

May 6, 2022 · 10:31 pm

Solid pitching/hitting leads Pentucket to 11-1 win over Ipswich

Molly LeBel gave up two hits and struck out fourteen

(Groveland) “It all got put together today,” said Pentucket pitcher Molly LeBel.

Molly sure did her part, allowing only two singles and striking out fourteen.

The Pentucket bats and defense were equally good in their 11-1 win over Ipswich at Groveland Pines on Friday afternoon.

Pentucket (5-5) had hits and runs in every inning and were flawless in the field.

Molly LeBel came into the game with her eye on reaching 100 strikeouts for the season.

“I set a goal for myself to get there today,” she said. “I needed seven.”

Molly reaches her 7^th at the end of a run of six straight strikeouts 2/3 of the way into the third inning.

“We faced a really good pitcher today,” said Ipswich coach Paul James afterwards. “She threw hard, and she got ahead of us.”

Pentucket had twelve hits and they were spread out throughout the game.

“We’re doing a much better job of coming out strong, of figuring out the pitcher right away,” said Pentucket coach Deb Smith.

Three batters into the first inning, the home team had two runs. Kendra Griffin had a bunt single, Kayla Murphy tripled, and Nikki Mitchell had a fielder’s choice to get Pentucket off to a great start.

Seven different players had hits in the game for Pentucket. Six different players scored runs and six different players had RBI.

“Everyone did their job,” said Emma Lopata post-game. “We had a lot of big hits.”

Emma had the best stats with three hits, three runs, and three RBI.

One of Emma’s hits cleared the fence in left in the second inning and landed in the dog park.

“That was the first home run I’ve ever hit at any level,” she said.

She did add with a laugh that, “if the homer had hit a dog she would have felt badly.”

Sydney Pichette had a two-run double in the third and Emma had a two-run double in the fourth inning as Pentucket sent up nine batters and scored four runs.

By the end of the fourth inning Pentucket led, 9-0.

Molly went 4 2/3 innings without allowing a hit. Annabel Morris broke up the no-hitter with a grounder to deep short. Lexi James followed with another single and Alexa Eliopoulos (who had reached on a dropped third strike) came in to score for the Tigers (3-5).

Molly retired seven straight batters after that to emerge with an 11-1 win.

Pentucket is now 5-5.

“We didn’t quit today,” said Coach James. “We’re getting better. Tomorrow, we play Whittier.”

Freshman Kayla Murphy had two triples and scored three runs.

Sophomore Julia Connelly scored twice as a pinch-runner.

Bailey Stock and Sydney Pichette both had two hits for Pentucket.

Ipswich starter Annabel Morris pitched her way out of a bases-loaded jam in the second inning.

Molly only walked two batters. “She was steady today,” said Coach Smith.

The weather worked for me today, cloudy with temps in the 60’s.

Ipswich 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 = 1

Pentucket 2 1 2 4 1 1 – = 11

(The pictures will enlarge.)

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Filed under Ipswich, Pentucket

Tagged as Annabel Morris, Coach Deb Smith, Coach Paul James, Emma Lopata, Kayla Murphy, Lexi James, Molly LeBel

April 25, 2022 · 9:38 pm

Newburyport in control with 18-4 win over Ipswich

(Newburyport) They knew what to expect.

They prepared for it and executed against it.

The result was a convincing 18-4 win by Newburyport over Ipswich on Monday afternoon.

“We worked on moving the ball quicker and keeping our eyes open for off-ball cutters,” explained Clippers’ sophomore Rita Cahalane afterwards.

“They played a backer zone,” said NHS coach Catherine Batchelder post-game. “That defense presented man-up opportunities for us. We worked on it in practice and the girls saw it really well. They were able to get some wide-open shots.”

The Clippers (5-1) controlled the draws in the early going and locked the Tigers (2-3) into their defensive end. In fact, Ipswich didn’t get into the Newburyport end with possession for the first 9 ½ minutes.

