McClelland Miscellanea

September 9, 2014 · 10:33 pm

Lake Region girls blank Wells 2-0 in Western Maine Conference soccer

Megan Boos about to score the first Lake Region goal with an assist to #1 Kaylyn Jordan

CeCe Hancock dribbles into position for goal-scoring shot on net

(Naples ME) Lake Region blanked Wells, 2-0, in girls’ soccer on a comfortably cool Tuesday night under the lights.

The Lakers (1-1) had goals in each half (Megan Boos & CeCe Hancock) and eye-catching goaltending (Isabel Scribner) in the Western Maine Conference Class B matchup.

Sophomore Kaylyn Jordan recorded assists on both of the Lakers’ goals.

Senior GK Isabel Scribner set the defensive tone by getting out and after every ball anywhere near the goal. There was no sitting back waiting for her teammates to clear balls away. There were some dangerous moments but on this evening Isabel’s approach keyed the LR shutout.

Ali Duplisea

The best chances for Wells (0-2) were in the second half. In one of the chances, sophomore Aimely Nolan couldn’t quite find the handle after a shot had gotten away from Isabel. Another time, senior Ali Duplisea flew over Isabel after nearly winning a race to the ball in close.

Sophomore Megan Boos had a big first half for Lake Region. (I don’t recall seeing her play in the 2-0 Lakers loss to York.) Early in the half, Megan set up teammate CeCe Hancock for a scoring chance and later almost scored on a long shot from the right.

In between those near-goals, Megan tallied her first goal of the season. Megan was facing the Wells goal on the left when her sophomore teammate Kaylyn Jordan took a long shot from the right. Wells GK Natalie Thurber was covering the near post as the shot came through and went all the way across to the other side of the goal. Megan came in from the left side unguarded and tapped in as easy a shot as you could ever dream of.

This first LR goal happened with 17:05 left in the first half.

battling for the ball

Nine-plus minutes into the second half, the Lakers struck again. Kaylyn Jordan passed into the middle to junior CeCe Hancock. CeCe was usually heavily-guarded wherever she went, but on this occasion she was able to dribble into wide open space straightaway. Her hard, high shot went in untouched by Wells GK Natalie Thurber.

Lake Region suffered through a 2-9-3 season in 2013 so they seemed to be pretty excited to get that first win so early in this season. Last year the Lakers only scored eleven times, so to get two versus the Warriors was special.

Wells couldn’t finish on this evening but seniors Ali Duplisea, Maddie Taylor, and Betsy Andrews had solid games for the Warriors.

Juniors Katie Throgmorton and Devynn Turner, as well as freshman Lauren Jakobs, helped LR dominate the middle of the field.

Wells will be hosting Freeport on Thursday (6PM) while Lake Region hosts Gray-New Gloucester at the same time on Friday.

The Lakers have defeated Wells in three of the last four years.

Wells was 6-7-1 last year. They have ten seniors on this year’s team.

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

shot on net

Isabel Scribner

Sam Young (#5) sets to shoot as Leah Tufts (#3) and Betsy Andrews (#10) move in to defend

golden LR chance

CeCe Hancock lobbies

Melody Millett and Sydney Robinson

Kayla Schneider

Megan Boos, Kaylyn Jordan, and Lauren Jakobs celebrate first goal

Lakers celebrate first win

Megan Boos breaks ahead

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Tagged as Ali Duplisea, CeCe Hancock, Isabel Scribner, Kayla Schneider, Kaylyn Jordan, Megan Boos

September 6, 2014 · 8:00 pm

Rusney Castillo sighted at Portland as Binghamton forces Game Five with 11-4 win in Eastern League playoffs

Boston Red Sox prospect Rusney Castillo looks out from the Portland Sea Dogs dugout

Keury De La Cruz and Rusney Castillo

(Portland ME) I hoped for better.

I decided to take in Game Four of the Eastern League playoffs because I wanted to be at Hadlock Field when the Sea Dogs reached the EL finals.

I also wanted to get a good look at Red Sox newcomer Rusney Castillo.

Well, the Rusney Castillo part worked out. The other part fell apart after Portland starter Mike Augliera loaded the bases with Binghamton Mets in the fifth inning with no outs.

Sea Dogs manager Billy McMillon twice signaled for relief thereafter and found none. Mike McCarthy and Peter Ruiz? Couldn’t have done worse. Walks, hit batsmen, and hits, and before you knew it a 2-2 game after four innings was an 11-2 laugher two innings later. The final score was 11-4.

