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(Fryeburg) Fryeburg Academy scored twice in the second quarter and defeated Lake Region, 2-0, on Tuesday afternoon in Western Maine Athletic Conference action.

“It’s a local rivalry,” said FA coach Dede Frost afterwards.  “I was sure that it would be a good game, and it was.”

Greta Hermanson gave the (4-1) Raiders the lead three minutes into the second quarter.

Greta was well set up by teammate Eliza Thorne.  A pass across the front of the net gave the FA sophomore an open look which she cashed.

“We’re not marking up in the circle,” explained LR coach Pauline Webb post-game.  “Players are getting wide open shots.”

Getting down a goal was a problem for the (1-3) Lakers because goal-scoring has been difficult so far for the team from Naples.

“We had some good shots today,” added Coach Webb.

Unfortunately, the Lakers fell further behind before halftime.

Junior Gabby Udoto took a centering pass from freshman Jocelyn Ray and drove it home from the left with only thirty-seven seconds left.

Being one goal down was a problem.  Two down was a very difficult place for the Lakers to be and they never recovered.

FA’s Eliza Thorne came close several times in the second half. One shot came after a long run down the left sidelines.

Despite the loss, Coach Webb was pleased with her team’s effort.  “We’re missing two starters (Kasey Johnson and Emma Aker) and have had freshmen filling in.  They’re getting experience.  We’ve had to change our formation to make up for the missing players.”

The FA defense did a good job of keeping the pressure off goalkeeper Rayna Wales. 

The action was seldom deep in either end.

I was very impressed with Raiders’ seniors Grace Murley and Eliza Thorne. 

“Those two are our captains,” said Coach Frost.  “They are both quick and determined.  They are little spitfires!”

Eliza was first-team all-conference in the WMC last year.

The Raiders have now scored ten goals in five games.  Their only loss was 2-1 to York.

The game was a bit of surprise to me because the weather forecast said rain throughout the day.  Looked like a postponement in the making but the rain never came.  They did start the game early (3:45) which I like because it gave me more daylight to shoot pictures in.

Being at Fryeburg Academy recently, it is hard not to notice the beautiful turf football field that is going in.  They also have a new scoreboard.  It should soon be ready for use.

(Portland) The Field of Dreams reenactment at Hadlock Field is always a good take.

Today was the day for it.

The sun was shining, and the seats were filled.

In recent years the sight of Portland Sea Dogs players in uniforms from the 1920’s signals a season coming to a close.

But not this year.

The Sea Dogs are leading the Northeast Division in the second half and have a chance to make the Eastern League Playoffs.  That feat hasn’t happened since 2014!

Portland has another game with Binghamton and then a full week at Somerset (Yankees farm team) to close the regular season.

If the Sea Dogs are still standing after that series, they will start the Playoffs at home on September 20^th.

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies fell to the Sea Dogs 4-3 this afternoon.

That’s forty wins for Portland in the second half with only twenty-two losses.  Overall, Portland is 70-61.

Sea Dogs’ starter Kyle Hart allowed a hit to the first batter (Wyatt Young) and a two-run homer to the second batter (Carlos Cortes).

Long afternoon ahead?  Not today. Kyle shut down the RP’s for the next six innings to get the win.

David Hamilton stole his team record-breaking 65^th base and hit a three-run homer to give Portland the lead for good.

David also scored the first run.  He was on third base when Ceddane Rafaela hit an infield grounder.  The fielder looked David back but as soon as he threw to first David headed home diving in ahead of the throw.

On David’s 65^th steal there wasn’t even a throw.

The New York Mets only top-thirty prospect at Binghamton is shortstop Ronny Mauricio.  The 21-year-old has twenty-five homers and eighty-two runs batted in.  Certainly a next-level player in 2023.

The last-place Rumble Ponies have definitely been helpful to the Sea Dogs.  The current record between them is 15-2 in Portland’s favor!

Christian Koss will win the team MVP Award tomorrow (Sunday).  He leads Portland in almost every offensive category.  Good chance Christian will be at the next level in 2023.

Another rising player in the Red Sox farm system is Portland’s Ceddane Rafaela.  He instantly catches your eye with his defense in centerfield.  He can hit and has speed.  Hard to imagine that he wouldn’t be at Worcester next year.

