Sports
Perfection persists
The unbeaten and untied Martha's Vineyard girls varsity lacrosse team took flight to Nantucket last Wednesday where they handed the Whalers a 14-3 whuppin'.
Cat Todd and Gillian O'Callaghan pursue a would-be B-R Trojans scorer. Photo by Ralph Stewart
Hayley Pierce and Cristina Wiley paced the Purple win, each with four goals and two assists. Both Laura Jernegan and Sophie Lew scored twice and assisted. Molly Fischer won most of the draws, had six assists, and scored, as did Kate Cecilio. Zoe Fisher made 12 saves in goal.
Thursday the girls stung Bishop Stang here, 16-6. Scoring for the Vineyard were Laura Jernegan (5 with an assist). Both Sophie Lew and Ana Cristina Jurczyk had 2 goals and 3 assists. Hayley Pierce (2 goals and an assist), Molly Fischer (2), Brianna Davies (1) and Christina Wiley (1) accounted for the rest of the goals. Kate Cecilio assisted twice. Zoe Fisher made 15 saves in goal.
Hayley Pierce, one of the Vineyard's premier scorers, is momentarily checked.
Friday the Islanders sank the Falmouth Clippers, a Division One team, here, 11-5. Laura Jernegan paced the Martha's Vineyard, attack scoring five times and assisting once. With 5:16 left in the first half, Hayley Pierce's goal put the Vineyard ahead, 3-2. In the time remaining Martha's Vineyard added three more to reach the break with a 6-2 lead.
Also scoring for the purple and white: Kate Cecilio (2), Molly Fischer, Cristina Wiley, and Brianna Davies.
Monday, the girls disposed of Bridgewater-Raynham.
Kate Cecilio, always one of the most active players on the field, carries the ball past a Bridgewater - Raynham defender.
Tuesday Dartmouth challenged the Islanders but were unceremoniously added to the list of victims for their troubles, 15-10. Laura Jernegan, the Vineyard's leading scorer, put seven shots into the net and assisted on two others. Both Molly Fischer and Kate Cecilio scored twice. Ana Cristina Jurczyk, Cristina Wiley, Sophie Lew, and Hayley Perce added single goals. Goalie par excellence Zoe Fisher made a dozen saves.
The 18-0 girls team, having completed its season of scheduled games, awaits its post-season assignment which, no doubt, will begin with a home game and the top seed.
The Junior Varsity team also completed its season with a 9-9 tie at Dartmouth. Rilla Hammett scored four times, Maddie Hughes had three goals and Ambika Datta had two. Strong on defense were Shelby Ferry, Genevieve Hammond, and Becca Tilton. Amanda Rose had five saves in goal. The jayvees compiled a noteworthy record of 10 wins, 2 losses and 3 ties.
Little League
Majors standings
Team G W L T % RF RA
A's 8 7 1 0 88 74 12
Cubs 8 5 3 0 .63 51 35
Cardinals 8 5 3 0 .63 45 50
Red Sox 8 5 3 0 .63 51 58
Tigers 8 1 7 0 .13 28 61
Mets 8 1 7 0 .13 27 60
Pitcher Jared Regan started for the Marlins in a Minor League make-up game. Photos by Ralph Stewart
Last Thursday the Red Sox defeated the Cubs, 8-6, behind the pitching of Tucker McNeely, who fanned eight.
Jimmy Cimeno was 3-for-4 at the plate, including a double and triple and drove in three runs. Nico Cardoza's booming triple in the top of the sixth scored two runs. But with runners at second and third, reliever Henry Gallagher struck out the final batter to preserve the Sox win.
On Friday the A's got by the Mets, 6-2.
Also Friday, the Tigers surprised the Cards, 7-4, posting their first win of the year. Emerson Mahoney started for the Bengals and was 3-for-4 at the plate, driving in three. Silas Berlin at short and Dylan Araujo at third had outstanding games with the glove, all but matched by Nick Vukota and Tristan Araujo for the Cards.
Pitcher Michael Habekost started for the Reds in a Minor League make-up game
On Saturday the A's dropped the Cubs 7-1 behind hurlers Mike Mussell and Nainoa Cooperrider. Lucas Dutton turned in the defensive play of the game. Both Oliver Silberstein and Mike Mussell hit safely three times. Tim Robbins had two hits for the Cubs.
