Sports
Vineyarders sink Sailors, advance to semifinals
The sixth-seeded M.V. girls' lacrosse team dropped the third-seeded Scituate Sailors in double overtime at Scituate, in a quarterfinal contest, Monday, 21-19.
Hayley Pierce runs a gamut of Sailor defenders on her way to the Scituate goal. Photos by Albert Fischer. Click on photo to enlarge.At the half, Scituate held a one-point advantage, 11-10.
Late in the second half the Islanders scored four unanswered goals to go ahead, 18-17, with just under three minutes left on the clock, enough time for the Sailors to score an evener and send the game into O.T., two three minute, non-sudden death periods.
The Islanders scored three times before Scituate found the net; then ran out the clock with some impressive keep-away play.
MV Scorers were Molly Fischer 5 goals and two assists; Jennie Lindland 4/1, Madison Hughes 4/1, Hayley Pierce 3/3, Alayna Hutchinson 2/2, Brianna Davies, Cat Todd and Kate Cecilio all scored once.
Madison Hughes heads for the Scituate net and one of her four goals pursued by a defender. Click on photo to enlarge.Coach Dripps had high praise for all of her players including goalie Maggie Johnson (8 saves), and defenders Brianna Davies, Niki Alexander, Lonnie Philips Olivia Gross, and Taylor Chisholm.
"Everyone gave 100 percent," Coach Dripps said.
The Vineyarders', now at 17-5, next assignment is a semifinal game Thursday (today) at second seeded Hopkinton, conquerors of Sandwich, 17-5.
Fennessy's force
The MVRHS boys' tennis team seeded fourth in the division three south sectionals, defeated Cohasset, the 13th seed, here, Friday, 4-1. Reid Yennie, Kent Leonard and the doubles pair of Win Grimm and Justice Yennie, all at the top of their games, secured the win quickly in straight sets at first and second singles and first doubles.
Reid Yennie delivers a forehand winner at first singles in the Cohasset match. Photo by Ralph Stewart Click on photo to enlarge.At third singles, Justin Smith spotted his opponent a 4-1 lead in the first set before running off five straight games to take the set, 6-4. He dominated the second set and won 6-2.
At second doubles, Kyle Moran and Grant McCarthy split sets, then lost in a super tiebreaker, 10-4, in lieu of a third set.
Monday, on their home courts, the Islanders disposed of the Ashland Clockers, 4-1. Yennie won handily at first singles 6-2, 6-0. Leonard followed suit at second, 6-1, 6-4.
Justin Smith made a late run but fell short to a second set tiebreaker, 6-2, 7-6 (3).
Both MV doubles teams prevailed: Grimm-Yennie 6-1, 6-2. Moran-McCarthy 6-2, 6-3.
MV took on top-seeded, unbeaten, Cape Cod Academy, Tuesday, at Osterville, but the match was halted by a sudden downpour which made the courts unplayable. Games that were interrupted were resumed at 3 pm, Wednesday.
Mike Rebello is out at third. Ryan Kurth applies the tag. Click on photo to enlarge.Men's softball starts, ladies not far behind
The Vineyard Men's Softball League (slow pitch) got underway Monday at Tisbury's renewed Veterans War Memorial Park with the Highlanders taking on and defeating the new gang on the block, The Killers, 14-6.
Ageless Bobby Brown pitched for the Killers. Taylor Ives started for the Highlanders then gave way to Jeremy Scheffer.
Scheffer shone at the plate, hitting three home runs over the fence, Taylor Ives and Casey Elliston also homered for the Highlanders.
In the second half of the twin bill, the Hurricanes showed little effect from a year's layoff, scoring in each of the first five innings and holding the Landsharks to five runs, 2 in the first, 3 in the third. Final score: 'Canes 17, Sharks 5.
Greg Belcher gets all of it. Click on photo to enlarge.The game featured three double plays and homers by Greg Belcher, Tad Gold, James Holenko, and Bill Jackson.