It was a disappointment but there is tomorrow in this best-of-five series and that decisive game will be played at Hadlock Field.

Rusney Castillo played center field for the Sea Dogs

I did get a good look at recently signed ($72 million) Rusney Castillo. I would describe him as short, thin-waisted but powerfully built. He never got on base in this game so I never got a chance to see any of the blazing speed he apparently has.

I am sure that Rusney is a little bit dazed by all that has happened. He signed the big-money contract on August 23rd and then went to play in A ball in the Gulf Coast League. Next he joined Portland. That, so far, has meant two games in Binghamton (NY) and a seven-hour bus-ride to Portland for a 6PM game on Friday and a noon game today. I suspect after tomorrow Rusney will move on to Pawtucket for the International League finals versus Durham. At least it has given a lot of Red Sox fans a chance to see a highly-publicized player up close before he starts his career in Boston.

Rusney smiled at the fans pre-game but didn’t sign autographs. He seems to have bonded with leftfielder Keury De La Cruz during his short stay in Portland.

Fortunately for me, Rusney spent his in-the-dugout time down the end where the photographer’s were. That gave this amateur plenty of chances to get a decent picture of him.

Did it make a difference in the game? I’m not sure but when I arrived, 1 1/2 hours before game time, the B-Mets were taking batting practice. The team had just four hits in Friday night’s 6-3 loss. Normally you don’t see a team taking batting practice before a noon game, but with elimination pending batting practice was called and it paid off with thirteen hits and eleven runs. Maybe Portland should take BP tomorrow?

I succeeded in getting a picture of the B-Mets Brandon Nimmo. Brandon was a first-round pick of the Mets in 2011. The 21-year-old third baseman can hit. He is from Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Bad start dooms Slugger

Another happy fan gets the best of Slugger

I have noted the running skills of Sea Dogs mascot Slugger every time I’m at Hadlock. I always like his chances when I see the size of his around-the-bases running opponent. They’re always small but never small enough that they can’t beat the easily-distracted Slugger. Today the very social mascot found a need as the race started to get some batting tips over by the Binghamton dugout. But he did and off raced his diminutive, full-speed opponent to a big lead. Slugger was great once he was underway on the bases but that early chat did him in. Why would he need batting tips anyhow? My suggestion to the Sea Dogs management would be that his uniform number should be changed from 1 to 2 because that is where he’s finished every time I’ve watched.

Rusney Castillo smiled but didn’t sign

Seriously, another good time at Hadlock. The visit arranged for me late Friday night by the always-affable Chris Cameron. I really appreciate it.

A crowd of over three thousand was on hand. The game was originally scheduled for 6PM. Changing the time to noon avoided the showers forecast but probably forced some fans to miss the game.

I was surprised by how quiet the crowd was. I could understand it after the team was down 11-2 but not before that. I think that the Sea Dogs could use the boost.

Sean Coyle was hit by a pitch. I think on the forearm. I predict that Sean will start 2014 at Pawtucket. Playing second base isn’t going to get him to Boston any time soon but maybe he’ll be a multi-position player like Brock Holt and Mookie Betts.

Good luck to the Sea Dogs tomorrow in Game Five.

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

Rusney Castillo

singer of the National Anthem

Sean Coyle after getting hit by a pitch

Rusney Castillo

Brian Burgamy

intense Sean Coyle

Keury De La Cruz

Heiker Meneses

Rusney Castillo prepares to bat

Catcher Carson Blair homered for Portland

Brandon Nimmo

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Tagged as Binghamton Mets, Brandon Nimmo, Brian Burgamy, Carson Blair, Keury De La Cruz, Portland Sea Dogs, Rusney Castillo, Sean Coyle, Slugger

September 5, 2014 · 10:18 pm

York shuts out Lake Region 2-0 in Class B girls soccer opener

Plenty of scoring chances for York. Here Paige McElwain shoots as Devin Langadas pursues.

Sophomore Maddie Amidon sets to score the first York goal

(Naples ME) The York Wildcats girls’ soccer team had a goal in each half and won their season opener, 2-0, over Lake Region on very warm Friday afternoon.

This was a Class B matchup in the Western Maine Conference.

The Wildcats had more than a few excellent chances against Lakers’ goalie Isabel Scribner but the senior GK was terrific despite the two goals allowed.

York passed well and had the Lakers chasing them on an afternoon in the mid-80’s. No question fatigue was a factor for the home team.

