Sports Highlights
Netmen complete schedule
The Boys tennis team traveled to Fall River to take on Bishop Connolly, Wednesday, and despite Coach Fennessy's gentlemanly gesture of seating four varsity players, the Islanders came away with a five-match sweep.
At first and second singles, Andrew McHugh and Dylan Hutchinson won easily, 6-1, 6-0 and 6-0, 6-0, respectively.
At third singles Daniel Han won by forfeit.
Zach Rubin and Jock Cooperrider won the first doubles match, 6-4, 6-2. Reid Yennie and Grant McCarthy had no problems at second doubles, 6-0, 6-1.
Thursday, Sandwich came to call to play two matches using an eight-game proset format. The Knights won the first match, 3-2. Andrew McHugh won at first singles, 8-4. Evan Schwab and Win Grimm were successful at first doubles, 8-4.
In the second match, McHugh (8-2) and the Schwab-Grimm pair (8-1) repeated their wins and were joined by the duo of Dan Han and Jock Cooperrider to nail a 3-2 win for the Vineyard, just enough to earn the Martha's Vineyard team a spot in the MIAA Division 2 South team tournament.
On Friday, the visiting Old Rochester Regional Bulldogs won all the points, winning in straight sets at first, second and third singles and second doubles. Only Evan Schwab and Win Grimm at first doubles forced a third set before conceding, 3-6, 6-2, 2-6.
The Martha's Vineyard Regional High School boys have played in the post-season tourney 14 times in the last 15 years.
En Garde at Veira
The Mets and Athletics hooked up in a Little League pitchers duel, Saturday, at Veira Park. The A's Eli Berlow pitched a shutout, fanning ten. The Mets' David Andrews allowed just one hit, by Mike Mussel, and two runs.
A's Coach Sam Berlow lauded the play of Sam Entner, who stole four bases and scored.
Minor update
Twins pitchers Tim Maciel and Connor Donnelly kept the Rays at bay for the first five innings as the Twins built a 9-3 lead. But the Rays rallied for five more runs before the final out. The Rays big inning was the 6th when Lucas Dutton, Chris Sharkovitz, Lucas DeBettencourt, Noah Hoyt, and Mitchell Chaves all hit safely to come within one of the Twins, 9-8.
The Marlins beat the Orioles, 11-9, behind Diamond Araujo. Both Emily Turney and Shelby Saxonis had two hits. Lucas Pinhiero drove in three Oriole runs with two hits.
Early in the week the Marlins topped the Orioles, 12-8.
The Orioles topped the Reds in a make-up game, 7-3. The Reds also lost to the Rockies 15-5, despite Brad Fielder's 3-for-4 day at the plate with two RBI. Brian Carter, Oliver Silberstein, and Liam Weiland all went 2-for-3. Colin Hickey was 2-for-4
Photos by Ralph Stewart
Softies edge Falmouth
The Vineyard softball team handed Falmouth its 15th loss of the season at Falmouth, Wednesday, in an extra inning thriller, 10-9.
Loudest blow of the contest was Emma Frizzell's grand slam. Martha Scheffer pitched 4 2/3rds innings and doubled in two, giving Martha's Vineyard a 9-8 lead in the seventh.
Gail Herman was 3-for-5 at the plate. Emma Frizzell, Katie Hines, Julie Perry, and Taylor Perrotta all hit safely twice.
The win gave the Islanders a 4-10 record. Falmouth slipped to 0-15.
The Martha's Vineyard season ended on a high note as the Vineyarders outscored their island opponents, Nantucket, 6-2.
Shipshape
The Holmes Hole Sailing Association (HHSA) has announced its schedule of handicap races beginning with a tune-up race on Sunday, June 15, concluding with the annual George Moffett Memorial Race, September 6.
The HHSA, a collegial group of local skippers, has been racing since 1970 with Harbor, Sound and Rendezvous races (to Robinson's Hole, Tarpaulin Cove, and Chappaquiddick) on Sundays and Harbor races Thursday evenings.
HHSA actively seeks new members. Any interested captain of a single-hull sailing vessel is encouraged to call Diane Hartmann at 508-693-6592. Sailors are encouraged to "Enter your boat, get a handicap, and come out and have great fun in some of the best and most interesting sailing waters to be found anywhere."
