The mark of a good team is how it wins games on days when things aren't quite coming together. Brattleboro had one of those days last Tuesday. The Colonels weren't particularly sharp, but they still managed to beat the Keene Blackbirds, 7-1, at Sawyer Field.
It helped that Keene made several errors, and that pitcher Kayla Wood overcame some early shakiness. Rissa Smith hit a two-run single in the first inning, Kalee Graham scored three runs without the benefit of a base hit, and McKinlie Carpenter went 3-for-3 and scored two runs. Wood had six strikeouts and gave up Keene's only run in the first inning.
Unfortunately, the Colonels haven't had much luck against Massachusetts teams. The Drury Blue Devils of North Adams came to Sawyer Field Thursday and got nine hits off Wood on the way to a 5-3 win. Drury and Amherst, Mass., are the only teams that have beaten Brattleboro so far this season.
Drury scored three runs in the fifth to take the lead to stay. Halie Struthers and Wood had two hits each to lead the Colonels.
The Colonels remain undefeated against Vermont teams. On Saturday, Brattleboro traveled to Rutland and beat the Raiders, 5-1. Smith hit a pair of doubles, and Wood got a pair of base hits as the Colonels got hits when they needed them most. Graham, Taylor Comstock, and Daisy Giroux all had hits. Wood struck 12 and held Rutland scoreless until the sixth inning. Brattleboro is now 5-2.
• Leland & Gray hasn't had many close games so far this season, but they had two of them last week.
The Rebels edged Woodstock in a 2-1 win in Townshend last Tuesday. Summer Bills scored both of the Rebels' runs. She was hit by a pitch in third and walked in the fifth. Ashley Goddard got Bills home both times with a triple in the third and a RBI single in the fifth. Pitcher Nicole Sherman threw a one-hitter for the win; she struck out six and walked four.
Two days later in Townshend, Windsor took the Rebels to the limit, before the Rebels pulled out a 5-4 win. Once again, it was Goddard who swung the big bat with an RBI double in the fifth to tie it, and an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to win it. She also homered in third inning, as did Sherman, who struck out 11 and walked eight in holding Windsor to four hits. Kiara Wilhite also went 2-for-3 with an RBI as the Rebels improved to 6-1.
Baseball
• A suicide squeeze bunt by Gerard Roberge in the bottom of the ninth scored Evan Parro to give Brattleboro a 3-2 win at Amherst, Mass., on Friday. Brattleboro starter Tommy Heydinger struck out seven, walked three and held Amherst to four hits over seven innings. Reliever Soren Pelz-Walsh picked up the win; he struck out two, hit one batter, and allowed just one hit in two innings of work. Pelz-Walsh and Chris McAuliffe had two hits each as the Colonels improved to 5-1.
• Leland & Gray let a five-run lead slip away in the final inning as Woodstock rallied for a 6-5 win in Townshend last Tuesday. Losing pitcher Drew Barnum had a better day at the plate, hitting two doubles and a triple.
Lacrosse
• The Brattleboro boys traveled to Northampton, Mass., last Wednesday and lost 6-1. All the scoring took place in the first half. The only goal by the Colonels came from Jesse Brown on an assist from Conner Elliott-Knaggs. Goalie Romello Lindsey made 13 saves as the Colonels dropped their first game of the year.
On Friday, the Colonels took out their frustrations over the Northampton game on Otter Valley, whom they clobbered 16-1 in Brandon. Sam Siegel, Jon Thomson, and Colin Campbell all had three goals each. Nik Rancourt scored two goals and Greg DiSilva had a goal and 3 assists. Jim Podlaski, Dylan Bettini, Brown, and Elliott-Knaggs each added a goal. Lindsey stopped 10 shots as the Colonels finished the week at 5-1.
• The Brattleboro girls went to Pittsfield, Mass., last Wednesday and delivered a 17-0 beatdown. The Colonels played a nearly flawless game on offense and defense. Becca Bird led the Colonels with four goals, while Carli Gossard, Maddie Rollins, and Karley Fortier scored three goal each. Ava Myette had two goals, and Hannah Lynde, Meghan Kinsman, and Lizzie Clarke each posted a goal.
Woodstock put up more of a fight on Friday, but the Colonels still came away with a 9-4 win at Natowich Field. Myette had four goals, three of them in the second half. Rollins got two goals and an assist, while Fortier, Gossard and Bird each added a goal. Fortier and Gossard also had two assists each as the Colonels improved to 5-3.
Track and field
• Brattleboro had trouble keeping up with Mount Anthony in a four-team meet in Bennington last Monday. The MAU girls won 15 of 18 events to win their meet as the Colonels came in third. The MAU boys were almost as dominant, winning 12 of 17 events to finish ahead of second-place Brattleboro.
Jacob Ellis won the 800- and 1,500-meter races to lead the Brattleboro boys. Sam Kochinskas won the high jump, along with seconds in the hurdles and long jump, while Andy Hale won the javelin and Spencer Olson won in the 3,000. Chiara Levin took second in the high jump for the Brattleboro girls.
'Race for a Reason' set for May 5
• The SIT Graduate Institute will hold its annual “Race for a Reason” on Saturday, May 5.
Each year, students pick a local cause to receive the proceeds from their annual 5K run/walk and 10K run. This year's recipients are SEVCA (Southeastern Vermont Community Action) and the Southeastern Vermont Irene Long Term Recovery Committee, to assist Vermonters who are still feeling the affects of flooding from Tropical Storm Irene.
Registration is $25 before May 4, and $30 on race day. They will knock off $5 for each individual that registers as a team of four or more. Both races will start and end on the SIT campus in Brattleboro. Register online at https://runsignup.com/Register/?raceId=1408.
Grace Cottage Hospital 5K event
• Run, jog, walk, stroll, or roll in the third annual Grace Cottage Hospital “Spring Into Health” 5K in Townshend on Saturday, May 12.
The run starts at 8:30 a.m. on the Townshend Common (rain or shine), goes up Route 35 and back, ending back at the Townshend Common. Healthy snacks and water will be available at the finish line. All runners will be timed.
Runners/walkers/strollers and wheelchair participants can register online at www.gracecottage.org/events, or on the day of the event. The registration fee is $15 for adults; $10 for participants 13 and under. The first 150 entrants get a T-shirt. Parking is available across the street at Leland and Gray Union High School. For more information, call 802-365-9109.