However, by the time Ipswich penetrated Newburyport territory they were already down, 5-0.

Three Newburyport goals later the Tigers called a timeout.

The score was 12-0 at halftime.

The Clippers showed patience on offense opting for high-percentage shots.

“We spaced wide and got a lot of cutters open,” said Olivia McDonald afterwards.

Nothing selfish about an attack that gets eighteen goals and has ten different players contributing scores.

Anna Affolter and Lilly Pons led Newburyport with three goals each.

Avery Tahnk, Emily Fuller, Reese Bromby, and Olivia McDonald each scored twice.

Rita Cahalane, Maddie Heath, Sydney Turner, and McKenna Ward had solo goals.

The key contributor was probably Izzy Rosa who didn’t even score a goal but assisted on six of them.

The game went into running time with six minutes remaining in the first half and Newburyport ahead, 10-0.

The lead was stretched to 15-0 in the second half with eighteen minutes remaining.

Ipswich showed some scoring life thereafter with four goals including two from Halle Greenleaf. Julia Moseley and Kayden Flather had single goals.

The most celebrated Newburyport goal was probably in the last minute when defender McKenna Ward moved up into the offensive end and scored.

Weather was pleasant with sunshine and temperatures in the upper 50’s.

Newburyport 12 6 = 18

Ipswich 0 4 = 4

(The pictures will enlarge.)

Emily Fuller (2 goals) covered by Maddy Duffy

Anna Affolter (3 goals) heads for the net

Ipswich goalie Ashton Flather reaches for the ball

Maeve Sullivan, Azariah Leslage, Izzy Rosa

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Filed under Ipswich, Newburyport

Tagged as Anna Affolter, Coach Catherine Batchelder, Halle Greenleaf, Lilly Pons, Olivia McDonald, Rita Cahalane

October 26, 2021 · 8:37 pm

Ipswich edges Lynnfield in VB thriller

Ella Gizmunt (6) was a dominating presence for the Pioneers

(Lynnfield MA) “Exciting,” won’t do this match justice.

It was more than that…..and there was no letup in the exhilaration on both sides.

Ipswich (15-1) had two crunch-time rallies and defeated Lynnfield, 3-2, on Tuesday night.

The scores were; 25-21, 17-25, 25-23, 18-25, and 15-17.

Even the fifth game was tight and tense!

The Pioneers (15-3) had been swept 3-0 by the Tigers at Ipswich on September 29^th.

But that was then. Lynnfield came into this game having won eight of nine and they were playing at home where they were 7-0.

The teams were tied at the top of the CAL Kinney Division with identical 11-1 records.

Grace Sorensen (14 kills, 16 digs) for Tigers

The Pioneers had won last year’s abbreviated Cape Ann League season and have a volleyball banner on the gymnasium wall indicating other CAL championships.

Both schools had fans in the house, and it was loud. It was so loud that at times you couldn’t even hear the loud music.

Both teams had big hitters and there were tons of hard-hit finishes.

Lynnfield’s junior Ella Gizmunt had a night of well setup power hits. The six-footer knows how to finish.

“We tried to avoid her,” said Ipswich coach Staci Sonke afterwards. “She’s their best player. She’s going to go somewhere and play D1. Our goal was to get the ball away from her as much as possible and make the rest of her team work for it.”

In Game One, Ipswich broke away from a 10-10 tie and led the rest of the way winning, 25-21.

I thought then of the early-season Ipswich sweep and thought maybe things were heading in that direction.

Wrong on that one. Lynnfield broke away from an 8-8 tie in Game Two and didn’t look back winning, 25-17.

Game Three held the first of the two crucial late-game Ipswich rallies. The Tigers were tied 1-1 and advanced to a seemingly comfortable, 22-17, advantage. But Lynnfield wouldn’t go away. They ran seven straight points with the Lynnfield side getting more and more involved as the Ipswich lead disappeared. Now down 23-22, the Tigers’ Ella Stein had a hard hit and a strong serve to restore the Ipswich lead, 24-23. A Claire O’Flynn spike finished the game in the Tigers favor.