The pregame show was excellent…as usual.  Emma Tiedemann was in costume and was the narrator.

One difference I noticed this year was that the players did not have cellphones with them.  Last year many of them were busy taking pictures while pretending it was the Field of Dreams era.  Not this year.

Many hands were involved in getting the cornfield setup in centerfield and afterwards removing the cornfield. Well organized.

Very warm day.  May have reached the mid-80’s.  Sunburns were there for the taking!

Slugger was victimized by the weather.  Management had the talented big guy out there doing an energetic dance routine the inning before the race.

But credit Slugger, in his race around the bases he got off to the best start I’ve ever seen.  The young opponent was fast, but Slugger toasted him around second.  For a second I thought that finally the losing streak would end.

But as Slugger passed first base, he just flat-out ran dry.  He couldn’t move another step. He went down in a heap and his opponent got the win.

I have to partially blame management for the loss because dancing and doing somersaults just before you’re running the bases (on a hot day) is asking a lot.  Fortunately, the big guy wasn’t seriously injured. 

Thanks again to Chris Cameron for setting up my visit.  I plan to return on September 20^th if the Sea Dogs are in the Playoffs.

(Oxford) Will Dunphy waited patiently, and it paid off.

Will took the win tonight in the Outlaws’ twenty-lap feature at Oxford Plains Speedway.

Will sat comfortably in fourth through twelve laps watching drivers Betty Nelson, Drew Morse, and Skip Tripp battle for first.

“I saw them rattling each other pretty good,” said Will afterwards, “and I decided to back off.”

“I knew that something was going to give at some point,” he added.  “I didn’t know when, but I wanted to be on the defensive for it.”

Sure enough, the three lead cars got tangled up and Will sailed by on the low side to take the lead. 

Will quickly took control on the restart and won for the second time with room to spare.

The last time Will won an Outlaws feature was on June 10^th.  He had finished second seven times since then mostly to Skip Tripp.

“Even when I finished second to him (Skip Tripp) this car was far superior to his,” said Will. “I just ran out of laps.”

Skip Tripp took second tonight and has a commanding lead in the Outlaws points race.

“We had a shock that was bad in the heat, and we were so loose in the feature,” said Skip afterwards.

“Will was really good tonight,” added Skip.  “He had the better car.  I was glad to see him win.  We go a long way back.  If it’s not going to be me, it might as well be him.”

Betty Nelson won the 8-lap heat and was leading the feature until she was sent spinning in Lap 12.

Betty has competed in all twelve Outlaws features this season.  The best she has done, so far, is third.  She looked like she had a chance for her best finish of the season until trouble happened tonight.

Weather was cool but not cold.

I liked the 5PM start because it extends daylight.  Trying to photograph (or really see) action on the track when relying on the OPS lights is a major reach.

Still keep thinking about the action on Lap 242 in the Oxford 250.  There were some seriously unhappy folks after the race because of that incident!

(Oxford) It wasn’t at the “Let’s go, Brandon” level but it was in the neighborhood.

The 49^th annual Oxford 250 ended, and the boos descended.

The subject of the OPS spectators’ attention was young Cole Butcher who had just won the Oxford 250 on Sunday night.

As one of the regulars on the OPS track told me, “The winner should be proud of winning but not of how he won it.”

Most of the unhappiness was centered around an incident with eight laps left. 

Crowd favorite, and former 250 winner, Johnny Clark had the lead with Cole Butcher close behind.  Johnny came up on a lapped car driven by Jimmy Hebert and slowed down to avoid hitting Jimmy. 

Cole did not slow down and got into the back of Johnny’s car enough to start him spinning toward the infield.  With Johnny suddenly out of control, Cole, Gabe Brown, and Eddie MacDonald went past him.

Johnny settled back to 4^th and that was where he finished.

Johnny took out his frustration on Cole after the race.  Cole parked on Victory Lane, but Johnny drove into Cole’s car and moved him off Victory Lane.

Things didn’t progress to the next level but there were plenty of angry words tossed around.

Interviewed afterwards Cole said, “I had nowhere to go.  I didn’t want that to happen, that’s not how I race.”

Cole, from Hantsport, Nova Scotia, has raced multiple times at Oxford.  It will be interesting to see how his next visit goes.

