Runs have been hard to come by for Brattleboro in many of this season's games, but against Mount Anthony last Monday, the Colonels rallied late for a 9-5 win over the Patriots at Tenney Field.
With the Colonels trailing 5-4 in the fifth, the game turned when Soren Pelz-Walsh took over for starter Sawyer Olson. Pelz-Walsh threw three innings of scoreless, hitless relief to shut down the Patriots' bats.
Evan Parro then helped win the game with his glove and his bat. In the top of the sixth, he ran down what looked like a sure extra-base hit by Wade Green for the final out, then slammed a solo home run in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game. That started a five-run uprising by the Colonels that included doubles by Elliot Gragen and Pelz-Walsh and a RBI single by Tommy Heydinger.
The Colonels played a doubleheader on Saturday, beating Rutland in the morning, 3-2, and then beating Mill River in the afternoon, 13-6. Those two wins put them on top of the Division I standings with a 10-1 record.
• Bellows Falls' pitcher Cooper Long went the distance in a 7-0 shutout of Springfield at Hadley Field last Monday. Long struck out five and walked one. Bruce Wells went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs, while Jeremy Kilburn had two hits.
The Terriers beat Woodstock, 7-6, last Wednesday, but lost to Otter Valley, 1-0, on Friday. Despite the loss, the Terriers are the top team in Division II with a 10-2 record.
• Leland & Gray shut out Green Mountain, 6-0, last Thursday, to improve to 8-2. The Rebels are now ranked No. 4 in Division III.
• Twin Valley played errorless defense and got plenty of hitting in a 7-6 win in Wilmington last Monday. Colin Lozito, Dal Nesbitt, and Jason Moore all went 3-for-4, while Cade Nesbitt had two hits. Winning pitcher Dal Nesbitt struck five, while reliever Sam Molner picked up a save.
On Friday, the Wildcats literally stole a 6-5 victory away from Black River. With the score tied with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Jason Moore was at third base. The batter at the plate, Sam Molner, had two strikes on him. Moore, who had a big lead off third, then broke for home on Molner's suicide squeeze bunt and slid in safely to score the winning run.
Twin Valley finished the week Saturday with a 15-0 loss to Mount Everett. Despite the loss, the 4-8-1 Wildcats remain No. 7 in Division IV.
Softball
• In a game that had a playoff feel to it, Brattleboro got by Mount Anthony, 2-0, last Monday at Sawyer Field.
Pitcher Kayla Wood was in the zone, striking out 10 in throwing a complete game three-hitter. Kalee Graham, Bailey Paige and McKinlie Carpenter all had a hit, while McKenzie Bover drove in a run.
On Saturday in Brandon, the Colonels cruised to a 6-0 win over Otter Valley. Wood threw a two-hitter, with 13 strikeouts. Daisy Giroux drove three runs with a single and a sacrifice fly. Graham hit a two-run double and Mary Richardson hit a pair of doubles as the Colonels improved to 9-2. They are currently ranked third in Division I, and remain undefeated against Vermont competition.
• Twin Valley had the bats going in a 14-6 win over Burr & Burton last Monday. Jordan Niles and Savannah Nesbitt each had two hits and scored seven runs between them, while Kate Corey went 3-for-3 with two singles and a double.
On Friday, the Wildcats pulled out a 9-8 win over Black River. Colton Butler had three hits and Nesbitt drove in three runs as Twin Valley rallied to score five runs in the fifth inning to tie the game. Corey struck out five and walked three to pick up the victory and lift the Wildcats to a 6-5 record and the No. 8 ranking in Division III.
• Green Mountain got some payback for a 21-5 season opening loss to Leland & Gray by going to Townshend last Thursday and beating the Rebels, 15-13.
The Rebels played an uncharacteristically sloppy game, committing 10 errors and opening the door for the Lady Chiefs. Losing pitcher Nicole Sherman also had a rough day, giving up eight hits. Stephanie Knockenhaller got the win despite giving up 11 hits; she struck out four and walked six. Kiara Wilhite and Ashley Goddard each had three hits as the Rebels fell to 8-2 on the season. They are ranked No. 4 in Division III.
• Bellows Falls is still searching for its win of the season. The Terriers fell to Fall Mountain, 13-1, last Monday, and dropped a 9-8 decision to Woodstock last Thursday to finish the week with a 0-10 record.
Lacrosse
• The Brattleboro girls got a chance to quickly avenge their 12-11 overtime loss on May 4 at Mount Anthony with a 13-10 win over the Patriots just three days later at Natowich Field.
