Category Archives: Marblehead

May 30, 2013 · 8:07 pm

Newburyport wins D2 North softball tourney opener 4-3 over Marblehead

Newburyport celebrates 4-3 win over Marblehead in D2 North tourney opener

(Marblehead) Newburyport reached the Sweet Sixteen of Division 2 North with a tight, 4-3, win over Marblehead on a very hot Thursday afternoon.

The Clippers (15-6) now gets a third try against Amesbury. This time in the D2 North quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon (3PM) at Amesbury Middle School.

Vicki Allman tossed a three-hitter and had two hits herself

Vicki Allman pitched a complete-game, three-hitter for Newburyport in the do-or-die atmosphere of tournament play.

The #10-seed Clippers put four of their nine hits together in the top of the sixth inning to collect two runs and get the lead (4-3) for good.

Marblehead (#7 seed) threatened in the bottom of the seventh. Pinchrunner McKenzie Joyce stole second with two outs but Vicki Allman got Emily Promise to foul out to first baseman Carley Siemasko to end the threat and Marblehead’s season.

Newburyport jumped in front with a run in the first. Lauren Singer drilled a triple off Magician past leftfielder Allison Kapoll. Lea Tomasz singled through the hole between short and third driving Lauren home.

Marblehead (14-7) didn’t get a hit until the fourth inning but that didn’t stop them from getting two runs in the first off a very shaky Newburyport defense in their half of the first inning. A two-out bobble by shortstop Kendra Dow extended the inning. Two batters later, leftfielder Ashley Hodge dropped a fly ball allowing both Anistasia Vainis and McKenzie Joyce to score.

Things got a little weird in the Clippers half of the second inning. Newburyport loaded the bases (a Sarah Bornstein error was in the mix) with one out. Kendra Dow struck out but catcher Emily Messinger dropped the ball and Shelby O’Brien scored from third (barely…….Why didn’t she slide?) to tie the score at 2-2.

Lea Tomasz eyes a line drive

Two more Clippers errors in the Marblehead fourth put the Magicians up by a run. Centerfielder Lea Tomasz tried for a two-out shoestring catch but Rachel McKay’s line drive got past her enabling Rachel to reach second. Third baseman Meghan Stanton then threw away Alexa Brown’s grounder allowing Rachel to cross with Marblehead’s third run.

That run started to look like a game-winner after the Clippers went quietly in the fifth and then made an out to start the sixth.

However, Newburyport then had consecutive singles by Casey Barlow, Carley Siemasko, and Shelby O’Brien to tie the score. Shelby sent a 2-strike pitch to center for the RBI. Another single (Vicki Allman) loaded the bases with one out. Jackie Krusemark’s fly ball delivered Carley Siemasko from third (barely……Why didn’t she slide?) with what turned out to be the winning run.

Carley Siemasko tags up as leftfielder Allison Kapoll prepares to throw to the plate

Carley Siemasko scores

Lea Tomasz, Shelby O’Brien, and Vicki Allman had two hits each for Newburyport.

Rachel McKay had two hits for Marblehead.

Michaela Leblanc was ruled out for interference leading off the fourth inning. Catcher Lauren Singer’s throw on a bunt hit Michaela in fair territory.

Lea Tomasz was ruled out on an appeal play for leaving third base too early on a one-out fly ball in the third inning.

Sarah Bornstein

Third baseman Sarah Bornstein made a nice play on a line drive in the fourth inning for Marblehead.

The game was delayed in the fifth inning as Lauren Singer was tended to.

There was a breeze but the heat (high 80’s) was oppressive.

The playing field at the middle school was in excellent condition.

Yes, there were two Newburyport infield errors, but they also handled eleven other infield chances flawlessly.

Emily Messinger popped out to first baseman Carley Siemasko all three times she batted.

A big play in this game was in the final inning. After Rachel McKay singled, Alexa Brown hit a grounder past pitcher Vicki Allman. It looked like Newburyport trouble but shortstop Kendra Dow reacted quickly and got a force play at second.

Third baseman Meghan Stanton throws a strike to first

Two years ago I saw Marblehead eliminate Triton (at Triton) 7-1. Michaela Leblanc pitched that day. Junior Michaela holds the Marblehead school record with 32 wins.

A very good North Reading team went out again in the opening round (5-2 to Reading). Last year the Hornets were the #1 seed and lost to Saugus after having the Sachems down, 5-1, in the last inning. Ouch!