A great pass led to the first York goal by sophomore Maddie Amidon late (6:46) in the first half. Junior Lindsey Cole came in on the right side and didn’t force a shot instead spotted Maddie Amidon wide open in close. Maddie had a chance to stop the ball and put a hard shot by Isabel Scribner with her left foot.

Players react to the goal scored by #4 Elaine Cavalieri

The other goal was scored two minutes into the second half by Elaine Cavalieri. The senior came in on the right side, getting past defender Grace Farrington, and then cut back into the middle to get off the shot with several Lakers nearby.

The Lakers had trouble getting into scoring position. In the first half the Wildcats forced offsides on several promising LR opportunities.

The Lakers had several direct kicks but couldn’t get the shots on need. Most of the chances dealt with by York goalies Emma Rohrer and Kelsey Cole were from long range.

One eye-catcher for the Lakers was CeCe Hancock. The energetic junior did not have a lot of space to operate in but on several occasions was able to dribble by defenders.

Despite the two goals Lakers GK Isabel Scribner made some terrific saves

Maddie Amidon scored a goal against Lake Region last year.

Last year the Lakers scored only eleven goals in the 14-game season.

The Wildcats were state champs in 2007 and 2009.

Lakers Isabel Scribner, Katie Throgmorton, and Devynn Turner were honored by the Western Maine Conference last season.

Both teams graduated four seniors from their 2013 teams.

Sierra Swasey notched two goals last season versus Lake Region. One was on a penalty kick.

I think that Lake Region has enough defense to at least match the six-win season they had in 2011. The defense on this day played a lot of minutes in some tough heat.

Sierra Swasey and Shannon Todd were excellent in the middle of the field. Both also created good scoring chances for themselves.

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

CeCe Hancock

Taylor Bando gets in for a shot

Sophomore Kate Marshall lines up a shot on GK Isabel Scribner

Devynn Turner (#22) tries to beat Maddie Amidon to the ball

Lindsey Cole chased by freshman Danica Chadwick

Sierra Swasey shoots on net

Shannon Todd tries to get away from Maddie Simms

incoming

Elaine Cavalieri and Brittany Perreault

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Tagged as CeCe Hancock, Elaine Cavalieri, Isabel Scribner, Lake Region, Maddie Amidon, York

July 30, 2014 · 3:00 pm

Pat Fullerton wins again in Yankee Homecoming 5K

Tekeste Nurelign cruises to ten-mile win.

Katie Misuraca celebrates being top finisher among women in the ten mile

Pat Fullerton (2806) already in the lead at one mile ahead of Eric McDonald (1524), Lucas Parsons (3492), Stephen Robertson (1988) and obscured Brendan Sullivan

Beverly Antunes was the top woman 5K finisher

The races included young and old

(Newburyport MA) Pat Fullerton (15:04) successfully defended his 5K title on an overcast Tuesday night. The other three winners in the 55th Yankee Homecoming 5K and ten mile were new to the race.

Last year in the ten mile race, the top three finishers were all in view at the end of the race. Not this time. Tekeste Nurelign (49:54) of New York City won by over thirty seconds. Ruben Sanca (50:30), who took second, had nearly a two-minute lead over Kebede Abu (52:27) in third. Well spread out to say the least!

Beverly Antunes (18:29) from Somerville topped the female entrants in the 5K finishing 29th overall.

Katie Misuraca (59:54) from Gloucester led all women in the ten mile coming in 40th.

One certainty that I’ve figured out after watching a number of these Yankee Homecoming races is that leaders after a mile are usually the top finishers at the end. That’s why I like to see what both races look like at the one-mile mark, which is close to the Cushing Museum.

This is what the ten mile looked like at the same spot:

The top three finishers in the ten mile are already in place (Tekeste Nurelign, Ruben Sanca, and Kebede Abu) after one mile

The same formula is usually true for the women.

Second place finisher Aregash Abate (2976) and Katie Misuraca (1595) together after a mile

Another certainty is that there will be a significant turnover in the runners competing. In the 5K, Pat Fullerton (1st), Stephen Robertson (3rd), Lucas Parsons (4th), and Joe Santo (5th) ran it last year. In the ten mile, the returnees were former winner Justin Freeman (5th), Pat Rich (6th), and Jose Ortiz (7th).

ambulance crosses the finish line

One thing you hope not to see next year is for an ambulance to cross the finish line. That unsettling occurrence took place as the 5K was winding down and the lead 10-milers were heading to the finish at the high school. The logistics of getting an ambulance into the finish line area were almost as difficult as getting the ambulance back out. The ambulance headed back out just as 10-miler Ruben Sanca in second place was ending his race. Fortunately the gentleman needing the assistance appeared to have recovered from the effects of the 5K he had run before he left in the ambulance.

