MVRHS sports wrap-up

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Baseball takes two in a row

This week, the Vineyarders put two comeback wins in the books, 9-6 over St. John Paul II away, and then 8-3 against Monomoy at home.

Against St. John Paul II on Thursday, a big fourth inning for the Lions put the Vineyarders down 4-1. But in the sixth, MVRHS exploded for seven runs, starting with singles from junior Brian Sornas and senior Liam Marek to get the comeback rolling. 

According to Coach Kyle Crossland, the Vineyarders kept “putting the ball in play [and] capitalizing on errors with aggressive baserunning,” eventually taking a 9-4 lead before the inning had even ended. Senior Micah Simmons closed out the game with a couple of decent innings of relief, and the Vineyarders locked in their first win of the season.

On Monday, MVRHS hosted the Sharks for their home opener, recording yet another impressive (yet slightly more pedestrian) comeback victory. Down two in the bottom of the second with two outs, the Vineyarders reached base six times in a row to retake the lead, 4-2. The rally was keyed by a nine-pitch walk from senior pitcher Cam Napior, and RBI singles from junior Nate Story and senior Tobey Roberts. Roberts would later tack on a double, and score a run as well.

Meanwhile, on the bump, Napior pitched a complete game, with only one earned run, striking out eight.

The Vineyarders’ next home game will take place after our paper deadline on Wednesday, at 3:15 pm versus Barnstable. MVRHS is 2-1 on the season.

 

Softball scores 27 runs in three games

The past week and a half, the Vineyarders have been busy, playing three road games and one home game. Although MVRHS didn’t manage to get a win just yet, their offense shined bright across their last three games, plating 27 runs in total.

Against Mashpee on Monday, April 3, the young Vineyard squad scored 13, with eighth graders Bella Arters and Kelly Pacheco getting two RBIs apiece, and freshman Kylee Brasefield smacking a ball so hard it got stuck under the center field fence for an RBI ground-rule double. According to new Head Coach Tiffany McCarty, it probably would have been an inside-the-parker otherwise. Arters finished with three hits, including a triple, and Pacheco finished with two.

Against Barnstable on Thursday, MVRHS showed out for their home opener, scoring 11. Senior Gabriella (“G.G.”) DeBlase led the way with four hits, and sophomore Madison Mello had two, including a home run. Kelly Pacheco, senior Genevieve Hyland, and senior Vivian Peak each had two hits as well. To top it all off, the Vineyarders converted their first double play of the season.

Finally, versus O’Bryant away on Monday, MVRHS scored another three times, with freshman Bella Webster smacking a home run, Mello recording two base hits, and seventh grader Charlotte Cramer getting two hits as well. Arters also stepped in to pitch for the first time in her career, and got a strikeout.

Reflecting on the season thus far, Coach McCarty is extremely pleased with how her team has come along: “Before the season, some of the girls hadn’t put a glove on before; everybody’s come such a long way! … The kids have stepped right up; [with injuries and other commitments] we haven’t had our full group together for a game yet. The Ws will come!” 

Looking ahead, the Vineyarders have three more consecutive road games, beginning with St. John Paul II away after our paper deadline on Wednesday.

 

Boys’ lacrosse starts their season feeling good

Cape and Islands Lighthouse Division champs last year, the Vineyarders have picked up where they left off, beating Dennis-Yarmouth 10-2 and Cape Cod Academy 14-4.

On offense, first-year attacker Phillip Oliviera has been on fire, scoring eight goals in two games. Meanwhile, junior tri-captain Aiden Conley has had six goals and three assists; junior Wyatt Nicholson and freshman John Hoff also have two goals apiece.

On defense, sophomore Michael Perry and freshman Peyton Tabares have been solid in goal, and the Vineyard squad has “kept [them] well-protected.”

According to Coach Chris Greene, maintaining possession has been their key to victory so far this season. Junior midfielder Liam Conley has dominated the face-off X (10 for 12 against Dennis-Yarmouth; 16 for 25 against Cape Cod Academy), and sophomore tri-captain Frankie Paciello has been a force on defense (six ground balls and four takeaways against Dennis-Yarmouth). “We’re controlling the ball,” Greene stated. 

Moving forward, the Vineyarders will face Falmouth Academy on Thursday, and then a true three-game test in Newington, Canton, and finally Sandwich over spring break. “We have a young team, [with] a lot of game experience,” explained Greene. “We know what it feels like to win … now we go through the buzz saw.”

 

Girls’ lacrosse goes to 2-1

This week, the Vineyarders followed up their April 2 win over Sturgis West with a victory over Dennis-Yarmouth, before falling to Sandwich on short rest.

Against Dennis-Yarmouth on Friday, Coach Lacey Dinning said the game was “the best they’ve played … [we were very] quick in transition.” Adept scorer Ali Dyke led the way for the Vineyarders with two goals, and junior Elena Giordano scored two of her own. Sophomores Lizzy Chvatal and Charlotte Scott also scored. 

Dinning explained that as the game went on, the Vineyarders looked sharper and sharper on the offensive end. “They figured out how to move their goalie [around],” she stated.

On Saturday, though, the lack of rest and the nervousness of playing their home opener got to the Vineyarders, and they lost to Sandwich 16-1. 

“We knew it was going to be a tough game,” said Dinning. “They have a really large program.”

Next up, the Vineyarders will play Falmouth Academy away on Thursday, their last game until after spring break.