The Red Sox tamed the Tigers, Saturday, 7-3, behind Jeff Cimeno, who allowed no earned runs and had two hits.
The game ended with the bases full of Tigers and two outs. McNeely, playing catcher, squeezed a foul tip, ending the game.
The third Saturday game saw the Cards overcome an early 2-0 Mets lead and win, 9-2. Austin Morley earned the win for the redbirds, striking out five.
Minors standings
Team G W L T % RF RA
Twins 5 4 1 0 .80 47 31
Marlins 7 5 1 1 .71 87 77
Rays 6 4 2 0 .67 60 38
Indians 7 4 3 0 .57 71 59
Rockies 5 3 1 1 .60 53 49
Orioles 7 2 5 0 .29 44 80
Bluejays 4 0 4 0 .0 37 50
Reds 5 0 5 0 .0 31 46
The Rockies slipped by the Rays in a nail-biter, 6-5.
With runners on base in the fifth, Curtis Fournier sent a blistering line drive toward second base which pitcher Tom Weston snagged, ending the threat.
The Twins dropped the Rays 10-2. At the end of the first inning the Twins led 3-2 and pitchers Sullivan, Lombardi, Slayton and Aliberti held the Rays in check the rest of the way.
Travel soccer
The under-14 boys travel soccer team defeated Westport at West Tisbury, 9-1, while the under-18 boys shut out Wareham, 9-0, Sunday. Both teams are on track to make the season-ending playoffs. The U-18s are in first place, while the U-14s are second, one point behind the leaders.
Sunday, May 31, the U-18 team will host second-place Westport at 3 pm. The Under 14s are at Nantucket Saturday and play a home game on Sunday, May 31, at 10 am versus Taunton.
The girls U-12 squad lost a 3-2 heartbreaker to Dighton-Rehoboth Saturday afternoon at the West Tisbury School.
Whitney Schroeder scored first for Martha's Vineyard, but D-R countered with two scores to set up a wild finish. Courtney Howell equalized with 90 seconds left, only to see D-R seal the win moments later on a perfect lob from 30 yards out.
The under-10 team beat Swansea-Somerset, 10-2. Scoring were josh Tate. Jonathan Santana (2), Nainoa Cooperriders, Owen Hess, and Nevin Wallis.
Darby Patterson races ahead of the Dighton-Rehoboth defense with girls U-12 teammate Courtney Howell in tow.
Westport's keeper narrowly beats a leaping Justin Smith to the ball on a corner kick.
Softball
The Martha's Vineyard softball team lost to Nantucket here, Thursday, 8-3 and at Dennis-Yarmouth, Friday, 14-4. Caroline Davey was hit hard by the Dolphins, three of whom hit safely three times. Three others had two hits.
Sandwich slides home ahead of the throw to the plate and catcher Gail Herman. Martha Scheffer is the pitcher. Photo by Ralph Stewart
Both Emma Frizzell and Gail Herman hit safely twice. One of Emma's was a triple.
The softball team had a taste of things to come, as they went up against Bishop Feehan, the powerhouse of the Eastern Athletic Conference, which we have joined, and lost to the Shamrocks, 15-0.
Tuesday the girls lost to Sandwich here, 6-1, despite Katie Hines 4-for-4 effort at the plate. Martha Scheffer took the loss while fanning eight batters.
Today the girls are at Bishop Stang. Saturday, the final game of the season is here with Bishop Feehan.
Credit owed Korrine
Regretfully not mentioned in last week's report on the Martha's Vineyard boys and girls Mayflower League track and field wins, was Korrine Altieri's third place finish in the mile. Korrine, a freshman, completed the run in 6:26.04.
Baseball
Cody Pachico, Jack Wadleigh, and Tad Gold all hit safely in Tuesday's game with Dighton-Rehoboth at North Dighton, but that was it for the Martha's Vineyard offense as they bowed to D.R., the leaders of the South Coast Conference, 10-1.
The Islanders dropped to 2-15 on the season.
Coyle Spoilers
The Coyle & Cassidy softball team crossed the plate 18 times while holding the Vineyard scoreless, here, Wednesday.