Tired and demoralized? Ready to give up? Didn’t notice any of that from Lynnfield in Game Four. Led by Ella Gizmunt, the Pioneers left a 5-5 tie and went on to win, 25-18. Ella was everywhere on this one with serves, digs, and spikes. She also showed spike several times and then tapped to an open space.

Ella Stein (10 kills, 6 aces) for Ipswich

The deciding 15-point Game Five had several early ties before Lynnfield moved ahead 13-9, riding the play of Ella Gizmunt.

The Tigers looked to be in serious trouble but somehow were able to turn the momentum their way and even things at, 13-13.

Lynnfield had match point at 14-13 and couldn’t get it done.

Ipswich had match point at 15-14 and also couldn’t get it done.

(Hopefully, you’re getting a sense of how remarkable this match was!)

With the score tied at, 15-15, Ipswich put two straight points together for the victory. Meghan Wallace had an important hit in the first Tigers’ point and Grace Sorensen served the match winner.

“It came down to who had the ball at the right time,” said Lynnfield coach Brent Ashley afterwards, “and who had experience in the big moment before.”

“It was such a competitive match,” said Ipswich senior Claire O’Flynn. “Either team could have won. Lynnfield played so hard.”

The victory gives Ipswich at least a share of the Kinney Division title in the Cape Ann League. A win on Wednesday night (Triton) gives Ipswich the title outright.

Lynnfield setter Sarah Foley had plenty to do with many of Ella Gizmunt’s best hits.

“I don’t think we could have done any better, honestly,” said Sarah afterwards. “We played our hearts out. We put everything out there tonight. Ella (Gizmunt) had a great game.”

Sarah Foley (10) prepares to set up a teammate

“It was an intense match,” said Ipswich sophomore Tess O’Flynn. “Serving at the end was a bit scary.”

“What a battle this was,” added Coach Sonke. “It was between two really great teams. Ella (Gizmunt) was unreal.”

“It came down to who made fewer mistakes in the end,” Coach Sonke said. “and who could make the last serve and who could get the ball on the court.”

“Good for Ipswich,” said Coach Ashley. “They’re only 5-6 years old and they get to put a number on their banner if they win on Wednesday.”

The big change in the post-season is that there no longer are divisions. There are now power rankings which will determine the seedings.

What does that mean for Ipswich and Lynnfield? Both teams are in Division 4. Ipswich is ranked #1 and Lynnfield #2.

The chance of the two teams meeting in the North Division title match, as under the previous post-season setup, has been replaced by the enticing possibility of the two teams meeting in the state finals. Now wouldn’t that be something!

“I’m ready to see them in the state finals,” said Sarah Foley.

Who wouldn’t want to see that rematch?

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

Grace Davie (4) in position to block Grace Sorensen’s spike attempt

Meghan Wallace (27) at the net for Ipswich

Natalie Connell (8) and Meghan Wallace (27)

Grace Sorensen (2) spikes through two blockers

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Filed under Ipswich, Lynnfield

Tagged as Claire O'Flynn, Ella Gizmunt, Grace Sorensen, Meghan Wallace, Tess O'Flynn

June 4, 2021 · 10:11 pm

Grace Romine shines in relief in Triton’s 13-4 win over Ipswich

Grace Romine pitched four shutout innings in relief for Triton

(Byfield MA) Triton can hit and they can score runs.

Today the relief pitching of sophomore Grace Romine kicked in as well to help the Vikings defeat Ipswich, 13-4, on Friday afternoon.

Grace came in for starter Mallory Johnson in the top of the fourth inning.

First batter Grace faced (Rowan Galanis) dropped down a perfect run-producing bunt to give the Tigers a, 4-3, lead.

