Baseball is a funny game, as the late broadcaster Joe Garagiola liked to say.
A good example is what happened to the Brattleboro Colonels in their Division I semifinal game on June 5 at Tenney Field.
The second-seeded Colonels were hosting the third-seeded Colchester Lakers. The Colonels pitching ace. Leif Bigelow, was rested and ready to go. And, after the Colonels took an early 4-0 lead, you would've thought the game was as good as won for Brattleboro.
And, you would've been wrong.
After throwing three scoreless innings, Bigelow and the Colonels gave up three runs in the fourth and four runs in the fifth as the Lakers rolled to a 12-5 win.
Brattleboro got off to a fast start with a two-run single by Kam Pelkey in the first inning. He also had an RBI single in the third inning, while Dan Petrie hit an RBI double in that inning.
But the Lakers finally broke through against Bigelow, whose final high school game ended with Colchester chasing him off the mound in a losing effort.
Winning pitcher Saul Minaya struck out four and walked three in holding the Colonels to just five hits. He also helped his cause with three hits and four RBIs. Eben Prevost chipped in with three hits and three RBIs.
Pelkey, Petrie, and Tyler Millerston each had two hits for the Colonels, whose season ended with a 17-2 overall record. Ben Betz, Bigelow, and Chris Frost each had a base hit. In the championship game on June 9, South Burlington beat Colchester, 5-3.
• Bigelow and Petrie got a bit of consolation, as both were selected to the Vermont squad in the annual Twin State Baseball Classic, which will be played on Saturday, June 23 at the Maxfield Athletic Complex in White River Junction.
The Colonel battery joins 16 other top Vermont seniors who play a pair of seven-inning games against their New Hampshire counterparts, starting at 9:30 a.m.
After an 11-year hiatus, the Twin State Baseball Classic returned in 2015. Vermont and New Hampshire split the three doubleheaders over the past three seasons with all six games decided by one run.
Jacks sting Rebels
• While Brattleboro looked like a lock to win their playoff game after three innings, the visiting fifth-seeded Leland & Gray Rebels were out of contention early and fell to the top-seeded Windsor Yellowjackets, 8-2, in the Division III baseball semifinal on June 5.
Windsor took a 6-0 lead after two innings and the Rebels never challenged after that.
Winning pitcher Seth Balch shut down the Rebels' hitters, giving up just four hits with 12 strikeouts and no walks over six innings. Robbie Slocum pitched the seventh in a non-save situation.
Ben Meagher led the Jacks with three hits and drove in two runs in the first inning. Balch hit a two-run single in the second inning and drove in another run in the sixth.
The Rebels finished with an 11-7 record. Windsor went on to beat Green Mountain, 10-2, on June 9 to win the state title.
Colonel girls lose in lax semifinal
• Brattleboro was one game away from reaching the Division I state girls' lacrosse finals. The Colonels reached the semifinals for the first time since 2013 and only the second time in the school's history.
But standing in the Colonels' way to a trip to the title game were the defending champions, the Middlebury Tigers.
The Tigers led 3-0 at the half and held a 6-2 lead over the Colonels with 17:06 left in the second half.
Brattleboro then rallied with a 4-1 run, but simply ran out of time as the Tigers won, 7-6, in the Division I semifinal at Natowich Field on June 6.
Middlebury's Isabel Rosenberg accounted for all of the Tigers' goals in the first half. She then got another goal early in the second half that was bookended by goals from Brattleboro's Liz Day and Megyn Ayotte.
The Tigers looked like they were about to pull away with a pair of goals by Sachel McLaughlin.
With a 6-2 Tiger lead, Sam Cragin and Day each scored two goals in the final 15 minutes. However, McLaughlin would score once for Middlebury to provide the margin of victory.
Eilya Petrie made seven saves in goal for the 14-4 Colonels, a team that possessed a good mix of talented seniors and fast-developing sophomores. While Ayotte, Cragin, Liv Stent, Melia Allen, and Haley Kuralt are graduating, the Colonels will have a strong core coming back for 2019.
Middlebury would hang on to its title with a 13-10 win over Champlain Valley on June 8.
Reed leads locals at N.E. Championships
• Several local athletes took part in the 73rd New England Interscholastic Track & Field Championships on June 9 at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H.
In the boys' meet, Brattleboro's Jasper Reed, the Vermont Division I state champion in the long jump, finished eighth in the New Englands with a top mark of 22 feet, 4.25 inches. He was also 13th in the triple jump with a leap of 43 feet, 1.25 inches.
Brattleboro's Evan Koch was 21st in the 300 meter hurdles in 42.40 seconds. He was also part of the 4x400 meter relay team with Ben Brady, David Pierce, and Kade Perotti, who finished 25th in 3 minutes, 38.50 seconds.
Bellows Falls' Reno Tuttle was 19th in the shot put with a toss of 48 feet, 7.25 inches, and 25th in the discus with a throw of 128 feet, 7 inches.Teammate Shane Clark was 25th in the javelin with a throw of 145 feet, 2 inches. He also participated in the pole vault, but failed to clear the opening height of 12 feet, 6 inches.
Leland & Gray's Dakota Fillion came in 28th in 52.27 seconds in the 400.
In the girls' meet, Brattleboro's Maggie Lonardo participated in the 100 meter dash, finishing 18th in a qualifying heat in 13.39 seconds. She was also part of the 4x100 meter relay team with Katelyn Hamilton, Kharisma Boyd, and Alina Secrest who finished 25th in 52.19 seconds.
Lynch-Menard-Podgurski Golf Classic set for July 14
• The 19th annual Lynch-Menard-Podgurski Make-A-Wish Golf Classic and Auction will be held on Saturday, July 14 at the Crown Point Country Club in Springfield, Vt.
Last year, this event raised $17,500 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Vermont, which brings the total contribution over the past 18 years to $284,000.
Hole sponsors for the golf tournament portion of the event to be held are still being accepted. Donations for the auction will be accepted until Friday, July 13. Signups for golf foursomes will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis starting this week at American Legion Post 37 in Bellows Falls, or by contacting Mike Shaughnessy at 802-380-0443.
The auction will be held at the Post 37 home on Rockingham Street in Bellows Falls beginning at 3 p.m. Event organizers are once again expecting close to 100 items to be available during the auction portion of the event.
Tickets for the auction can be purchased at the American Legion on July 13, from 5 to 8 p.m., or on July 14 before the auction starts. All proceeds will go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Vermont. For more information, visit www.vermont.wish.org.
Living Memorial Park pool reopens June 16
• The Brattleboro Recreation & Parks Department says the Living Memorial Park Pool will open for the season on Saturday, June 16. Registration for swim lessons will take place that morning.
Brattleboro residents may register on June 16, from 10 a.m. to noon, or on Thursday, June 21, from 10 a.m. to noon. Non-residents may register on Friday, June 22, from 10 a.m. to noon.
Swim lessons are primarily for Brattleboro residents and non-residents will be accepted if space is available. Fees are $35 for Brattleboro residents and $50 for non-residents.
The Red Cross has developed a system for lessons, which is considerably different than lesson criteria in past years. Therefore, each child must be tested before being placed in a class and should be prepared to go in the pool at registration. If your child has a Red Cross card from last summer, bring it to registration, which takes place rain or shine.
To be eligible for swim lessons, children must be 3 by June 16. There will be three sessions offered: Session 1: June 25 to July 6 (no class on July 4), Session 2: July 9 though 20, and Session 3: July 23 to Aug 3.
For more information, call the Brattleboro Recreation & Parks Department at 802-254-5808.