Martha Scheffer's fourth-inning hit removed the possibility of a no-hitter. Pitcher Caroline Davey went the distance for the Vineyard despite being knocked down by a line drive. She deserved better. Eleven of Bourne's runs were unearned. Katie Hines singled in the fifth. Emma Frizzell and Taylor Perrotta were busy in the outfield and met the challenges head on.
Thursday the Martha's Vineyard girls were harpooned here by Nantucket, 8-3. Whaler pitcher Jessica Guevara gave up six hits, two each to Emma Frizzell and Taylor Perrotta. Holly Robinson drove in two with a triple. Martha Scheffer drove in another with a double.
Pitcher Martha Scheffer was touched for three earned runs and five unearned.
Waylaid by Wayland
The black and orange clad Wayland Warriors invaded the Island Saturday and left with 9-5 lacrosse win under their belts.
The Vineyard more than held its own in the first quarter and enjoyed a 4-3 lead after 12 minutes. Wayland scored first while the game was less than a minute old. The Vineyard responded with a Mike McCarthy goal at 7:42 and a Forrest Harcourt marker at 6:24. Wayland took back the lead with two goals at 4:09 and 1:54. But the Vineyarders were not done. They tied the score with 16 seconds remaining and went ahead 11 seconds after that: 4-3.
The second quarter belonged to the Warriors, who posted four unanswered goals. At the half the score stood 7-4, Wayland. The Warriors had been awarded seven power play opportunities to the Vineyard's four.
Only three goals were scored in the second half. Erik Dolliver found the back of the net in the third quarter. Wayland also scored in the third period and added another in the fourth. Final count: Wayland 9, Martha's Vineyard 5.
The one of a kind Vito. Photo by Ralph Stewart
Vito retires
Vito Capizzo, the colorful Nantucket head football coach has announced his retirement, ending a 45-year career that saw his teams amass an impressive record of 293 wins, 139 losses and eight ties,
He took the Whalers to the super bowl nine times, winning three.
Probably most Vineyard football players who went up against one of Vito's Nantucket teams over the years have strong memories of the occasion, many tinged with "it might have been" as the Whalers more often than not won the contest in the early years.
Martha's Vineyard Regional High School Athletic Director Mike Joyce played on the 1985 team, which ended a string of losses to Nantucket by beating Capizzo's Whalers, 12-2. The game featured a blocked kick by Erik Blake, now chief of police in Oak Bluffs, who picked up the live ball and raced 52 yards for a touchdown. It was a game that Mike will never forget.
The Inter-Island rivalry took a decided turn with the advent of Donald Herman as head football coach at Martha's Vineyard Regional in 1988. Since then the Vineyarders have won 12 of the last 20 inter-island games, including all of the last six.
Asked by The Martha's Vineyard Times how he felt about the retirement of Coach Capizzo, Coach Herman first spoke of the impact on the inter-island football rivalry of which Vito Capizzo played so large a part. However his retirement was "inevitable," Coach Herman said. He was gratified that Vito was able to make his own decision. "He was an outstanding coach."
Interscholastics
Tisbury (4-1-1) played West Tisbury (5-0-1) in the interscholastic baseball finals at West Tisbury yesterday.
Softball final standings: Edgartown 6-0, Oak Bluffs 3-3, Tisbury 3-3, West Tisbury 0-6. Scoring 11 runs in the third, the Edgartown Eagles flew high above the Oak Bluffs Blazers in the finals, Tuesday, 17-3, to claim the championship. Aubrey Ashmun was the winning pitcher. She was strongly supported by her middle infielders, Zoe Nugent and Kassidy Bettencourt.
Netting wins
Coach Fennessy's boys tennis team bested Coyle & Cassidy at the Lakeville Tennis Center, Thursday, 4-1.
Andrew McHugh made quick work of Kevin Dupont at first singles, 6-2, 6-2 and both of the Vineyard doubles teams won in straight sets: Win Grimm and Dylan Hutchinson 6-0, 6-0; Grant McCarthy and Zach Rabin 7-5, 6-4. But Reid Yennie at second singles and Nik Wojtkielo at third had to work hard. Yennie lost the first set, 4-6 and trailed in the second, 0-5. Serving with three match points, Yennie summoned the wherewithal to reel off seven straight points and claimed the set, 7-5. He won the third set quickly, 6-3.