After that? Ipswich didn’t get a run or a hit the rest of the way, in fact, Grace retired the last ten batters she faced.

“Grace pitched well,” said Triton coach Alan Noyes afterwards. “She pitched well in a loss to North Reading a few weeks ago. She’ll probably get the ball when we play Newburyport on Monday.”

The Vikings (6-5) had hits in every inning and scored in every inning.

“They’ve got good hitters,” said Ipswich coach Paul James post-game.

Kyla Story, Haleigh Harris, and Natalie Indingaro led the Triton attack. Kyla had four hits and four RBI. Haleigh contributed three hits and two RBI, while Natalie had two hits and two RBI.

“We do a lot of hitting,” explained Coach Noyes. “We put in forty-five minutes to an hour every day we practice.”

The Tigers, however, looked strong in this one into the fourth inning.

“We had it close,” recalled Coach James.

Triton errors and hit batsmen put the visitors into numerous scoring situations during the early innings and they capitalized four times.

However, despite some shaky plays, the Vikings also had some defensive gems that limited the Ipswich run production.

Catcher Haleigh Harris has the ball ready for incoming Rowan Galanis

Twice in the first four innings, Rowan Galanis was thrown out at the plate.

In the second inning, it was a throw by centerfielder Izzy Oldoni that got the Ipswich senior.

In the fourth inning, when Cassidy Smith tried to steal second, the throw went directly to shortstop Kyla Story instead. Kyla returned the throw to catcher Haleigh Harris catching Rowan trying to score from third.

In the third inning, rightfielder Natalie Indingaro made a nice running catch to rob Maya Williams of a hit.

The Vikings had eight doubles off starter Annabel Morris and those big hits accounted for seven runs driven in.

Senior Gabby McKendry had a two-out, two-run single during Triton’s six-run sixth inning.

Junior Lexi James had two hits and scored three times for Ipswich.

The weather was warm, and the threatening clouds didn’t turn into anything.

The seniors from both schools were honored afterwards.

Freshman Kyla Story continues to impress me with her hitting and her fielding. I’m not the only one.

Coach James: “Triton has a great shortstop.”

Coach Noyes: “At the start of tryouts she hid in the corner. She’s come into her own. She’s the real deal. She had a big game against Lynnfield.”

I asked Kyla afterwards about the game: “Our energy got up after a while. I’ve been practicing a lot. I play in the middle infield for the Northeast Hurricanes.”

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

Rowan Galanis out at home in the second inning

Catcher Haleigh Harris chats with new pitcher Grace Romine

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Filed under Ipswich, Triton

Tagged as Grace Romine, Haleigh Harris, Kyla Story, Lexi James, Natalie Indingaro

May 25, 2021 · 11:27 pm

Amesbury scores ten runs in the first inning and defeats Ipswich 15-5

Shortstop Shea Cucinotta saw his first action today in Amesbury’s big win

Evan Stein scores the second Ipswich run

(Amesbury MA) Ipswich was coming off their first win.

Amesbury was coming off two tough late-inning losses.

Two teams trending in opposite directions.

And Ipswich kept trending in a positive direction with a three-spot in the top of the first inning.

But that’s where it ended for the Tigers.

Amesbury responded with ten runs in their half of the first inning and cruised from there to a 15-5 victory.

The mercy rule kicked in during the Amesbury fifth inning.

“We needed this after last week,” said AHS coach Joel Brierley afterwards. “However, we didn’t plan on beginning the way we did today.”

“We started today thinking that we would win,” said shortstop Shea Cucinotta post-game. “You just can’t take a team for granted. But we did pull together and get a victory.”

Special game for Shea because it was his first of the season. The Cape Ann League All-Star has been missed by the Indians (5-3) for sure.

“Now we have Shea back as well as our senior catcher (Tim Gilleo),” said Coach Brierley. “So we have a couple of weeks to put everything together before the tournament.”