On May 1st, Amesbury put an 18-0 mercy rule game on Newburyport. The Indians had an 18-batter, 13-run second inning in that one. Vicki Allman was hit hard (18 hits) and the Clippers defense was weak. However, the pressure could be on the #2 seed Indians playing at home. The game is sure to be interesting.

Newburyport boxscore

Marblehead boxscore

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

Rachel McKay had two hits and scored a run

Carley Siemasko, McKenzie Joyce and Coach John Gold in the 7th inning

Casey Barlow

Kendra Dow

Shelby OBrien

Olivia Vener

Lauren Singer tripled in the first

Michaela Leblanc throws out Lauren Singer at first

Kendra Dow snags a liner in the third inning

Leave a comment

Filed under Marblehead, Newburyport

Tagged as Carley Siemasko, Lauren Singer, Lea Tomasz, Michaela LeBlanc, Rachel McKay, Vicki Allman

February 22, 2012 · 8:56 pm

Beth Castantini Trifecta: 28 points, 1000 points, and Newburyport win (55-36) over Marblehead

(Marblehead) Beth Castantini needed eight points to get to 1000. The Clipper senior took care of that business before the first quarter was over, then went on to get twenty more in a 55-36 Newburyport win over Marblehead on Wednesday afternoon.

Beth Castantini poses with teammates after the game

Beth Castantini with Coach Gregg Dollas and her parents

This was a nonleague game that ends the regular season for the two tournament-qualifying teams. A team needs ten wins to get in.

In this game, Newburyport (13-7) broke away from a 2-2 tie and never looked back.

Clippers celebrate 1000-point moment in a timeout

Beth’s spin inside in the opening quarter gave her the points she needed for 1000 with little over a minute left. She followed the 1000th point basket with a jumper off a rebound and a feed to Lilly Donovan for a score before the quarter ended. That trio of baskets put Newburyport ahead, 19-7.

A run of six by Lindsey Cohen (18 points) put some intrigue back in the game (19-13) but a Beth baseline jumper and an assist on a Lea Tomasz jump shot gave the Clippers a 27-18 advantage at halftime.

It should be noted that during that second quarter, point guard Aly Leahy rolled her ankle and didn’t return. The Clippers will need her back when tournament play starts next week.

It should also be noted that with Aly out, the point guard the rest of the way was the versatile Beth Castantini.

Lindsey Cohen (18 points) on her way to one of her eight layups

The Magicians were still within nine (34-25) with 3 ½ to go in the third quarter. However, they didn’t score a point over the next three minutes as Newburyport offered up nine straight.

This is how Newburyport collected the nine unanswered: Beth layup after a terrific save by Lilly Donovan of a ball going out of bounds, a Katy Bennett free throw, a converted rebound of her own miss by Mary Pettigrew, two Beth free throws, and an inbounds (pass from Molly Rowe) jump shot in the lane by Beth.

That solid offense turned the nine-point deficit into an eighteen-point deficit (43-25) and significantly lessened the suspense in predicting the outcome. The closest Marblehead could get the rest of the way was thirteen (47-34) midway through the last quarter.

Senior Lindsey Cohen scored well for Marblehead. The Clippers had trouble keeping her from taking the ball to the basket – all of her points came from layups.

Beth attracts defenders

All of Beth’s twenty-eight points were made in the first three quarters. She also had four assists. There were no 3’s in the point collection. The Magician defense obviously were aware of her but didn’t have a matchup or a defense to keep her from getting good looks in high percentage areas.

Marblehead (10-10) will be in Division 2 of the state tournament. Newburyport is Division 3.

Newburyport won the first meeting (43-25) on Martin Luther King Monday. In that game, Marblehead was missing two starters – Kathryn Digiammarino and Sydney Pliner. The Clippers were without Molly Rowe. Beth had twenty the first time around.

Newburyport made their two 3’s at the end of the game. Seldom-hesitant, long-range shooter Casey Barlow made the first and seldom-looking-for-her-shot Caty Bennett had the second go in off the backboard.

I saw St. Mary’s coach Jeff Newman in the house. Let’s see, his team (last year’s state champs) is in D3 and Newburyport is in D3.……..