But last Monday's result was bigger than the average win for the Colonels. It marked the first time since varsity girls' lacrosse began in Brattleboro 14 years ago that the Colonels have beaten Mount Anthony.
The Colonels put the game away late in the second half with a flurry of goals. Ava Myette had five goals to lead the Colonels' offense.
Brattleboro followed up that win with a dramatic 13-12 double overtime victory over Amherst, Mass., at Natowich Field on Friday.
Maddie Rollins and Myette each scored four goals, with Myette scoring the game-winner in the second overtime. The Colonels trailed for the most of the game, but a strong second half, culminating with a goal by Rollins with 38 seconds left, sent the game into overtime.
Karley Fortier scored a pair of goals while Hannah Lynde, Lizzie Clarke and Becca Bird also scored. Rollins also had two assists as the Colonels finished the week at 7-5. They are ranked No. 5 in Division I.
• The Brattleboro boys had a similar milestone win on Thursday in Woodstock as they rallied from a 6-0 deficit to beat the Wasps 12-9 for the first-ever win by the Colonels on Woodstock's turf.
Brattleboro battled back to a 6-6 tie at the half and outplayed the Wasps the rest of the way. Jon Thomson had four goals to lead the Colonels. Nik Rancourt and Sam Siegel each added three goals, while Conner Elliott-Knaggs had two assists.
On Saturday at Natowich Field, the Colonels lost to Amherst, Mass., 12-6. Facing a stronger and more athletic team, Brattleboro played from behind for most of the game. Brattleboro finished the week at 9-2, and is 4-0 in the Marble Valley League. They are neck-and-neck with South Burlington for the top spot in Division I
Tennis
• The Brattleboro boys beat Fair Haven, 6-1, in an indoor match played in Rutland last Tuesday. The Colonels won three of the four singles matches that were played, as No. 1 Isaiah Ungerleider, No. 3 Asa Lane, and No. 4 Jordan Renouf all won in straight sets, while No. 5 Tony Acevedo won by forfeit. In the only doubles match, No. 1 Benson May and Cuyler Cunningham picked up a 6-0, 6-0 win.
The Colonels played host to Rutland on Wednesday, and lost 6-1. Ungerleider won the only match of the day for Brattleboro as Rutland was able to prevail in several close matches.
Brattleboro avoided a winless week by beating Woodstock, 7-0, on Friday. They won all six of the matches played and also got a forfeit victory at No. 5 singles to improve their record to 7-2-1.
• The Brattleboro girls' up-and-down season continued Friday with a 5-2 loss at Hartford. No. 1 Carolina Dinicola-Fawley was the only singles winner in straight sets; the only other Colonel win came by default at fifth singles. Brattleboro's record now stands at 5-4.
Track and Field
• The Connecticut Valley Championships were held at Fall Mountain in Langdon, N.H., on Saturday, and the local teams did well.
The Brattleboro boys finished fourth of 14 teams. Jacob Ellis continued his roll with first place finishes in the 1,600 (4:26.98) and the 800 (1:55.93, a new meet record). He also anchored the 4 X 400 relay team to a second place finish. Paxton Reed, Austin Nichols, and Alec Silver were the other Colonels in that relay.
Sam Kochinskas set personal bests in the 110 and 300 hurdles; he was third in both the 110 hurdles and the high jump. Andy Hale had a throw of 122 feet, 6 inches to take second in the discus, and the 4 X 800 relay team of of Michael Cioffi, Abadhi Goodnow, Austin Nichols, and Spencer Olson placed third in 9:03.19.
The Bellows Falls girls finished sixth. Chapin Reis was the 400 meter girls champion at 64.3 seconds, and joined with Sarah Dumont, Enny Mustapha, and Darion James in a fourth place finish in the 4 X 100. Reis was part of the 4 X 400 relay team with Anna Clark, Chloe Boyce, and Mariah Barnett.
Barnett and Boyce joined with Ashley Palmisano and Lauren Rowell to take third in the 4 X 800 relay in 11 minutes, 20 seconds. Mustapha was second in the shot put with a heave of 33 feet, 6 inches. Brit Moyna was fourth in the high jump and fifth in the 100 hurdles, while Kammie Crawford was fifth in the javelin.
The BF boys came in ninth overall. The Terriers didn't have a winner in any event, but Jamie Moore came in second in the 1,600 and fourth in the 800, while Joe Aslin was third in the javelin and part of the sixth place 4 X 100 team with TJ Bernier, John Punger, and Will Bourne. Punger was fourth in the pole vault and fifth in the javelin, while Bernier was sixth in the 110 hurdles.