The Amesbury hitting has been good and continued to be just that today.

The Indians had fourteen hits to go with the fifteen runs in only 4+ innings.

Eight of the nine AHS starters had hits. Luke Arsenault had three hits, while Trevor Kimball and Jake Harring added two hits.

The biggest hit in the game may well have been Jeremy Lopez’s in the big first inning. The Amesbury senior cleared the bases with a two-out triple to right.

That opening inning had all sorts of nightmarish ingredients for the Tigers (1-8). There were two outfield errors, two hit batsmen, and two walks. That’s a mix that will get a team in serious trouble for sure………and it did in the visitors.

Ipswich was coming off an exciting 9-8, last-inning, win over Pentucket. Their bats were still hot at the outset of today’s game.

Two batters in they had a run after Finn MacLennon doubled and Evan Stein singled. A few batters later Wes Smith drove in another run with a single. A fielder’s choice (Jake Reily) led to the third run.

Jeremy Lopez drove in 3 runs and scored 2 runs

Great start for Ipswich but it didn’t continue. AHS starter Drew MacDonald pitched clean innings in the 2^nd and 3^rd innings. Tiernan Bentley took care of things in the 4^th and 5^th innings.

The Indians needed a run in their fifth inning to activate the mercy rule. They got what they needed. Will Arsenault doubled. Josh Sorgini’s fielder’s choice moved Will to 3B. Tiernan Bentley’s single brought home the game-ending run.

“We came out here and we wanted to have some fun today and that’s what we did,” explained Drew MacDonald.

Drew claimed that he knew the source of Amesbury’s good hitting. “We’ve been having Jeremy’s older brother throw some BP. I think he’s our good-luck charm now.”

Shea Cucinotta was excited to be playing again after being injured playing football. “It was great to go out there with the boys. I missed it. Getting in for the next half of the season is going to be real good. I was a little rusty out there today, but it feels good to be moving again.”

Ipswich finished with six hits. Wes Smith had two of them to go with an RBI.

The Indians added three runs to their ten runs in the second inning. Jake Harring’s double brought in two of the runs.

Ipswich had single runs in the fourth (Finn MacLennon rbi) and the fifth (Drew Lane rbi).

Jake Harring, Shea Cucinotta, Jeremy Lopez, Drew Scialdone, Aidan Donovan, and Luke Arsenault each scored twice.

Jake Reily started for Ipswich and gave way to Drew Lane in the first inning.

The weather was splendid. Temperatures were in the 70’s with a nice breeze.

There will be a tournament at the end of the season. “It will be different this year because any team, no matter what their record is, can be in the tournament,” said Coach Brierley. “We want to be over .500 and deserve to be there.”

The tournament won’t START until June 15^th. Amesbury gets out of school on June 17^th. “Our guys are completely okay will playing after school is over,” said Coach Brierley.

Amesbury faced Ipswich at Ipswich a week ago. Drew MacDonald pitched a complete-game three hitter with seven strikeouts. AHS won, 11-0.

Nice running catch by Amesbury CF Cam Stanley.

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

Tiernan Bentley did some late-game pitching and hitting

Drew Scialdone had a hit and scored two runs

Drew MacDonald scores the 4th Amesbury run

Shortstop Nate Baise and baserunner Jake Harring

Shortstop Shea Cucinotta and baserunner Evan Stein

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Filed under Amesbury, Ipswich

Tagged as Drew MacDonald, Evan Stein, Luke Arsenault, Shea Cucinotta, Tiernan Bentley

May 17, 2021 · 9:31 pm

Excellent pitching and hitting send Amesbury past Ipswich 15-0

Alana Delisle allowed 1 hit to go with 14 K’s

(Amesbury MA) Consider yourselves warned future opponents.

Amesbury has a terrific softball team.

Ipswich (2-3) found that out today losing 15-0 on Monday afternoon via the mercy rule.