At third singles, Wojtkelo won the first set, 6-4 and was leading in the second 4-1 when his opponent, Pete Jameson caught fire and took the set, 6-4, and went on to win the third set by the same 6-4 score..
Monday both the boys and girls tennis teams played Sturgis at Cape Cod Community College courts and won every match. To level the playing field a bit, Coach Fennessy sat Wojtkielo, Hutchinson and Grimm to give Kyle Moran, Austin Gampfer and Drew Moreis some varsity time.
The Islanders took on Bishop Feehan at Attleboro, Tuesday, and proved that the Shamrocks are not invincible, not in tennis anyway. The Vineyarders made a sweep of the matches and won, 5-0, avenging a previous 2-3 loss. Andrew McHugh easily bested his opponent, Kyle Nyskohus, 6-1, 6-1. Reid Yennie, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 and Nik Wojtkielo, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, took three sets before claiming. Win Grimm and Dylan Hutchinson swept at first doubles, 6-1, 7-5. Zack Rabin and Grant McCarthy took a little longer: 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.
The win assured the Islanders of a place in the playoffs with a 10-4 record.
Anchors aweigh
The high school sailing team competed at Barnstable in the first ever Terk Invitational at the Hyannis Yacht Club.
Led by senior co-captains Emmie Schreck and Conor Lodge with Justin Kane, Becker Aqwatty, Beau Monast and Jesse Thomas, the team took to the water in light southeasterly winds with fog.
Rainy Goodale setting a New England record for the 50-yard breaststroke.
In the 28-race round robin, the Islanders defeated Barnstable, Nauset, and Nantucket, but lost to Milton Academy and Sharon high school ending the day with three wins and four losses, good enough for fourth place.
Sailing coach Andrew Burr said that the Vineyarders should be proud of their 10th place ranking in New England, possibly their highest to date.
Nantucket came to the Vineyard Tuesday for a match with the Vineyarders. Earlier Vineyarders had lost to the Whalers but avenged that with a 4-1 pasting.
The sailors are at Nantucket Sunday for the Figawi race and finish the season the following weekend at the Cape & Islands League Championships.
Three Masters
Three members of the Mansion House Masters swim team, Leslie Grimm, Rainy Goodale, and Alex Goethals competed at the U.S. Masters Swimming National Short Course Yards Championship meet from May 7 to 10 at Clovis, California. More than 1,500 swimmers from across the country participated in the meet.
Rainy Goodale was outstanding. She competed in five individual events and three relays. She set two New England records. Swimming in the very competitive 35 to 39 year old age group, Rainy finished fourth in the 200 yard breaststroke in the New England record time of 2:34.15, breaking the previous record by more than two seconds. She was fifth in the 50-yard breaststroke, setting another New England record at 32.59, and breaking her previous best by more than half a second. Rainy finished 7th in the 100-yard breaststroke, 9th in the individual medley, and 10th in the 50-yard butterfly. She also earned medals as a member of the New England masters women's 200-yard freestyle and the 200-yard medley relay teams.
Leslie Grimm shone in the distance events. She medaled by finishing 7th in the nation in her 45 to 49 year old age group in the grueling 1,650 (mile) freestyle. Leslie also swam in the 500, 200, 100, and 50 freestyle events and, like Rainy, earned medals as a member of the
New England Masters women's 200-yard freestyle and 200 yard medley relay teams. After competing for four days in the pool, Leslie moved over to Millertown Lake on Monday, May 11, and swam in the Masters National one mile Open Water Championship race. Leslie was awarded a bronze medal for finishing third in her age group in the impressive time of 22:08.
Alex swam in the most competitive men's age group (35-39) racing with college champions and Olympic qualifiers.
He achieved several personal bests.
The Mansion House Masters are preparing for the New England Long Course (Olympic distance pool) Championships to be held at Middlebury College, Vermont, at the end of June.
Senior Babe Ruth
Sign up now for the Senior Babe Ruth Summer League for 15 to 18-year-olds. Wanted: players, coaches, umpires. The season begins the second week of June and goes to the last week of July. Games will be played on the new "Field of Dreams."
For more information and for registration, see vineyardbaseball.com.