Weather? Looked as if it would rain before the race started but it didn’t. The cooler/cloudy conditions were surely enjoyed by the runners.

5K and 10 mile official results

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

Teskeste Nurelign

Justin Freeman (3064) and Brandon Newbould (1696)

Carly Curcuru (519), Deidre Martyn (3740), and Julia Shorter (2144) battle for 2nd in the 5K

Nathaniel Webber (2446), Joe Santo (2936), and Stephen Leonard (1327) chase the leaders in the 5K

Michael Carlone 8th in 10 mile

Layce Alves of Rockport 3rd in 10 mile

Aregash Abate

battle for 9th in the 10 mile between Anthony Walsh (left) and Ian Nurse (right)

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Tagged as 2014 Yankee Homecoming 10 mile, 2014 Yankee Homecoming 5K, Beverly Antunes, Katie Misuraca, Pat Fullerton, Tekeske Nurelign

July 15, 2014 · 1:12 pm

Prospect Blake Swihart sighted at Portland in 6-2 win over New Hampshire

Blake Swihart was the Portland catcher today. How much longer?

Danny Bethea returns to the Portland dugout after getting an RBI in his first at-bat with the Sea Dogs

(Portland ME) The Portland Sea Dogs are playing so well that when you arrive at Hadlock Field and find a player missing you assume that there has been a promotion to AAA Pawtucket.

Henry Owens and Sean Coyle were absent from the Sea Dogs, 6-2, win over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats on Monday afternoon. No promotions (yet) for either of them. They had been participants in the All-Star Futures Game on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.

Why Henry hasn’t moved up is a mystery to this reporter. The 21-year-old lefty has statistically dominated the Eastern League so far in 2014. Henry tops the EL in wins (12), strikeouts (111), ERA (2.21) and WHIP (1.03).

The Sea Dogs (63-34) have the best record in the Eastern League. The Binghamton Mets, however, are just 4 1/2 games behind in the Eastern Division of the EL. The Sea Dogs dropped four straight in Binghamton this month so the race for the top spot in the EL could become very interesting the rest of the way. And if Henry gets promoted, as well as Sean Coyle and catcher Blake Swihart, that top spot would be even harder to hold onto.

Blake Swihart

But on Monday Blake was on hand and Henry and Sean were due back when the EL season resumes on Thursday.

Portland did promote a catcher to Pawtucket but this time it was reserve Matt Spring. They also brought a new catcher in from the Lowell Spinners, Danny Bethea.

Danny got his first at-bats at the AA level versus New Hampshire (Toronto Blue Jays affiliate) and picked up an RBI in his first at-bat. That RBI came on a slow dribbler down the first baseline that NH starter Casey Lawrence opted to go to first with allowing Jonathan Roof to score.

Portland starter Mike Augliera gave up his tenth homer of the season to Andy Fermin but benefited from a matching homer from teammate Heiker Meneses. Mike is now 4-8 and hadn’t won a game in nearly two month.

Part of the Sea Dogs’ success this season has been the way they have dominated the Cats from New Hampshire. With today’s win the season record favors Portland 10-4.

It was Campers’ Day at Hadlock and the camps each had their own tee-shirts. On a hot afternoon (the game started at noon) there was plenty of action at the concessions stands.

Slugger has spent the season riding on a jeep instead of working on his base running.

It was another sorry day for Slugger in his season-long quest to beat someone (anyone) on the race around the bases. For some reason Slugger’s opponent always gets a half-base lead. That seems unfair since Slugger hasn’t won yet this year! In today’s race Slugger was matched up against a girl. This kid was small but fast but Slugger is big and fast and crossed second base with the lead. Then for some unknown reason the Sea Dogs mascot decided to head out between first and second for a brief chat with an umpire. I ask you, what would they have to talk about at this point? But Slugger still had a chance because as he got to first the little girl was just getting to third….this race was even. But what happened next, is worthy of a full-blown investigation. A Sea Dogs’ staff member, standing at first base, offered Slugger a drink of water. I now believe that the staff member and the little girl are related. Of course, Slugger stops for the drink instead of taking it on the fly. When the mascot resumes running the little girl is home the winner. Very disappointing.

