Sports Highlights

By Don Lyons - June 22, 2006

Babe Ruth baseball

The Mashpee Pirates crossed the Sound for a double-header with the MV Cardinals in the Babe Ruth baseball 13-15 league, Saturday, and went home empty-handed.

Tad Gold threw a two-hitter at them in the first game and the Islanders won, 5-1. The second game belonged to Cardinal pitcher Taza Vercruysse who gave up three hits and fanned seven. Final score: 4-2. Suicide squeeze bunts by Ben Ferry and Lamar Moreis proved the difference.

Saturday the MV Twins split with Sandwich, winning the first game, 11-4, and losing the second, 8-3.

Jason Schwab, Scott Cleary, and James Bagnall collected hits and scored in the first game. Cole Bilodeau started and got the win. Scott Cleary, Jack Wadleigh, Kendall Chaves, and Liam McCarthy were strong in the losing cause.

The MV Twins ended the MV Cardinal's undefeated season with a 13-2 thumping, Tuesday. Cole Bilodeau and Mike Kendall held the Cards to two unearned runs while Mike Capen, Liam McCarthy, Jason Schwab, and Henry Smith were free swingers at the plate.

The Twins and Cards meet again today at 4:30 to decide Island bragging rights. BBQ follows.

Senior Division

In the 16-18 league, the Vineyarders lost to Lower Cape at Chatham, Friday, 10-4. On Sunday they won both ends of a double header at D/Y. Matt Kurth fanned 12 in five innings while Billy Panek, Bill Johnson, and Steve McKenna did the scoring.

The Islanders ran away with the second game, 17-4. Hurler Joe Keaney was the beneficiary of the largesse. Billy Panek was 4-for-4.

This Saturday the Vineyard has a chance to avenge the loss to Lower Cape. A double-header begins at noon at the high school field.

On a roll

The MV senior Babe Ruth team (ages 16-18), the Islanders took two from D/Y at the Dennis Yarmouth high school field, Sunday. The first game was a pitching masterpiece by Matt Kurth with the Vineyard winning, 3-1. The second game was a blow out, 17-3. Joe Keaney was the well-supported MV pitcher.

Last Friday the Vineyard defeated Lower Cape, 10-3.

The team is entered in tournaments at Plymouth, July 21-13 and at Nantucket, July 28-30.

Women's Softball

The MV Women's Softball League continued play Friday and Tuesday.

On Friday, it took an extra inning, but the Mocca Mott Creamers edged the Sun Shades Shady Ladies in a defensive gem, 4-3, and the Dairy Queen Coolers dumped the Campbell & Douglas Wampum in a mercifully shortened game, 15-3.

Also Friday, the Long & Mehan Snaps forfeited to the Island Entertainment Late Fees.

Tuesday, the Tomahawk Oysters kept their record clean, getting by the Late Fees, 5-3, and the Creamers won their third without a loss, outlasting the Shady Ladies, 14-7.

In the Tuesday late game, under the lights, the Creamers trailed the Wharf Pub Honeys after the first inning, 6-3. Neither team scored in the second inning. The creamers added three runs in the third to tie, but the Honeys responded with two in their half, retaking the lead.

Both teams were scoreless in the fourth, not because of any lack at the plate; both executed impressively in the field. Then the Creamers posted five runs in the top of the fifth and the Honeys responded with one and that's the way it ended. Creamers 11, Honeys 9.

Minor League playoffs

In the Little League Minors playoffs, the top-seeded Twins (13-1) brushed aside the Devil Rays (0-14), Monday, at Manter Field, 20-2.

On the same day, at the West Tisbury school, the Orioles got by the Marlins (both at 8-6), on the strength of David Millen's three home runs, 10-6.

Tuesday, the Indians lost to the Rockies, 9-1 at the WT school field and the Blue Jays beat the Reds at Manter's.

MV at the Mass Open

A couple of Islanders have made the 149 (9-over par) cut in the Mass. Open at the Charles River Country Club. Allan Menne, former pro at Mink Meadows, now at Willowbend, made it at 147. Jim Hackenberg of Edgartown came back from a 77 first round to shoot 72 in the second for a qualifying 149.

Bay State Games

The 25th Bay State Summer Games will tip off July 10 and run to July 23. Bay Staters are invited to compete in 25 different sports.

Among the featured games are 6 v 6 Field Hockey and 7 v 7 soccer tournaments. Multiple divisions are offered to accommodate athletes of different ages. All games for both sports will be played at the Devens Recreation Rogers Field complex, July 21-23, at Devens. Applications must be in by June 23.

The Junior Basketball tourney will be at the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center, July 14 and 15. Applications are still being accepted for particular divisions. Reach Brian Nowak if interested at BrianN@baystategames.org.

For information regarding all 25 sports, visit the Games web site: www.baystategames.org/summer, or call the Games office at 781-932-6555.

"Over troubled waters"

Cheryl Neal and Dorothy Arnold were winners at the Bridge Club of Martha's Vineyard games Saturday morning at the Tisbury Senior Center. Claudia Bowser and Paul Howes were second and Peggy Crichlow and Joan Johnson, third.

The Club meets at the senior center every Saturday for continental breakfast at 9 am. Play begins at 9:30.

Holmes Hole

The Holmes Hole Sailing Assn. (HHSA) began its summer season of handicap sailboat racing with a tune-up race Sunday morning. It was a delightful and warm day with a fresh Southwest wind about 15 knots at the noonday start with 12 boats posting at red nun 6 outside Vineyard Haven Harbor.