That ending “stuff” spoiled what was a great night of racing.  There was a great crowd and plenty of action to get excited about.

There were nineteen cautions and what is more exciting than a restart?

How about a caution with only two laps left??

That’s what we had last night.  That final restart gave Gabe Brown and Eddie MacDonald a chance to move by Cole Butcher, but they couldn’t do it.

“I knew that we didn’t have anything for the lead,” explained Eddie MacDonald (second) afterwards.  “That 53 was fast.  Whoever had the outside was going to end up third.”

“I was sideways the whole time around,” recalled Gabe Brown (third).  “I just had to get to the bottom as soon as I could.”

While the two challengers struggled, Cole had what was needed for the victory.

The beauty of the longer race was that drivers had the time to recover from early problems.  Eddie MacDonald pitted early because of a flat tire while Gabe Brown went into position-losing spins twice in the first twenty laps.

Both drivers rallied to get back on the lead lap and went from there to top three finishes.

Despite all the cautions and collisions there were no medical situations. 

There were several damaged cars that were brought back to life thanks to some great pit-crew work.

Max Cookson was the 19-year-old in the field.  Max said that his crew was “unbelievable” and “it was awesome to be out there in such a big race.”  Max took the lead on Lap 81.

The restarts are treacherous for the leader because all of their competition is suddenly close by.

However, when there aren’t restarts the leader must deal with lapped cars.  Where is the lapped car supposed to go?  On a track as slick as OPS has been, moving up the track is a slide waiting to happen.

In the Clark/Butcher collision on Lap 242, the lap car was on the bottom.  There was room for Johnny Clark to go around the lapped car, but he closed so fast on the lapped car (which was going slower than he had expected) that he had to slow up.  Cole Butcher wasn’t ready for the slow down and went into the Clark car full speed causing it to spin.

There was plenty of sunshine, but the shade was welcomed as the race got underway. 

It was good to see so many spectators at OPS.  In most of the regular weekly races there often seem to be more folks in the pit grandstand than across the way. 

Thanks to the Mayberry’s for allowing me to check out the racing action.

(Portland) You want hot?

That was Hadlock Field Sunday afternoon during the end-of-series Eastern League game between Portland and Erie.

The temperatures were in the 90’s and there were plenty of very warm empty metal seats.

The Sea Dogs dropped the game, 6-4, as their relief pitching betrayed them.  Sounds like a certain major league team south of here, doesn’t it.

I was planning to get my first look at two newcomers to Portland: Ceddane Rafaela and Nick Northcut.  I also wanted another look at the Eastern League’s top base stealer, David Hamilton.

None of them were in the starting lineup!

But I knew them by number and figured out which ones they were as they sat in the dugout.  I probably got better shots of them in the dugout than I would have in the field.

It was the last game of a six-game series so I shouldn’t have been surprised by some backups getting some playing time.

Pitcher Ty Madden made his AA debut for Erie. Ty was drafted in the first round by the Tigers last year.

Ty went 4 2/3 innings before being pulled.  He gave up three earned runs, on four hits including two homers.  He did strike out six Sea Dogs.

Catcher Stephen Scott went deep for the Sea Dogs as did Izzy Wilson.  I was interested in how the home team would celebrate the homer in the Portland dugout.  What they did was teammates put a UMass football helmet on Stephen as he entered the dugout which he wore as he worked his way thought the dugout.

Quincy Nieporte homered twice for Erie.  His homers in the 7^th and 8^th innings were responsible for the two-run separation at the game’s end.

Quincy (27) was one of those fill-the-roster older players given, in this case, a chance to compete by Detroit. He has run with the opportunity currently leading the EL in homers (26) and RBI (69). 

Quincy was up early in this game with the bases loaded and two outs and sent Portland LF Wil Dalton to the warning track.  Later in the game, the Sea Dogs weren’t as lucky!

Christian Koss has been Portland’s best player this season.  His numbers get your attention. He leads the team in five offensive categories.  The 24-year-old is an infielder who can hit.  I would expect him to get promoted to Worcester (AAA) soon.  He’s earned it.

Had trouble figuring out Slugger today.  Was he a prince or a princess?  The Sleeping Beauty routine would suggest princess, at least for this afternoon.