Newburyport boxscore

Marblehead boxscore

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

Beth with her parents

Beth with Coach Dollas

Mary Pettigrew heads down the lane

action under the basket

Lea Tomasz shoots over Emily Freedland (7 points)

Aly Leahy

McKenna Barrett (#20) and Lindsey Cohen (#15)

Leave a comment

Filed under Marblehead, Newburyport

Tagged as Aly Leahy, Beth Castantini, Beth Castantini 1000 points, Coach Gregg Dollas, Lindsey Cohen

January 17, 2012 · 4:24 pm

Newburyport Defeats Marblehead With Late Surge 43-25 in Girls Basketball

Beth Castantini (20 points) puts up a lefthanded layup.

Emily Freedland (8 points) defends Aly Leahy (12 points).

(Newburyport) Newburyport defeated non-league Marblehead, 43-25, thanks to dominating (16-3) final quarter on Monday (MLK Day) afternoon at NHS.

This game was as much about who didn’t play as it was about who did. Kathryn DiGiammarino and Sydney Pliner for the Magicians and Molly Rowe for the Clippers did not play. All three girls had injuries.

(To get a sense of the level of loss this was: Kathryn had twenty rebounds and fourteen points in Marblehead’s last game, Sydney generally defends the other team’s best player, and I saw Molly put up twenty-six points and handle the ball versus pressure against a strong Ipswich team.)

Let’s just say both coaches (Greg Dollas & Skip Likins) were looking at Plan B in this matchup.

Beth Castantini layup in traffic

How did Newburyport (8-3) win the game? The Magicians had no answers for Beth Castantini. The Clipper senior saw large and small defenders but never was discouraged from taking shots and putting up twenty points. She dominated the boards and held Marblehead’s inside player (Lindsey Cohen) to a quiet four points.

Minus someone to defend Beth, the Magicians (7-5) were going to have to score a lot of points to win.

But, this is one of those games where the final score would give the wrong impression of how the game went. That’s one of the reasons I script games……so I can sort games out for those who are interested yet couldn’t attend them.

Marblehead, despite its undermanned status, was very much in this one until the final quarter. How? They refused to go away. Down 15-4, after four minutes in the second period, they put together a 12-4 response to trail just, 19-16, three minutes into the third quarter.

The Magician rally featured making eight of ten free throw attempts plus two McKenna Barrett layups.

McKenna Barrett layup

The visitors completed the comeback when a McKenna jump shot tied the score at 22-22 with only a minute to go in the third quarter. Unfortunately, for Marblehead, the rest of the quarter shows a Beth Castantini triple, two missed free throws (Mia Bongiorno), and two Aly Leahy free throws – 27-22 after three periods.

The fourth quarter started harmlessly enough – an Emily Freedland layup and a McKenna free throw surrounded a Beth Castantini converted rebound of her own miss – 29-25 with 6:50 left. No one on hand expected what happened the rest of the way.

Marblehead didn’t score another point while the Clippers totaled fourteen. That’s a long time to go scoreless……and very frustrating to be on the scoreless end. Coach Skip Likins picked up a technical near the end and was seen looking for the names of the officials afterwards.

Aly Leahy (12 points) scored seven in the final run including 3-of-4 from the foul line.

Emily Freedland was Marblehead’s top scorer with eight points.

The effects of an afternoon holiday game? The Clippers missed five shots on their first possession and neither team scored during the first four minutes.

A key in this game was Aly Leahy’s ability to handle Marblehead pressure. Usually she shares that responsibility with Molly Rowe.

Mark Rowe & Molly Rowe

Molly was in uniform and looked ready to play despite an icepack on her knee before the game. Instead, she sat this one out next to her father on the NHS bench.

Newburyport’s next game is home on Friday night against North Reading.

Why is this entry so late? Good question. I had the opportunity to go to the Celtics reunion with Kendrick Perkins (Oklahoma City Thunder) and took it. TNT made a game that started shortly after eight last nearly three hours. Then the ride home……….Route 1 and 128 snowy, icy and untreated! That resulted in an arrival time home (Newburyport) after 12:30AM. That’s the best excuse I could think of for the delay………and I’m sticking with it!

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

Beth Castantini fouled

Lindsey Cohen shoots against Lea Tomasz

McKenna Barrett (20) & Mary Pettigrew (33)

Mia Bongiorno collides with Cady Bennett

Lindsey Cohen shoots – Casey Barlow defends.

Emily Freedland shoots free throws at the end of first half.

