Sports highlights

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Babe Ruth tryouts

Tryouts and evaluations for Martha’s Vineyard Babe Ruth will be held this Sunday, March 24, at 1 pm on the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School varsity field.

Martha’s Vineyard Babe Ruth will field two teams in each of two divisions of the Gateway Babe Ruth League, the largest in Southeast Mass. Elite players will compete in the 14-team Varsity Conference, while other players aged 13-15 will play in the Babe Ruth Conference, comprised of 19 to 20 teams. The Vineyard teams will compete against teams from Bourne, Dennis-Yarmouth, Gateway (Wareham), Lower Cape, Mashpee, and Sandwich.

The registration fee is $325.

Contact www.marthasvineyardlittleleague.org to register and visit www.gatewaybaberuth.com for more information.

Final Little League tryouts and registration

Final registration for all levels and tryouts for the Major League will be March 23 from 12 to 3 pm, at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School gym. All players over league age 10 (born between May 1, 2002 and April 30, 2003) must try out. Online registration at www.marthasvineyardlittleleague.org is highly recommended.The fee for Tee-Ball and Farm League is $95. Minor and Major League is $120. The maximum fee per family is $250. Registration fees received after March 24 are subject to a $25 late fee.

Umpires are needed at all levels. To volunteer, call Larry at 774-292-1840 or email mvll_baseball@yahoo.com

Soccer referee course offered

Martha’s Vineyard Youth Soccer (MVYS) and the Vineyard Football Association (VFA) announced in a press release this week that the Massachusetts State Referee Committee will be conducting an entry-level referee course on March 24 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm at 5 Dilley Way in Chilmark, for all Islanders interested in becoming soccer officials.

The course, open to all Islanders over the age of 16, will cover the laws of the game and the mechanics of refereeing.

Referees are needed for all age groups, from the girls Under-10 spring travel team to the adult summer league. Officials are needed for more than 40 matches per season. Head referees can earn between $35 and $80 per match, while assistant officials receive between $20 and $40.

Currently, there are four certified referees on the Island. Due to the prohibitive cost of bringing in off-Island referees, the local referees can end up officiating as many as 150 matches per year.

To encourage more Islanders to take the course, MVYS and the VFA will cover the registration fees for all who enroll. For more information, visit mvsoccer.org or call 508-645-5024

VYT Hosts Junior Tournament

Vineyard Youth Tennis hosted its second USTA tournament of the year with the majority of players hailing from the Vineyard. Boys and girls 12 and Under and 14 and Under divisions were offered. The results are as follows:

Girls 12 & Under champion, Hannah Rabasca; finalist, Molly Pogue. Girls 14 & Under champion, Lizzie Williamson; finalist, Victoria Scott. Boys 12 & Under champion, Eric Reubens; finalist, Peter Burke. Boys 12 & Under champion, Steven Tanquilig; finalist, Jack Creighton. Boys 14 & Under champion, Zak Danz; finalist, Kiric Hallahan. Boys 14 & Under champion, Benny Binder; finalist, Spencer Pogue.

This weekend VYT will offer another junior tennis exhibition between high school players Jake Pertile and Sean McAndrews. The match starts at 4:30 pm. Admission is free to adults and children. From 3 to 4 pm, Jason Peringer will teach a seminar for parents and children, covering conditioning, balance and training. For more information, call Vineyard Youth Tennis at 508-693-7762.

Kelly Klaren, a junior player at Vineyard Youth Tennis, recently competed at the Price Waterhouse Coopers Grand Prix 14 & Under Tournament in the Cayman Islands. Kelly won the tournament, beating all of the local players without dropping a game.

Nantucket tops M.V. for Cape squirt title

The Nantucket Nor’easters scored twice in the third period to defeat Martha’s Vineyard, 4-2, Monday afternoon at the John Gallo Arena in Bourne and win the Cape Cod squirt hockey championship.

Hunter Meader gave the Vineyard a 1-0 first period lead, on a goal assisted by Jackson Pizzano. Nantucket answered to make it 1-1 at the first intermission.

The Nor’easters converted a penalty shot for a 2-1 lead in the second period. The Vineyard equalized when Kenny Hatt capitalized on a Nantucket line change, skated the length of ice and beat the Nor’easter goalie through the five hole. Jackson Pachico had the assist.

Despite strong play from the Vineyard defense and netminder Will Brugiere, the Nor’easters carried the play in the third to win the day.

Girls travel hoops

The Vineyard eighth-grade girls travel basketball team ended the season Sunday by winning the Kingston Sports Center St. Paddy’s Day Tournament.

The girls defeated Duxbury/Marshfield twice, 35-23 in the final and 34-24 in the opening game. Erin Hill led the Vineyard offense with 19 points in the final and 20 points in the opening game. Molly DeBettencourt scored 11 in the final and eight in the opening win. Erin was selected to play in the selecthoops showcase this Saturday in Mansfield.

The Vineyard finished the season 21-4 and ranked sixth in the Eastern Massachusetts poll.

The Vineyard seventh-grade girls also played in the Kingston St. Paddy’s Day Tournament and finished as runners-up. The Islanders lost 35-22 in the final to the bigger, stronger Carver Crusaders.

M.V. played especially well in the first half and the teams went to the halftime break tied,14-14. Devin Hill and Kat Roberts paced the Vineyard offense, scoring eight and six points, respectively.

M.V. reached the final with a 21-12 win over Sandwich. Kat Roberts scored six and Lily Pigott added five.

The girls got a balanced attack to beat Acushnet, 34-22, on Saturday. Kat Roberts racked up 15 points. Devin Hill scored seven, with Lily Pigott and Meghan Sawyer adding six each.

The Vineyard began the tourney against the eventual champs from Carver and lost 32-20. Kat Roberts scored eight points and Devin Hill had six.

The seventh-graders ended the season at 17-8.