The league's commissioners, Bart Kent and Eric Hatt, came up with a clever solution to the question of a home run fence in the outfield. The town would not allow holes to support uprights on which to hang a fence. So the commissioners came up with buckets half full of cement in which 4' poles were embedded on which to hang the fence.
Many expressed concern that the fence was not deep enough. Fortunately, it's easy enough to make it harder to hit a home run; the fence is easily moved. Actually, on the first night, only the Highlanders used up their allotment of five. (After five home runs, a hit over the fence is an out.)
Little League logistics
Majors G W L RF RA
Tigers 11 10 1 87 35
Cardinals 11 8 3 70 52
Red Sox 11 7 4 75 45
A's 11 5 6 56 41
Mets 11 2 9 34 91
Cubs 11 1 10 35 78
In Saturday's triple-header, the Cardinals squeaked by the A's, 6-5 in an 8-inning thriller. The A's led 6-5 until the top of the 6th when Jonas Lukowitz led off with a single and rode home on Curtis Farrel's home run.
In the bottom of the 6th the A's pushed across a tying run. The teams traded runs in the 7th. But in the 8th heads-up base running by Emily Turney gave the final nod to the Cardinals.
In the Sox-Cubs game, back-to-back triples by Tucker McNeely and Jack Slayton, plus a run-producing single by Mason Jeffers, gave the nod to the Sox, 5-3.
Also Saturday, the Tigers dropped the Mets, 7-2.
Playing a pair of makeup games, Sunday, the talent-laden Tigers won both ends of a double header against the A's. The first game was a pitching gem as Silas Berlin shut out the A's with a no-hitter. Silas received much more run support than he needed. Final score: 11-0.
Minors G W L RF RA
Rockies 11 9 2 115 75
Orioles 11 7 3 88 67
Marlins 10 5 5 81 73
Reds 9 4 5 75 92
Rays 11 4 7 65 72
Twins 11 2 9 94 139
In Saturday's twin bill, the Marlins ran away from the Rays, 19-5 on 16 hits, eight by Jared Regan, Jake Howell, and Owen Bresnick. The trio's hot bats drove in nine runs.
Also Saturday, the league-leading Rockies got by the cellar-dwelling Twins, 15-10. The bats of James Kelliher and Nathaniel Packer kept the Twins in the game.
Rockies pitchers Cody Caseau, Zack Moreis, and Jack Sierputoski fanned a total of 15 batters.
Nick Kent slides back to first before the tag of Matt Stone. Click on photo to enlarge.West Tisbury overcomes
The West Tisbury school junior high baseball team claimed the interscholastic championship honors with a come-from-behind win at Veterans Memorial Park, Tisbury, Wednesday.
Tisbury led 6-2 after four innings, partly due to back-to-back home runs by Tony Canha and Mike Mussell. But in the fifth the Hawks caught up and then some. The loudest blow was a bases-loaded, base-clearing double by Charlie Parkhurst.
U-15s end season unbeaten
Saturday, the Under-15 boys soccer team faced Nantucket, with whom they were tied in first place. Both teams were undefeated with one tie. The first half was scoreless but only because the Whaler goalie was so good at blocking shots on goal. In the second half Evandro Medici scored the game's first goal and Jack Roberts put the Vineyard up, 2-0. The Whalers scored on a penalty kick, avoiding a shutout. Felix Tucker finished the scoring. MV 3, Nantucket 1. Kip Cooperrider was a key player in the Vineyard defense.
Sunday, the U-15s defeated visiting Dighton-Rehoboth, 5-2, completing their schedule unbeaten. Both Kane Araujo and Jacob Lawrence scored twice and Evandro Lawrence once.
Robert Wheeler sends the ball down the fairway. Click on photo to enlarge.Benefit at the Neck
The winning team of five at the 16th annual Children's Benefit Golf Tournament at Farm Neck, Sunday, was Dan Purdy, Andy Merek, Shirley Madeiros, Don and Rosalie Stavens.
One hundred ten golfers, 22 teams of five, teed off to benefit the MV Boys & Girls Club and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Tournament sponsor was Morton Financial. Major supporters included the Edgartown National Bank and Vineyard Vines.