I’ve seen Slugger lose after falling over second base, but losing because of time wasted chatting and drinking is unacceptable. I would recommend that he spend some pre-game time running the bases instead of riding around recklessly on the back of a jeep!

Michael Almanzar score first Portland run

Prime photo target for me at Hadlock was catcher Blake Swihart. I suspect that his days with Portland are numbered. Blake was a first-round compensation pick for Boston in 2011 after the Red Sox lost Adrian Beltre. In today’s win Blake caught a NH runner trying to steal. The 22-year-old has 10 homers and 48 RBI.

I was part of a good crowd (6,552) enjoying the game. Portland games are affordable and offer glimpses of future Red Sox players. Think Mookie Betts!

Thanks to Chris Cameron for setting me up to see the game.

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

Michael Almanzar

Blake Swihart

fun with young fans

Heiker Meneses (home run in game)

Shannon Wilkerson

Jon Berti (28 stolen bases)

Blake Swihart consoles starter Mike Augliera after home run pitch

Andy Fermin in home run trot

Jonathan Roof scores as Casey Lawence throws to first

Danny Bethea batting for the first time in Portland

Peter Hissey

newspaper toss

NH starter Casey Lawrence

shortstop Ryan Dent sets to throw to first

Olympian Julia Clukey threw out the first pitch

Derrik Gibson back after short time with Pawtucket

Jonathan Roof

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Tagged as Blake Swihart, Henry Owens, Mike Augliera, Sean Coyle, Slugger the mascot

July 13, 2014 · 9:25 pm

Harrison Old Home Days parade 2014

These are my pictures from the 2014 Harrison Old Home Days parade:

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Tagged as Harrison, Harrison Old Home Days Parade

July 10, 2014 · 6:00 pm

David Krall and Jen Rohde win 12th Harrison 5K Run by the Lake

David Krall topped the Harrison 5K field at 18:11

Jen Rohde was 10th overall and first among the women finishers

Arno Bommer outruns a Coastal Road Repair truck for second

(Harrison ME) David Krall and Jen Rohde took top honors in the 12th running of the Harrison 5K Run by the Lake on Wednesday night.

David (from South Weymouth MA) covered the scenic course in 18:11 and had a commanding forty-second advantage over Arno Bommer (Houston TX) who finished second.

Jen (from Cumberland ME) ended up tenth overall (20:45) but her margin of victory was only eleven seconds over Ann Lastra of Fryeburg Academy.

The weather was pleasant for running (overcast) compared to the last two years when the participants faced pouring rain in 2013 and sun in 2012.

There was plenty of space between the first four finishers. Let their times tell the story: David Krall (18:11), Arno Bommer (18:51), Dana Welch (19:38), and Michael Mageles (20:03).

The race for 5th between David Landry (138), Glenn Gordon (167) and Mark Hogan (371)

The first close race, from the Harrison Marina to the finish line in front of the Harrison Grange, was over fifth place. Sixteen-year-old David Landry came into view ahead of Glenn Gordon and Mark Hogan and was able to hold that spot.

Josh Weisbach looked as if he would take 8th but 14-year-old Dorn Scalfani caught him at the bridge before the Grange.

As I mentioned earlier, Jen Rohde was the quickest female. Ann Lastra finished second last year to Westbrook’s Sara Bradley by seven seconds.

Virginia Cain (Barrington RI) notched third place among the women runners.

Benjamin Sykes in the stretch run

Nearly two hundred participants registered times for the event.

The course records of Jeffrey Sprague (15:45 in 2008) and Tina Meserve (18:47 in 2007) were never in any kind of danger this time around.

David Krall’s 18:11 would have earned him fourth place last year. Maybe David’s time would have been a lot better if there had been competitors in his vicinity.

I marvel at the turnover in the Harrison 5K. The familiar faces are mostly in the crowd.

Arno Bommer improved his time from 2013 and moved up four slots from his 6th place finish that year. Arno looked as if he was trying to outrun a Coastal Road Repair truck over the final yards.

Michael Mageles improved five spots from 2013

Michael Mageles also improved his closing spot. Last year he was 9th, this time around 6th.

This race appeared to be well organized thanks to race director Kelly Meuse. My only worry on her behalf was before the race when a very dark cloud was moving over Long Lake with a thunderstorm in the forecast. Thankfully, none of that possible decision-making bad weather kicked in.

