The Brattleboro 9-10 and 11-12 Little League All Star teams weathered a rough weekend in their respective District 2 tournaments.
Both teams lost the first two games of their series against their Bennington counterparts on Saturday and Sunday.
The 11-12 All Stars dropped their opener at Bennington, 5-2, on Saturday. Brattleboro, trailing 5-0, rallied for two runs in the top of the sixth and scored the tying run at the plate at game's end.
Brattleboro's Jeremy Rounds hit an RBI triple in the sixth inning, and Hunter Beebe drove in the other run with a single. Beebe doubled in the second inning, while Adam Newton had a pair of singles and scored a run. Newton, the starting pitcher, took the loss.
In Game 2 at South Main Street Field, Brattleboro fell behind early and couldn't catch up, giving Bennington the win at 17-10. Owen Wilcox cracked a grand slam in the first inning for Bennington and kept building their lead by scoring in every inning except the sixth.
Brattleboro had its share of big hits too … just not enough of them. Leadoff hitter Cyr Solari posted a single and two doubles, and scored two runs. Newton had a double, two singles, and scored three runs. Rounds was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle with a single, a double, and a two-run homer in the fifth; he also scored two runs. Logan Morton added an RBI single.
Starting pitcher Kyle Derosia took the loss for Brattleboro, while Solari and Kyle Murray finished up in relief.
At press time, Brattleboro and Bennington were scheduled to meet in Game 3 of the best-of-seven series in Bennington on July 9, with Game 4 in Brattleboro on July 11.
If Brattleboro wins one or both contests, Game 5 is July 13 in Bennington; Game 6 is July 14 in Brattleboro; Game 7 will be played July 16 at a site to be determined. All games start at 6 p.m.
The 9-10 All Stars lost Saturday in Bennington, 17-4, and again on Sunday, 18-6, in Brattleboro. At press time, Game 3 of the best-of-five series was scheduled for July 9 at South Main Street Field.
Lind, Richards win Firecracker 4-Miler
• Two local runners took first prize in the annual Firecracker 4-Miler race in Brattleboro on July 4, sponsored by the Red Clover Rovers running club.
Rob Lind, 27, of Brattleboro, covered the course, which goes from Living Memorial Park to the Common, in 22 minutes, 22 seconds. Close behind was Landen Elliott-Knaggs, 21, of Dummerston, in 22:29. Bob Parks, 43, was the third male to finish, in 24:47.
Tammy Richards, 39, of Williamsville, ranked first for the female runners, and fourth place overall, at 25:46. Joni Beauvais, 28, of Holyoke, Mass., was the second woman to finish: she was 10th overall in 26:43. The winner of the past two years, Heather Conarroe, 25, of Greenwich, Conn., came in third for the women, and 12th overall, at 28:08.
One hundred nineteen runners finished on a sunny, hot, and humid morning that was anything but ideal for a road race. Look for complete results at www.redcloverrovers.com.
Tour de Grace this Saturday
• Grace Cottage Hospital's eighth annual Tour de Grace bicycle rally is Saturday, July 13.
The 17.7-mile, mostly downhill, Tour de Grace helps raise money for patient care at Grace Cottage Hospital and is a fun, scenic, rural ride. Riders begin at the Stratton Resort Base Lodge parking lot between 8 and 10 a.m. and finish at Grace Cottage on Route 35 in Townshend. Shuttles will be available to transport riders and bikes up to Stratton for registration, departing Grace Cottage Hospital between 8 and 9 a.m.
The route is well marked, maps are available at the starting point, and shuttles transport riders and bikes back to Stratton. Riders younger than 12 must ride with an adult. All riders must wear helmets. Mountain/hybrid bikes are highly recommended.
Volunteers will be stationed along the route to provide free beverages, snacks, and musical entertainment. The entry fee is $30. The first 100 riders who sign up at www.gracecottage.org, or by calling 802-365-9109, get a free T-shirt.
River Rats win their first game
• The Brattleboro River Rats endured a long and dismal season with 10 straight losses to open the Connecticut River Valley Baseball League season. But they capped that losing streak on June 30 with a 7-2 victory over the Newport Polar Bears at Dummerston School.
River Rats pitcher Todd Bell threw a complete game for the win and drove in two runs at the plate. Shortstop Michael Chevalier and third baseman Brian Benjamin each had three hits, while left fielder Caleb Record went two for four with an RBI. First baseman John Waitekus and right fielder Thomas Mauger each drove in a run. Catcher Sunny Lucas scored two runs, and second baseman Abe Klein scored twice and stole a base.
But the Rats were still in the CRVBL basement, eight games out of first place, as the league took its July 4 holiday break. The Chester/Saxtons River Crush remain in first place at 8-1, and will host the 4-6 Putney Fossils at Vermont Academy on July 11. The fourth-place Walpole Wild Blue (5-4) host the third-place Sunapee Old Lakers (7-3) on July 13.
The rest of the league gets back to action on July 14 as Brattleboro hosts the seventh-place Keene Black Dawgs (2-7) and second-place Claremont Cardinals (6-2) travel to fifth-place Newport (5-5). Admission to all games is free. For more information, visit www.crvbl.org.
Youth Services presents 28th annual golf tourney
• Youth Services invites area golfers to participate in its 28th annual golf tournament at Brattleboro Country Club on Wednesday, July 31.
The event kicks off with a free lunch from noon to 1 p.m. The shotgun start for the Texas Scrambles format tournament sounds at 1 p.m. A banquet sponsored by G.S. Precision follows the tournament.
The tournament's Hole-In-One Contest prizes, sponsored by Brattleboro Ford Subaru, include 2013 Ford Fusion S sedan, a Kindle Fire, a $500 Visa gift card, and Cleveland CA16 Black Pearl irons.
Prizes also will be awarded for low gross and low net game scores, the longest drive, and closest to the pin for both men and women. Mulligans will be on sale, and the traditional putting contest will take place during the tournament.
A special feature at this year's tournament is a helicopter golf ball drop at the close of the tournament in which the owner of the winning golf ball nets $3,000 cash and a ride in Renaud Bros. helicopter, piloted by Mike Renaud.
Individuals do not need to be part of the tournament to buy golf balls, priced at $100 each, nor be present at the drop to win. Buckets of golf balls will be dropped from 20 feet on the fairway at the Brattleboro Country Club. A maximum of 100 balls - now available for purchase - will be sold. The odds of winning are said to be high.
Tournament registration is $125 per person or $500 per foursome, and covers greens fees and cart, a buffet lunch, and dinner. All Tournament proceeds, annually more than $20,000, help support Youth Services' programs. To register, visit www.youthservicesinc.org/golf.