In the race with the youngster, Slugger was in costume wearing a skirt.  I promise you; you can’t do your best running when you’re encumbered with a bulky outfit.  The race today was never close.  Once they passed second base, the kid was long gone.  Slugger, as he sometimes does, took a very wide turn between second and first, and gave the outcome away entirely in the process.

Slugger, however, does seem to be in good shape, so a win in the future is possible.  However, he can’t show up in a bulky costume and expect much.

I got into a seat just behind home plate and the backstop to get some shots of Ty Madden.  Those metal seats were nearly at the “grill” level!  I was wearing long pants, thankfully.

I met an adult male on the elevator coming down from the sky-view seats.  He was wearing a baseball glove and I asked him how that had worked out for him.  I’m thinking he’ll tell me about catching a foul ball. He said he had it to protect his family from foul balls.  He reported that someone up there today had gotten hit in the face!  There isn’t much of a warning in those foul balls and they come fast.

Couldn’t have been happier afterwards to find a free-sample truck in front of Hadlock Field giving out ice cream sandwiches.  Perfect ending to my visit to a Sea Dogs’ game!

Thanks, as always, to Chris Cameron for arranging my visit. 

This coming Monday-Sunday will have Richmond at Hadlock.  They are in the San Francisco Giants farm system.

The price at Hadlock is always right.  Well worth a visit.

(2022 Yankee Homecoming Road Races)

(Newburyport) One runner knew the course.

The other runner didn’t.

Those facts turned out to be significant as Ruben Sanca navigated the familiar (to him) Yankee Homecoming 10-mile course to his third straight victory.

Meanwhile, Ezra Mutai, who finished second, had heard about the course and had seen a video of the route. 

The inexperience with the course influenced this excellent runner as he covered the same 10-mile course on Tuesday night.

Ezra, from Springfield and a former student/runner at American International College, took second but it was a distant second.

Ruben finished at 51:02 while Ezra finished at 52:27.

I like to start my race coverage at the one-mile point, which is down near Federal Street.

A look at this picture tells you that Ezra was in the lead at one mile and looking strong.

“The early going was good,” Ezra told me post-race. 

Ruben was close behind, however, and biding his time.  He told the PA announcer afterwards that he just tried methodically to gain a little bit of ground as the race progressed.

Then came the hills.

“Around eight miles it was too hilly,” recalled Ezra.  “That was the toughest place. I knew about the hills, but I had never run them.”

Ruben, from Salisbury (MA), often runs the streets of Newburyport and knew what to expect. On those hills was where Ruben took the lead and built on it the rest of the way. 

“This was my first 10-mile race,” explained Ezra.  “I usually run shorter distances.  I’m working toward doing a half marathon.”

Ezra told me that he plans to give the Yankee Homecoming 10-miler another try next year.  “Next time I’ll know better what to expect,” he said with a smile.

Women’s ten-mile winner, Emilee Risteen, also had limited knowledge of the course.

“All I knew was that there were hills through the middle,” she said afterwards.

Emilee (Derry NH) started fast and left all her competition in the dust early.  There were no women to chase and there were no challengers to worry about.

Emilee (1:03.10) crossed with a time of 1:03.10., four minutes ahead of Beth Dollas (Amesbury) who finished second.

“I was going for a time,” Emilee said, “but didn’t get it.  We’ll just pick it up and keep trying.”

“I learned about Mile Three that I couldn’t go for what I wanted,” she added.  “I then had to readjust and play it smart so that I could finish strong.”

Emilee was 11^th overall of 650 runners in the 10-mile event.

Emilee graduated from Moody Bible Institute (Chicago IL) and has been coaching at Concord Christian Academy in New Hampshire.

My strategy of seeing both races one mile into each of them always prevents me from seeing the end of the 5K race.

My positioning, however, allows me to see the leaders of both races about a mile into each race.  Almost without fail, the leaders then win the races or come close.

The Walsh brothers (Joseph & Timothy) from Auburn (MA) dominated the 5K race.  They were one-two at the one-mile mark.

Justin Freeman did separate them by the end of the race.  Justin won the 10-mile race a few years ago when the end of the race was near the stadium entrance.

Yvonne Bungei and Betsy Suda were close at one mile, but it was Yvonne (18:48) edging Betsy (18:57) for the win in the women’s 5K. 