The complete race results

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

David Krall runs alone to victory

Dana Welch (3rd)

Dorn Scalfani (131) on the way to catching Josh Weisbach (127) for 8th place

Dimitri Dibiase (11th)

Anna Lastra (2nd woman)

Virginia Cain (3rd woman)

Evan Hamm

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Tagged as Anna Lastra, Arno Bommer Dana Welch, David Krall, Harrison 5K Run by the Lake, Jen Rohde, Michael Mageles

July 5, 2014 · 5:57 pm

Marube and Pfitzinger win 38th Bridgton 4 on the Fourth

Moninda Marube of Auburn, Maine wins easily for the second straight year

Annika Pfitzinger of Auckland, New Zealand won the female title finishing 7th overall

Tony Bumatay: One of many runners showing the US colors

(Bridgton ME) Moninda Marube made it look easy for the second straight Bridgton 4 on the Fourth.

The Auburn (Maine) resident, formerly of Kenya, finished the course in 20:29 which was actually four seconds slower than last year’s winning time.

Moninda ran down Main Street without a challenger in sight. I am guessing that the 35-year-old could run closer to the course record (18:46) if someone pushed him. There was no one capable of doing it last year or this year. Maybe next year?

The temperatures were in the sixties with occasional drizzle. There was a rumble of thunder about forty minutes after the race started that got everyone’s attention.

Annika Pfitzinger of Auckland, New Zealand ran away with the woman’s title defeating runner-up Jenna Willett by over two minutes.

The battle for second: Matthew Methot (20400), Silas Eastman (71), and Robert Hall (2039)

The Bridgton race seems, in my opinion, to annually attract a ringer or two. Annika fits that category this time around. The 21-year-old finished second in the national cross country championship in New Zealand last year. Both of her parents are former Olympians. Annika was seventh overall (22:32) in the 38th running of this race.

I like to watch the start of this race and then move to the Magic Lantern area to catch the Main Street section down to Renys.

The race of the day was for second in the men’s division between Matthew Methot, Silas Eastman, and Robert Hall. Matthew (Maine Maritime Academy grad) went past me with a five-yard lead over the other two and I thought that he looked strong enough to hold onto second place. But it didn’t work out that way. Silas (Colby freshman) caught Matthew and took second by three seconds. Robert (Syracuse freshman) ended up seven seconds back in 4th place.

Silas won the race two years ago and then last year was a disappointing 7th. This year he improved his time by over a minute to get second place.

Chris Garvin

Chris Garvin of Charlestown (RI) took 5th with a career best 21:53. Chris was 12th last year.

Nate Richards (6th) is a counselor at Camp Newfound. The 19-year-old took a minute off of last year’s 14th place finish. He is attending Principia College in Elsah, Illinois.

Annika Pfitzinger (21) was 7th. She reacted to a group of well-wishers in front of the Bridgton Library.

Eric Rudolph from Augusta took the eighth spot. Eric (30) is a graduate of Unity College. He was a cross country academic All-American there.

Ian Lanza (9th place) is a doctor from Rochester, Minnesota. Ian (37) ran at UNH and did graduate work at UMass Amherst.

Ben Tanoff finished two seconds behind Ian in 10th place. Ben (21) is a counselor at Camp Indian Acres in Fryeburg. He ran for Kenyon College in Ohio.

Jenna Willett: second female

Youngster Nicholas Brown (16) finished off the top ten males in the race. Nicholas is from Madison (Maine) and runs for the Granite State Flash.

Jenna Willett from Denmark (Maine) was the second female (23rd overall). The Kenyon College grad was second last year as well.

Newcomer, to me, Erin Flynn from Newton (Massachusetts) was the third female finisher.

Robert Hall (4th place finisher) was part of Scarborough’s state championship outdoor track team in 2013. Robert won the 1600 meter at that event.

Weather? I thought it was terrific for the runners. Cooler than it had been with no sun. The off-and-on drizzle probably felt good to the participants. My camera wasn’t thrilled, however!

One improvement I liked was not having any cars parked on Main Street. I also liked the idea of keeping the runners on the right hand side of Main Street.

Truck adds some excitement to the wait for the runners to appear

If you’re looking for excitement you’re sure to get it while waiting for the runners to finally pop onto Main Street. Every year, without fail, some driver will try to become part of the race. This year two drivers entered the “what-could-go-wrong” zone in the last minutes before the runners appeared.