The Indians (3-0) have a brand-new field to play on and unlike their nearby former field, this one has a fence.

“This is the first time we’ve had an actual fence,” said junior Liv DeLong afterwards. “It was really exciting to see three home runs go over it.”

Liv had one of the long ones and Ella Delisle and Ella Bezanson had the other two.

AHS had fifteen hits and all of the Amesbury starters scored at least one run in the 4 ½ innings played.

Ella Bezanson had the first of 3 Amesbury homers

The Indians had a six-run second inning and a seven-run fourth inning.

And then there was the pitching of AHS starter Alana Delisle.

Amesbury coach Jacqui Waters told me afterwards that she had originally planned on using several of her pitchers in each game.

Today she couldn’t do it as Alana put on a show.

“She was on fire,” said Coach Waters, “I wasn’t taking her out.”

Alana struck out fourteen Tigers and allowed just one hit.

“She took control of the whole game with fourteen strikeouts,” said Coach Waters. “She was outstanding.”

“Alana was awesome today,” said her sister Ella, who was the catcher. “Everything she had worked.”

The combination of Alana’s pitching and an offense, that on this sunny afternoon had hits and loud outs, made it tough for Ipswich.

Cassidy Smith dropped in the only Ipswich hit

Leftfielder Alexa Eliopoulos and shortstop Lexi James made outstanding plays in the field, but the sheer volume of tough chances made it difficult for the visitors to stop the runs from coming.

The Indians didn’t bunt, just hacked away. Ella Bezanson and Izzy Levasseur each had three hits for Amesbury. Ella Delisle had four RBI.

Alana struck out the first eight batters she faced before walking Piper Reily in the third inning.

In the Ipswich fourth, Cassidy Smith dropped a short popup over Alan’s head and just in front of charging shortstop Liv Levasseur. That was the Tigers first and only hit.

One thing I didn’t learn about today was the quality of the Amesbury defense. Not one ball got out of the infield. Alana got an assist on the final out of the game but there were no other infield chances other than Cassidy Smith’s hit.

Impressive, to say the least.

The new field has bleachers beyond centerfield although most spectators chose the 3B/LF foul territory to view from.

Coach Waters: “We owe this field to the alumni. They raised some money. The infield cost $16,000. We needed a new field. The other one was a mess. Mayor Gove came through with funds for the backstop and all the fencing. We have a brand-new scoreboard which is not in yet. It was a gift from the Newburyport Institution for Savings.”

Alana Delisle: “Today was really fun. Ella did a great job catching. Everyone hit. Ella calls the pitches. I just throw them.”

Ella Delisle: “I’ve been catching her my whole life. Her curve was moving really well.”

LF Alex Eliopoulos made several nice catches in the outfield

The Indians haven’t given up a run yet in three starts. Liv Delong had fifteen strikeouts in the season opener against Rockport.

Coach Waters informed me that there will be a state tournament following the regular season. How far can the Indians go?

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

Ella Delisle celebrates her 3-run homer in the fourth inning

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Filed under Amesbury, Ipswich, Uncategorized

Tagged as Alana Delisle, Ella Bezanson, Ella Delisle, Liv DeLong, Liv Levasseur

May 12, 2021 · 9:48 pm

Emily Meleedy hits/pitches Newburyport to 10-5 win over Ipswich

Emily Meleedy had a two-run homer in Newburyport’s four-run second inning

(Newburyport MA) Ipswich coach Paul James knew that he’d seen something special.

“She’s legit. No doubt.”

The Tigers coach was referencing Newburyport’s Emily Meleedy.

Emily had plenty to do with the (3-0) Clippers, 10-5, win over the Tigers on Wednesday afternoon at Pioneer Park.

At the end of the fourth inning, the home team was ahead, 9-1.

By then, Emily had a double, home run (over the centerfield fence), and a single, driving in five runs and scoring three times.