Betsy has been the 5K women’s winner several times.  She may have defeated Yvonne in 2019.

The idea of starting the race at 6PM always assumes that things will be cooling down as the race takes place.  It never seems to work.  As Mark Twain said, “Everyone complains about the weather, but no one does anything about it!”

Additional pictures from the two races:

(Amesbury) Lynnfield came in struggling.

They were 1-6, scoring only sixteen runs.

They had lost four straight.

But today the Pioneers got runs and a happy-ending, 10-8, win over Amesbury on Thursday afternoon.

Lynnfield trailed 8-6 after six innings but put a four-spot up and Amesbury (6-3) didn’t recover.

“Both teams hits balls pretty well and put them in play,” said Lynnfield coach John O’Brien afterwards.  “They made some mistakes.  We made some mistakes.”

Only in the Lynnfield fifth did a side go in order.

Sophomore David Tracy came on in relief for the Pioneers in the fifth inning.  He limited Amesbury to one run over the final three innings to get the win.

“David Tracy was clutch.,” said junior Alex Gentile afterwards.  “He did the job for us.”

Alex paced the Lynnfield attack.  He had two hits, two RBI, and scored two runs.

Pinch-hitter Nick Razzaboni tied the game in the 7^th with a double.  After a walk to Henry Caulfield, Alex’s long single brought in both runners to gain Lynnfield a 2-run lead. 

David Tracy gave up a double to Will Arsenault leading off the Amesbury seventh but then retired the next three batters to clinch the victory.

You sensed “long game” for Amesbury as the first inning played out.  The Indians had four throwing errors in the infield, rolling up pitches on starter Drew Scaldone’s arm and handing Lynnfield three runs.

“We gave up seven outs in the first inning,” said Amesbury coach Joel Brierley post-game.  “Can’t give a team like that extra outs.”

But Amesbury can hit, and they got two in the first and two more in the second to get the lead.  Jake Harring drove in a run in the second with a triple and came home on a bad throw from the outfield to allow Amesbury to jump ahead, 4-3.

Lynnfield regained the lead in the fifth inning.  An error, a wild pitch, and Dan Dorman’s sacrifice fly were factors.

Lynnfield gifted Amesbury back with two runs in the fifth thanks to an error, hit batsman, a wild pitch, and a passed ball.

But the Pioneers would recover and pull this one out in the final frame.

“I’m proud of the kids,” said Coach O’Brien.  “They didn’t give up even when we were down going into the last inning.”

“This was a tough loss,” said Coach Brierley.  “We’ve been hitting well and bailing out our errors.  If we’re going to be a team that plans to do something we’ve got to be able to make routine plays.”

There were sixteen walks and wild pitches and passed balls were frequent. 

Alex Gentile on his hit in the seventh: “He kept giving me curveballs in the count and I knew he was going to come back with another one.  Luckily, I got a good piece of it.”

Junior Trevor Kimball had a solo home run in the fifth inning.

Will Arsenault led Amesbury with two hits.  Both Cam Stanley and Jake Harring scored two runs.

Drew Scialdone started for Amesbury while Dan Dorman started for Lynnfield.

The weather was definitely unpleasant.  The temps were close to 50 with an unwelcome wind.

Lynnfield     3   0   0   2   0   1   4   =   10

Amesbury   2   2   0   2   1   1   0   =     8

(The pictures will enlarge.)

(Newburyport) You have to be ready….or else.

For the second straight game Newburyport swarmed an opponent early and often.

And for the second straight game an opponent needed an early timeout to try to get acclimated.

The Clippers defeated Hamilton-Wenham 20-10 on a chilly Thursday afternoon at Stehlin Field.

“I think we were a little stunned at the beginning,” said HW coach Abby Schibli afterwards.

The Clippers (4-0) had two goals in the first minute and a total of six unanswered goals after just five minutes played.

“We had to adjust to their level of play and their intensity,” added Coach Schibli.

The Generals (1-3) took a timeout down 6-0.  During those first five minutes already played, HW had only been into Newburyport territory once.

Senior Haley Hamilton (Middlebury commit) finally put HW on the board at 17:45 ending Newburyport’s seven-goal run.

Teammate Kara O’Shea and Haley combined to give the Generals their best run of scoring, transforming a 9-1 deficit into a competitive 10-5 game with five minutes left until halftime.