The first one pulled out of the Big A planning on heading toward Reny’s. He was stopped in a hurry but opted to converse with a race staff member about why he needed to continue the way he was going. He was finally convinced to turn around which seemed to take forever.

The other driver came out of the side street across from the Big A driving a truck. He headed up Main Street toward the spot where the runners get onto Main Street. No one stopped him and he went up the hill toward the monument literally seconds before the runners showed up. That one could have been ugly!

National Anthem

I commend the race staff for their overall organization. The same folks appear to be in charge every year and they know what they’re doing.

Always impressive at the 4 on the Fourth is the patriotic garb. The participating camps really seem to take it on. In a world where things are anything but rosy, you sense optimism about this country among the younger set.

Official race results

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

Brian Ladd

Austin Osborn

Ricky Lipsey

Benjamin Chaine and Kristen Huntress

Alex Youngblood

Bill Wood

Nate Richards (6th)

Eric Rudolph (8th)

Ian Lanza (9th)

Ben Tanoff (10th)

Nicholas Brown (11th)

Isabella Rocamboli

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Tagged as Annika Pfitzinger, Ben Tanoff, Chris Garvin, Eric Rudolph, Ian Lanza, Jenna Willett, Matthew Methot, Moninda Marube, Nate Richards, Nicholas Brown, Robert Hall, Silas Eastman

June 8, 2014 · 10:12 pm

St. Mary’s defeats Amesbury 8-5 to take Division 3 North softball title

St. Marys (2014 D3 North champs)

Coach Chris Perry accepts the runner-up trophy for Amesbury

(Lowell MA) On Saturday, Amesbury fell behind by two runs in the first inning and came back to defeat Lowell Catholic, 3-2, in the D3 North semifinals.

On Sunday, that fall-behind-thing didn’t work so well as the Indians trailed St. Mary’s (Lynn), 7-0, after two innings and ended up losing the Division 3 North title game, 8-5, to the Crusaders at Martin Field.

St. Mary’s moves on to the state semifinal game versus Greater New Bedford (South winner) on Wednesday night (5PM) back at Martin Field in Lowell.

Spartans start to celebrate

The Spartans (17-7) won state titles in 2009 & 2010. Last year they lost in the finals to Assabet Valley. The most remarkable thing to me about past performance was that St. Mary’s has been in the D3 North finals for NINE straight years. If experience means anything in big games they have it.

Amesbury (17-7), despite being down big early, never quit and put runners on base in the innings that followed and left the bases loaded in the fourth (after getting two runs) and in the seventh (after getting one run).

St. Mary’s picked up an insurance run in the sixth inning when Cassi LaFauci’s two-out double scored Alexis Mango with the Spartans eighth run.

That run loomed large in the Amesbury seventh after reliever Mia Nowicki walked in the Indians fifth run with two outs and had to face the Cape Ann League’s MVP Amanda Schell. Mia escaped by getting Amanda to ground out to second baseman Jen Mucciarone to end the game.

Mia Nowicki

St. Mary’s totaled ten hits but had five of them in their seven-run second inning. Amesbury had three errors in the game and unfortunately, for them, all three came in the second inning.

In that second inning, the Spartans loaded the bases with two hits and a walk with one out. Pitcher Rachel Cyr then bobbled Jess Martinello’s grounder and Vanessa VanBuskirk scored. With two outs and the bases still loaded, another grounder and this time the throw home was over catcher Amanda Schell’s head and two runs scored. Later a single (Molly Doyle) to center went through CF Sam Stone allowing yet another tainted run. All seven runs were unearned.

Amesbury began the long road back with two runs in the third and two more in the fourth.

Autumn Kligerman and Rachel Cyr picked up RBI in the third.

collision course

Jordan D’Orsi started the fourth inning for St. Mary’s. Consecutive doubles (Zoe Fitzgerald & Lauren Fedorchak) produced a run and after a walk Mia Nowicki came on in relief. Mia hit the first batter (Amanda Schell) she faced and walked the next batter (Alexis Boswell) forcing in a run. Here was a key point in this game: bases loaded with one out and Amesbury within three runs. Mia, however, came up big for the Spartans registering a strikeout and a popout to escape further damage.

Mia Nowicki fanned seven Indians in her 3 2/3 innings of work. The freshman has plenty of speed and a devastating changeup.

Michaela Hamill pitched three innings for St. Mary’s giving up two runs on five hits.