Ladies league looms
The MV Women's Slow-Pitch Softball League begins play Tuesday at 6:15 pm: Late Fees vs. Honeys at Vets B field; Creamers vs. Rug Sox at West Tisbury; Snaps vs. Shady Ladies at Vets A field; Swingers vs. Phoenix at Vets A field under the lights.
Summer soccer
Player registration for the 2010 Vineyard Football Association summer soccer league is now open. Registration forms are available at Sports Haven, 5 Beach Road, in Vineyard Haven.
Deadline is noon on Tuesday, June 22. First games will be played at Tisbury's Veterans War Memorial Park on Tuesday, June 29.
For more information see www.vineyardfa.com.
End of the line
Arlington Catholic High School's lacrosse squad put an end to the Vineyard boys' lacrosse team's hopes of more Division 3 play by edging the Islanders, 6-5 at Arlington. Thursday, the MV girls' tennis team made it to the first round of post-season play in Division 3 by winning more matches than they lost, but in round one they lost a close match to Ursuline Academy, Friday, 3-2.
Jill Zamarro of Oak Bluffs won the Memorial Day 5K walk. Click on photo to enlarge.Cool walking
Cool running, the bible for road race results, has changed the order of finish for the Oak Bluffs Memorial Day 5K walk. The winner was Jill Zamarro, 37, of Oak Bluffs in 33:30. In fact, Ms. Zamarro was the first walker to reach the finish line last year, too. Kay Johnson of Fitchburg, was second, 18 seconds behind.
Ralph Stewart's picture of the winning walker finishing the race which appeared in The Times last week (see above) is a picture of Ms. Zamarro, not Ms. Johnson.
Beating Bourne
Despite missing players on their eighth grade school trip, the MV Girls' U-15 Youth Lacrosse team defeated Bourne, here Sunday, 8-6, powered by Aubrey Ashmun's hat trick. Lucy Hackney contributed two goals. Alice Keenan also scored, as did Kylie Hatt and Shannon Morris who moved up from the U-13 team to fill vacancies.
The Under-13 girls team also won is game. Belle Dinning scored thrice. Kylie Hatt, Lee Hyman, and Erin Hill all scored twice. Lucy Dinning, Anna Keenan and Shannon Morris also found the net.
This weekend the girls are at Acton-Boxboro for the annual Mass Bay Youth Lacrosse Jamboree.
Over-the-hillers
Vineyard FC, the Island's entry in the Over-the-Hill League, lost its game at Needham, Monday, 3-2.
The home team scored two quick goals in the first period, The Vineyarders responded with two of their own by Jonias Assis and Garry Metters to reach the half time break in a 2-2 tie.
Needham controlled the play in the second half and scored the tie-breaking, winning goal, 3-2.
On Sunday Dover-Sherborn forfeited, handing the Vineyard a 2-0 win. Vineyard FC remains in first place in the Over-the-Hill Soccer League's Masters Division 6 South and will challenge Southborough there in its final regular season match.
A win would qualify the Islanders for the playoffs to play with other first place teams from masters division 6 North and Central, the winner receiving the championship trophy.
Youth LaX
The Under-13 boys' Youth Lacrosse team played Barnstable to a 6-6 tie, Sunday, at Barnstable. Scoring for the Vineyard were Greg McCarron (2), Austin Chandler (2), Wyman Harrison, and Robert McLaughlin.
The U-13s and all the boys' Youth Lacrosse teams look forward to the Cape and Islands Jamboree this Sunday at Falmouth Academy.
The Under-11 boys' youth lacrosse team lost its game at Barnstable, 5-1. Jack Garrett, assisted by Jacob Gunderson, provided the MV goal.
Hunter Ponte played his first game in goal well enough to earn Coach Bruce Mahaffey's praise, as did midfielders Kevin LaPlume and Ben Peters.
Once in a lifetime
On Friday, June 4, Abbe Burt shot a hole-in-one at the par three ninth hole at Farm Neck using the white pin. Witnesses of the feat were her frequent playing partners: Molly Finkelstein, Molly Mattoon, and Ann Herron.
Congratulations.