Oak Bluffs boys are Island champs
Tisbury scored twice in the top of the first inning off O.B. starter Delmont Araujo, and held the 2-0 lead until the bottom of the third when, the Blazers caught up to Noah Stobie's fast ball and parlayed four hits and two walks into three runs.
Araujo was relieved in the fourth by William Stewart.
A round-tripper by Connor Chisholm into deep center added another O.B. run in the bottom of the fourth inning. A pair of doubles in the fifth closed out the scoring with the Blazers up, 5-2. Tisbury left fielder Mark Natachioni was busy in the fifth fielding two doubles and snagging a deep line drive. Tisbury executed a rare 1-3-5 double play in the same inning.
Babe Ruth
Vineyard Babe Ruth teams hosted squads from the mainland last weekend, at one point using both old and new high school diamonds.
The East Longmeadow Braves defeated the Martha's Vineyard Blue Jays in the early game, beginning at 10 am, 18-5.
At 1 pm, both high school fields saw action as the Twins lost to the Braves, 18-8, while the Blue Jays were being mauled by the Lawrence Dynasty, 21-1.
At 4 pm, the Dynasty shut out the Martha's Vineyard Cardinals, 11-0.
According to Martha's Vineyard Babe Ruth coach Paul Hakala, the Islanders enjoyed the chance to play on the new high school field and profited by measuring their game against superior talent.
A healthy run
The Tisbury school PTO's second fun run promoting physical health and well-being while raising funds for the playgrounds is Friday, May 30. The fun run is about .6 mile and is for all children, K-8. It begins in front of the school at 1:30 pm.
Wanted
The senior Babe Ruth Baseball League is looking for more players 15 to 18 or 19 years old for summer baseball action. League games will begin June 11 and are played away Tuesday and/or Wednesday and double-headers on Island (12 and 2:30) Saturdays.
The season lasts from June 11 to July 16 with playoffs following.
Organizers are also looking for sponsors.
Interested? Call Ernie Chaves 508-693-5164 or email chavesvnyd@aol.com.
Farm Neck
Of the more than 20,000 public and private golf courses in the U.S.A., Farm Neck in Oak Bluffs ranks 29th on the list of 100 favorite courses, just ahead of Spyglass Hill at Pebble Beach, California, according to more than "a million or more" visitors to the Golflinks web site.
Kapalua GC at Lahaina, Maui, was 34th.
To my utter surprise, "The Legends" at Parris Island, S.C., was 66th. Somehow I missed the golf course during my 12-week stay at P. I. in 1945.
The top three courses, according to the survey, are (1) Bethpage State Park, Farmingdale, N.Y., (2) Augusta National GC, Augusta, Ga., and (3) Pine Valley GC, Clementon, N.J.
Eagle girls win
The Edgartown lady Eagles upset the previously unbeaten Oak Bluffs Blazers, Wednesday, at the O.B. school, 8-4, to earn the Island junior high softball championship.
Most of the scoring happened in the early innings, primarily by Edgartown.
The Eagles scored two in the first and five in the second innings. O.B. answered with one in the first and two in the third. Both teams scored another run late in the game.
Winning pitcher Elizabeth Kelleher walked few batters keeping O.B. off the basepaths, and she struck out three.
Summer softball
The 2008 Island Softball League Schedule has been published, with nine teams registered to play games at Tisbury's Veterans Park beginning Monday, June 2, when the Riptide plays the Hurricanes and the Highlanders are home to the Stampede.
Two more games will be played Wednesday, June 4. The Brewhas mix it up with the Wildcats and the Landsharks go against the Riptide. On Thursday, June 5, the Boilers try to cook the Treds and the Hurricanes open with the Landsharks.
Because the league has grown from eight to nine teams, each team will play 16 games rather than 14.
A one-day one-pitch tournament precedes the league openers at Manters Field, West Tisbury, Sunday, June 1.
9 am, Treds vs. Landsharks; 10 am, Wildcats vs. Riptide; 11 am, Highlanders vs. Boilers; noon, Brewhas vs. winner of 9 am game. 1 pm. 'Canes vs. Stampede. 2 pm noon winner vs. 11 am winner. 3 pm, 1 pm winner vs. 10 am, winner. 4 pm, 2 pm winner vs. 3 pm winner.