Third baseman Autumn Kligerman and second baseman Lauren Fedorchak had terrific catches on infield popups.

Alexis Mango

Alex Fisher, Alexis Mango, and Mollie Mello each had two hits for St. Mary’s.

Lauren Fedorchak had two hits, scored a run, and had an RBI for Amesbury.

St. Mary’s won an April 22nd game versus Amesbury, 4-1, at Amesbury. Vanessa Van Buskirk had three RBI in that one.

Weather? Sunny/Cloudy with an off-and-on breeze.

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

Sam Stone tries to get back to third

Alex Fisher heads for home

Maddie Napoli (25) and Sam Stone (13) chase the same popup

Autumn Kligerman takes a cut

Meg Aponas slides back into third as Mollie Mello takes the throw

Rachel Cyr

Second baseman Jen Mucciarone gets an assist on the final out of the game

Vanessa VanBuskirk

Zoe Fitzgerald flips to first

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Filed under Amesbury, St. Mary's

Tagged as Alex Fisher, Cassi LaFauci, Mia Nowicki, Rachel Cyr

June 7, 2014 · 9:06 pm

Lowell Catholic defeats Georgetown 9-4 to gain D4 North title

Lowell Catholic (2014 Division 4 North champs)

runnerup Georgetown Royals

(Lowell MA) Lowell Catholic looks ready for a run at a second straight Division 4 state baseball title.

The Crusaders (21-2) defeated Georgetown, 9-4, at very warm LeLacheur Park on Saturday afternoon to get the D4 North crown and position themselves two wins away from a second championship.

Lowell Catholic was able to bunch hits/runs together in two innings and they were flawless in the field.

Georgetown (15-8), on the other hand, had eight hits but lost runners on the bases and had a deadly two-out drop of a foul popup. That drop (pitcher Alex Bornholdt) extended a 1-run fifth inning into what became a 4-run inning.

The Crusaders picked up five runs in the 4th and the Royals answered with four of their own. LC added four more in their half of the fifth and that 9-4 spread held up the rest of the way.

Kyle Rafferty

Tom Cahalane

The team from the Cape Ann League had numerous scoring opportunities but on this day the Crusaders’ pitching combo of Tom Cahalane (4 1/3) and Kyle Rafferty (2 1/3) prevailed.

Jesse Caisse led Lowell Catholic with two hits and three RBI.

Lowell Catholic had played the day before and it looked like it in the early going. Royals’ starter Pat Slack retired the first ten batters he faced. However, Pat never got another out as LC put six hits and a walk together for five runs and Alex Bornholdt came on for G’Town in relief and quieted LC.

The Royals came right back in the top of the fifth inning. They loaded the bases with no outs and had RBI by Mike Goddu and Pat Slack. Then they loaded the bases a second time and out went starter Tom Cahalane and in came Kyle Rafferty. Georgetown added two more runs (RBI by Colby Ingraham and Kyle Nelson) before that 5th was done.

Jesse Caisse looks to tag Colby Ingraham

But LC still had the lead, 5-4, going into their half of the fifth. The Crusaders loaded the bases with two outs on two walks and a single. Brandon Bursey (2 hits/2 RBI) then singled sharply to left putting LC up by two. This was where the Royals had a great chance to get out of the inning with one-run damage but Jesse Caisse’s foul popup was dropped. Given another chance, the LC junior singled, bringing home two teammates. James Sullivan would later force in the 9th Lowell Catholic run with a walk.

Georgetown had two runners aboard in the sixth but an infield single (Pat Slack) turned into the final out as pinch runner Gus Savage was picked off second.

The Royals put two more players on base in the seventh but Kyle Rafferty struck out pinch hitter Nick Correnti and got Chris Chiklakis to fly out.

Ben Noelk in a rundown

In the first inning, Ben Noelk was caught in a rundown. In the same inning, Colby Ingraham was picked off second.

Nick Cervizzi had 3 hits, 2 RBI, and scored 2 runs for Lowell Catholic.

The game started nearly thirty minutes late because of the lengthy (controversial?) first game between Methuen and Chelmsford.

Kevin Terban dives

Weather? Hotter than I like it. There are very few places at LeLacheur Park (home of the Lowell Spinners) where you could find shade. I’m betting more than a few sunburns were acquired.

Kyle Nelson, Ben Noelk, and Dan Manning each had two hits for Georgetown.

Shortstop Colby Ingraham made a next-level play on a grounder up the middle showing good range and good arm.

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