A 10.2-mile course had been set by the race committee, taking the fleet on a triangular course to red nun 16 off Falmouth Harbor, then east to red nun 14 off Great Pond, Falmouth, and returning to Vineyard Haven. The current in the Sounds was setting across the course to the east throughout the race.

The fleet sailed full and by on the port tack to nun 16 in a fresh breeze, heading down 10 to 20 degrees from the lay line to account for the current. After jibing around the mark, the fleet ran to nun 14 on a broad reach on the starboard tack, then a close reach to East Chop followed by an upwind beat to the finish line at red nun 6 in the inner harbor.

First to finish in the A Division was Michael Loberg in his new Morris 36 "day sailor" which arrived here less than two weeks ago from Bass Harbor, Maine, where it was built. Second was Jerry Coe in Indian Summer, followed by (3) John Amabile in Solitude, (4) Jerry Goodale in Stormalong and (5) Phil Hale in Mischief.

Ernie Mendenhall and Kathy Logue were first in the B Division in Rocinante III, trailed by (2) Dan Culkin in Magic Time, (3) the Marshall Catboat, Glimmer, (4) Tom and Laura Welch in Eastaway, (5) Peter Strock in Jules, and (6) Alan Wilson in Sara B.

The summer racing series continues Sunday at 10 am with the Chappaquiddick Rendezvous race.

The HHSA actively encourages new members and guest boats. Interested sailors should call Diane Hartmann at 693-4592.

The Minors playoffs

Tuesday, the Bluejays (10-4) entertain the Reds (2-12) and the Rockies (9-5) are home to the Indians (6-8).

On Thursday, the remaining middle seeds face off and the high and low seeds do likewise.

The title game will follow the Little League (majors) championship game and the awards ceremony, Saturday, at Nunes Field, Edgartown, probably about 2 pm.

"Play Ball!"

Fenway Ambassador Phil Derick randomly chose a youngster to announce "Play Ball !" before the Red Sox game with the Texas Rangers, a week ago Sunday. 'Turns out the chosen boy was nine-year-old Austin Morely of Oak Bluffs. Austin is a member of the MV Minor League Rockies and a student at the Oak Bluffs school.

Last call for summer soccer !

A few slots are still available on MV Summer Soccer League teams. Register to play at Sports Haven, 5 Beach Road, Vineyard Haven - 696-0456.

Deadline for registration is noon, Friday, June 23. Games will begin Tuesday, June 27 and will be played Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at Veterans Park just behind the Tisbury Fire Station.

Men's slow pitch

The Treds won their second and third games of the season, crunching the Boilers, Thursday, in a slaughter rule shortened game, 18-3. Olsen Houghton hit two home runs to lead the charge.

Monday the Treds trailed the Riptide, 9-0 in the fifth but scored three in the sixth and six in the seventh to send the game into overtime. In the bottom of the eighth, Jason Chalifoux's double drove in the winning run keeping the Treds unbeaten, 3-0

Also Monday, the Hurricanes were too much for the Boilers and the Brewhas squeezed by the Wildcats 8-4. The biggest blow was John Van Putten's three-run homer into the wind.

The Loose Cannons won their second game, Thursday, besting the Wildcats. The Cannons were powered by Jeremy Scheffer's grand slam.

Thus far the league is a matter of haves and have-nots as four teams have yet to lose and four yet to win.

That, of course, will change.

Red Pony dressage riders in the ribbons at Mystic

Three dressage riders from Red Pony Farm in West Tisbury won awards at the Mystic Valley Hunt Club Spring Dressage Show in Mystic, Ct., June 9-11.

Martijn Stuurman, a trainer and partner in Red Pony, riding Sandroman, a Hanoverian gelding, won four first-place ribbons for third level, test one and two performances. Winning test scores for Mr. Stuurman ranged from 72.6 percent to 65 percent. The gelding is owned by Debby and Charlotte McGoldrick of Willow Farm in West Tisbury.

Mr. Stuurman also rode Gio, a Hanoverian owned by Molly Cabral of Chilmark. Mr. Stuurman and Gio took a first and a fourth place at first level, test two. The blue ribbon performance earned a 71.7 percent score. Ms. Cabral also rode Gio in two training level, test two classes, winning second and third place ribbons, with scores of 68 percent and 61.8 percent. Jen Rose, the Red Pony barn manager, rode her Dutch Warmblood Kilimanjaro to a second with 64.3 percent in first level, test four; second place in first level, test two with 65.2 percent; and third place in second level, test two, with 62.7 percent.

Taylor honored

Taylor MacDonald, one of the recent graduates in the class of '06, was named a Boston Globe All-Scholastic by the Hub's leading newspaper. Chosen for her athletic prowess and her academic accomplishments, she is one of the student-athletes that Bob Holmes, the high school sports editor, calls "the best the Bay State has to offer."

Taylor has been a leader on soccer, basketball and lacrosse teams throughout her high school career.

Soccer champs

MV United, the Island's boys under 16 travel soccer team finished its season of scheduled games undefeated - 10 wins, 0 losses - with a nailbiter 3-2 win over Taunton, Saturday.

The Islanders, Division II South Shore Soccer League champions go to Amherst, Friday, Saturday and Sunday to compete for the state title with 11 other district champion teams.

Our best wishes go with them.