The Clippers however finished the half with three straight goals (two by Olivia McDonald and one by Rita Cahalane) to move ahead by eight, 13-5.

In the second half an Izzy Rosa goal at the end of a long possession put the game into running time with a 16-6 score at 17:52.

The Generals, led by Haley Hamilton (eight goals), were able to get inside the ten-goal deficit and end running time several times in the second half but the Clippers just wouldn’t allow serious runs of goals against them.

While Haley Hamilton and Kara O’Shea (2 goals) did all the scoring for HW, there were nine players contributing goals for Newburyport.

“On offense, the girls moved the ball really well,” said Newburyport coach Catherine Batchelder post-game.  “There were so many great assisted goals.”

“Assists on a goal show that we work well as a team,” said junior Izzy Rosa (3 goals, 5 assists).  “One-V-One works but assists are better for a team.”

Emily Fuller had two goals and four assists.  “On offense we played really well together,” she said.  “We did a good job of spreading out.”

Coach Batchelder saw the ten goals allowed as more than usual.  “We were trying out a new defense,” she said.  “We want to keep the team challenged and not just relying on what we always do.  As a result, we had some bumps and bruises along the way.  It’s a new zone.”

Coach Batchelder pointed out that Haley Hamilton would have been a problem against any defense.  “She plays fast and strong and we had a hard time stopping her.  She found lanes against our defense that aren’t always there.  We weren’t closing our zone as well as we should.”

“She (Haley Hamilton) is a really good player,” said Emily Fuller.  “She made some strong dodges into our defense.  Playing against a good player like her only makes us better.”

“Haley is a special player,” added Coach Schibli.  “She scores a lot but also shares the ball.  She gives everyone a chance to finish.”

Coach Schibli didn’t make excuses for the loss.  “They have skilled players and Cat does a great job with them,” she said.

The Generals were missing three players, including Riley Clarke.

“Riley is one of our best players and it was hard without her in the mid-field,” said Coach Schibli.

“I ended up with a new player in our defense and that added to the obstacles we had to overcome,” she added.

Not the way you’d want to come out against a team that dominates the draws and scores early.

Holy Cross commit Anna Affolder had two of the Clippers first three goals.  Both goals had assists attached.  The first was set up by Izzy Rosa and the second by Emily Fuller.

Coach Schibli appreciated the play of Kara O’Shea (“She lifts everyone up with her energy.”) and goalie Ava Vautour (“She had some really great saves.”).

Newburyport           13   7   =   20

Hamilton-Wenham   5   5   =   10

The weather was close to unbearable.  Two days ago, at the same place, it was in the 60’s and sunny.  Today it was in the 40’s with a chilling breeze.

(The pictures will enlarge.)

(Newburyport) Very surprising.

Both teams were 16-1 last year and both had won their first two games this year.

A girls lacrosse game between two such teams figured to be close………..but it wasn’t.

Newburyport started fast and Masconomet never recovered.

The final was 15-3 in a non-league game on Tuesday afternoon.

The entire second half was played using running time.

The Clippers (3-0) scored three times in the first 4 ½ minutes.  Masco called a timeout.  The Clippers came out of the timeout and added four more goals in the next 2 ½ minutes. This one had “long game” written all over it in a hurry for the team from Boxford.

“When we play that fast and move the ball that well, it’s even hard for another team to set up a defense,” explained Newburyport coach Catherine Batchelder afterwards.

The Clippers sped into the Masco end early and often and outnumbered their defenders.  Good passing then set up open looks and the goals started piling up.

“We played a really good team game,” said four-goal scorer Anna Affolder post-game.  “We had a lot of transition goals that were assisted.”

Anna and Izzy Rosa each had four goals.  Olivia McDonald and Lilly Pons both scored twice while Reese Bromby, Rita Cahalane, and Maeve Sullivan each had one goal.

Almost every Newburyport goal was scored from in close.

The Clippers had an 11-1 lead at the half.  Emmy Clark had the Masco goal.

Newburyport tallied two goals in the first four minutes of the second half.  Izzy Rosa’s fourth goal was assisted by Lilly Pons.  Rita Cahalane moved the NHS lead to, 13-1, assisted by Olivia McDonald.