The two batters ahead of Emily in the batting order (Emma Keefe & Cali Caponigro) were also very productive early on as Newburyport built their big lead. Emma and Cali both reached base three times and each scored three times.

Emily also pitched.

Emily Meleedy struck out seven Tigers and allowed six hits

Through four innings the NHS freshman allowed just one hit (Kate Bekeritis) and struck out five.

Lexi James was part of the Ipswich comeback in the 5th inning

Credit Ipswich for putting a four-run rally together in the 5^th inning.

“We were down early but we didn’t quit,” said Coach James. “We got the game back closer.”

The Tigers (2-1) started making solid contact and getting on base.

“It took us a couple of times around to get used to the pitching,” said Coach James.

Eight Tigers came to the plate in that 4-run fifth with Lexi James, Kate Bekeritis, and Cassidy Smith getting RBIs.

But the damage was limited to four runs. Again, we find Emily Meleedy playing a big role. She assisted on an out at first, caught a popup, and struck out the last batter of the inning.

Emily struck out seven in the game and ended three innings with strikeouts.

Ipswich had two hits in the 6^th inning but ran into a double play on a fly ball to douse a promising chance to score.

RF Keira Dowell ended the game with a nice running catch in foul territory.

The infield surface at Pioneer Park was hard and bumpy. Both teams struggled making plays on grounders as they tried to figure out hops.

“I thought that we played a sloppy game,” said Newburyport coach Bob Gillespie afterwards. “We were much better in the first two games. But we can correct the mistakes.”

“We had some struggles, but we pushed through,” said Emily Meleedy.

The Tigers finished with six hits. Freshman Piper Reily had two of them.

The Clippers started four freshmen and an eighth grader (Sophie Lavallee).

The Tigers started three freshmen.

“We’re a young team and this was a huge building game for us,” said Coach James.

Emily Meleedy: “I was throwing mostly fastballs. I have a good team to back me up. It feels good to hit a homer. I play club softball in Salisbury. On the club team I pitch and play shortstop.”

Little bit of rain early but that was the end of it.

Parking at Pioneer Park is nearly non-existent. There were two other games going on at the same time. I don’t know the parking solution, but there were cars in harm’s way when I left. Be careful over there.

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

Piper Reily scores a run in the 5th inning

Annabel Morris takes a swing as Cali Caponigro catches

Sophie Lavallee caught stealing by Lexi James

Bad-hop grounders were the order of the day

Cali Caponigro scores in the first inning

Keira Dowell mobbed after game-ending catch

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Filed under Ipswich, Newburyport

Tagged as Cali Caponigro, Emily Meleedy, Emma Keefe, Keira Dowell

May 3, 2021 · 7:52 pm

Chase Dwight puts on a show in scrimmage against Ipswich

Chase Dwight pitched four shutout innings

(Groveland MA) Impressive.

Chase Dwight had a 3-run homer in the 4th inning against Ipswich

Chase Dwight in the midst of the HR celebration

Pentucket sophomore Chase Dwight pitched four shutout innings and drilled a 3-run homer.

Chase’s shot over the fence in left center in the 4^th inning off Ipswich relief pitcher Jake Reily scored Joe Lynch and Andrew Melone.

It was only a scrimmage so overreacting in any direction is folly.

However, it seems quite certain that Chase Dwight will play a prominent role for the Sachems in the Cape Ann League regular season which starts later this week.

The Monday afternoon event was played at Groveland Pines.

The prevailing winds there made every ball in the air toward right field an adventure for the fielders. Several drives that way either sliced away, or dropped in front, of fielders.

That same wind turned things from cool to cold for those of us spectators. I lasted four innings.

As is the habit with a scrimmage, there were no numbered uniforms worn or rosters available. I took pictures but won’t be putting names to most of them.

I do plan to post the unnamed ones on Instagram (mcclellandmiscellanea) asking for IDs. Once I get the names, I will add that picture to my online blog (McClelland Miscellanea) coverage of the scrimmage.

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