Caroline Helms

Leave a comment

Filed under Marblehead, Newburyport

Tagged as Aly Leahy, Beth Castantini, Emily Freedland, Kathryn Digiammarino, Marblehead High School, Newburyport High School

June 2, 2011 · 9:14 pm

Opportuntistic Marblehead Gets Past Triton in Softball Tourney Opener 7-1

Emmy York brings in the final out as Alexa Gross waits to congratulate her.

Kathryn Digiammarino – two runs, two RBI, two triples

(Byfield) Opportunistic Marblehead bested Triton, 7-1, in the preliminary round of the MIAA softball tournament on Thursday afternoon and will now face top-seed Amesbury (18-2) on Saturday afternoon (4PM) at Amesbury in a First Round match.

The conditions at Triton? It was the familiar (cold and cloudy) and the unfamiliar (gusty winds). Early spring weather continues!

Marblehead (13-10) had only five hits off of Triton starter Marion Dullea but three of those hits were for extra bases. The Magicians stranded only two runners.

Triton (11-10) was all over the base paths with nine hits but stranded ten runners including at least one runner in six of the seven innings.

Marblehead leadoff batter Kathryn Digiammarino blasted two triples, scored two runs, and drove in two runs. The Northeast Conference All-Star shortstop was solid in the field as well.

Cori Simons reaches third and Jenn Delaney second but the Vikings couldn’t score in the first inning.

The Vikings had a major squander in the first inning. They loaded the bases on two hits (Cori Simons & Jenn Delaney), and an error (3B Lucia Chalek), with only one out. However, Marion Dullea’s fly ball to left field turned into a double play when LF Olivia Vener’s strong throw home easily nabbed Cori Simons. Catcher Carly Score had the ball waiting by the time Cori arrived.

The Magicians didn’t get a hit until the top of the third inning but it was a big one. Alexa Gross and Rachel McKay had just reached on Marion Dullea’s only two walks of the game before Marblehead’s first hit (Kathryn Digiammarino’s long triple to right center) brought in both of them. The next hitter (Olivia Vener) bunted and Kathryn was caught in a rundown between third and home. Triton executed the rundown poorly and Kathryn scored Marblehead’s third run. Olivia reached second during the rundown and scored on Lucia Chalek’s double to center.

The Magicians added to that 4-0 lead with another run in the fifth. Rachel McKay singled, was sacrificed to second (Olivia Vener), and came home when right fielder Cori Simons dropped Lucia Chalek’s fly to right.

Julia Lothrop beats the throw home in the sixth inning to score Marblehead’s sixth run.

Another unearned run came in the sixth. Sarah Hastings reached on Brook Jamison’s error (grounder went through her legs). Julia Lothrop ran for Sarah. Julia stole second and was sacrificed to third by Emmy York. Carly Score’s sacrifice fly to center brought Julia home with Marblehead’s 6th run.

Kathryn tripled to center in the seventh and came home when the Triton infield bobbled the relay throw from the outfield.

Triton’s lone run came in the bottom of the seventh. Cori Simons singled and later went to third on a 2-base throwing error by catcher Carly Score. Cori scored on a Jenn Delaney grounder to pitcher Michaela LeBlanc as the pitcher’s throw home was late.

Cori Simons had three hits for Triton.

Rachel McKay scored two runs for Marblehead.

Michaela LeBlanc – Magician freshman was complete game winner.

Freshman pitcher Michaela LeBlanc gave up nine hits but no walks. Triton starter Marion Dullea walked two and both scored in the third inning.

Marblehead coach Jon Gold didn’t have to use his usual starting pitcher (Sarah Hastings) in this one. Look for her to start at Amesbury on Saturday.

The Magicians are seeded #17 in Division 2 North. They have made the tournament five of the last six seasons.

Getting confused at a high school softball game is easy with no scoreboards or rosters. Trying to keep track of players is an adventure even if you have the rosters and know the score. The Marblehead 6th is the classic example. Sarah Hastings reached on an error and so Coach Jonny Gold put in a pinch runner. The runner’s number was #12. I had a copy of Coach Gold’s lineup for the game and #12 (on his card) was Julia Lothrop. Julia would end up stealing a base and scoring a run. However, a program was given out at the game by Triton AD Donna Andersen. I checked it afterwards and see that #12 on it is Kathleen Reilly. Julia Lathrop (different spelling) is listed as #8. And some folks wonder why reports of softball games aren’t accurate???

(I collect my own stats and take my own pictures. Mistakes can happen and I take ownership for my part.)