Both teams scored twice the rest of the way as the running time limited the opportunities.

Emmy Clark had two goals in the game for Masco while Bella Juliano had a solo goal.

The Clippers defense was also very good today.  Goalie Kate Keller set the tone.  “She had an unbelievable game making nine saves,” said Coach Batchelder.

“Masco is a very good team,” said Anna.  “They are always physical, and they always give us a run for our money.”

Anna, only a junior, has committed to Holy Cross.

I heard one of the Newburyport fans chanting, “D1, D1,” as Anna went from midfield to finish with a goal.

Masco lost to Chelmsford in the D1 North finals last year.  Newburyport reached the D2 state semifinals and lost at Dover-Sherborn.

The weather was terrific with sunshine and temperatures in the 60’s. 

Newburyport   11   4   =   15

            Masco      1   2   =     3

(The pictures will enlarge.)   

   

(Newburyport) Everyone contributed.

Whether it was scoring a run, getting a hit, or having an RBI, everyone who played had at least one of those positives.

But the biggest positive, the W, belonged to North Reading, 11-8, against Newburyport on Tuesday afternoon at Pioneer Park.

The turning-point play in this game was in the Newburyport fifth inning.  The Clippers (0-2) trailed 4-0 but a walk (Lea Quintilliani), single (Nieve Morrissey), and a two-run double by Emily Meleedy cut the deficit in half.  When Emma Keefe singled to center, Emily tried to score from second.  However, Caitlin Reilly’s throw from center nailed Emily at the plate and limited the promising inning to just two runs.

“It was absolutely a big play,” said NR coach Nicole Zimmerman afterwards.  “Getting that out at home took the wind out of their sails a little bit. We had our big inning right after that.”

“The girl (Caitlin Reilly) in centerfield made a nice throw,” recalled Newburyport coach Bob Gillespie.  “There was an issue with their catcher (Kristen Galvin) blocking home plate.  The umpire said it was close, but he didn’t call it.”

The sixth inning was a run-fest for both teams.  The Hornets (1-0) sent eleven batters to the plate and collected seven runs.  Alyssa Cassarino and Jocelyn Ostrowsky each had two RBIs during this productive inning.

Credit Newburyport.  Now behind, 11-2, and having only four hits to this point, the Clippers had their own big inning. 

They sent ten batters up and had five hits that turned into six runs.  Cassidy Bolcome had two RBIs, while teammates Nieve Morrissey, Emily Meleedy, Keira Dowell, and Isla Devivo had one RBI each during this scoring spree.

“I’m proud of the way we came back,” said Coach Gillespie.  “We’ve just got to figure out how to start faster.”

Sophomore Keely Hannon went the distance for the Hornets to get the win.  “Keely did an excellent job for us,” said Coach Zimmerman.

Both teams had defensive gems in the last inning.  Newburyport shortstop Emma Keefe made a diving catch on an infield popup while rightfielder Bella Duffy made a nice running catch toward the foul line.

Just before Bella’s catch, Coach Zimmerman had yelled for her to come in closer, which Bella did.  Those extra steps in were a factor in Bella getting to the ball she caught.

“I had just called her in,” said Coach Zimmerman. “I guess I do know what I’m talking about,” she laughed.

Sophomore Jocelyn Ostrowsky led the Hornets statistically with two RBI, two hits, and three runs scored.

Caitlin Reilly (3 hits/2 runs/1 RBI) and Alyssa Cassarino (2 RBI/2 hits/1 run) also had big afternoons for North Reading.

Sophomore Emily Meleedy had three hits and three RBI from Newburyport.  Teammate Nieve Morrissey had an RBI, two hits, and two runs scored.

Coach Zimmerman: “It was definitely an interesting game.  It felt good to win our opener.”

Coach Gillespie: “We started slow and flat.  We didn’t hit the ball well and made some key errors.  We opened the door, and they came in.  The second half of the game was a lot different.  We made some plays and put the bat on the ball.  We’ll be back.”

North Reading was 13-2 last year while the Clippers were 8-6.

Newburyport has now lost thirteen straight games to North Reading dating back to 2014.

There was sun this afternoon but the late start (4:30PM) brought on the evening chill before this high-scoring affair ended.  It is early April after all!

(The pictures will enlarge.)