-The Brattleboro Little League 10-U All-Stars are just one win away from a state championship after sweeping through the opening weekend of tournament play at South Main Street Field.
Things were set up perfectly for Brattleboro, the District 2 champs. As the host of the state tournament, they have no long rides on the highway, and their two top pitchers, Teddy McKay and Simon Potter, were rested and ready. The result was a 18-2 romp over Connecticut Valley in four innings on July 20 and a 2-0 win over Colchester on July 21.
McKay got the start against Connecticut Valley, and Brattleboro fell behind 2-0 in the first inning, Brattleboro quickly took control of the game by scoring seven runs in the bottom half of the inning. Hayden Scott hit a two-run single and Potter and Mason Rea both stole home as Brattleboro took advantage of five walks and a hit batsman in the inning.
After McKay struck out the side in the second, Brattleboro got five more runs in the bottom half of the inning. Letourneau had an RBI single, and McKay, Potter, Rea, and Benson Urban all reached base without benefit of a hit and all scored to give Brattleboro a 12-2 lead.
Brattleboro got six more runs in the the third inning as Rea hit a two-run double and more walks and passed balls accounted for the rest of the scoring. While Connecticut Valley's pitchers struggled, McKay needed only 52 pitches to get through four innings for the win.
As good as that performance was, Potter was even better against Colchester. He struck out 13 of the first 14 batters he faced before he gave up a bloop single to starting pitcher Willie LaMarche with two outs in the fifth inning.
Potter also helped his cause with a two-out double in the first inning. He took third on a wild pitch and stole home to put Brattleboro ahead, 1-0. That run was important, since LaMarche was shutting down the Brattleboro bats. They wouldn't get their second run until the fifth inning, when Urban singled to left and came home on a double to right field by Jacob Gallagher.
The sixth inning got a little hairy as Colchester got the potential tying runs on base with one out. Rea came into to relieve Potter, and got the final two outs to get the save and send Brattleboro into the final.
Colchester, who beat Browns River, 10-4, on July 20, will faced them again in an elimination game on July 24. Browns River knocked out Connecticut Valley out of the tournament with a 4-1 win on July 21. Brattleboro will play the winner of the Colchester-Browns River game for the state championship on July 27 at 1 p.m.
Brattleboro 11-U team reaches state finals
• The Brattleboro Little League 11-U All Stars have reached the state tournament in St. Albans.
Brattleboro, the District 2 champs, opened the tournament with a 6-0 win over Champlain Valley on July 13. Winning pitcher Cole Systo struck out 12 and allowed just two hits in five innings of work, with Dawson Newton finishing up for the shutout victory. Louie Renault had a two-run triple, and leadoff hitter Gavin Carpenter reached base in all three of his at-bats.
Brattleboro then lost to Barre, 1-0, on July 14. Carpenter was the losing pitcher, despite a great effort. He held Barre to just three hits with eight strikeouts and four walks. Barre's only run came in the third inning with a pair of two-out singles that followed a leadoff walk.
Brattleboro avoided being knocked out of the double-elimination tournament with a 10-0 win over Champlain Valley on July 20. That victory set up a rematch with undefeated Barre for the state title on July 21, which Brattleboro won, 4-1.
At press time, the two teams were set to face each other on July 22 for the state championship.
Legion roundup
• Heading into the final week of the American Legion Baseball regular season, Brattleboro Post 5 is in sole possession of first place in the Southern Division with a 16-3 record.
On July 14, Post 5 split a doubleheader with Rutland Post 31. In the first game, Rutland rallied from an 8-2 deficit in the bottom of the seventh with seven runs for a 9-8 win. Brattleboro then turned the tables on the host team with an 11-1 win in five innings in the second game. Winning pitcher Evan Wright held Rutland to just three hits, while Ryan Peloso had two hits and drove in four runs.
Post 5 was on the road again for another doubleheader on July 15, this time to Ludlow to play Manchester Union Underground. Brattleboro won the first game, 16-0, in five innings as Peloso homered and Jolie Glidden had two hits and drove in four runs.
In game two, Brattleboro prevailed in a tight 8-7 win. Sam Bogart was the hero in this game, coming in to pitch in the seventh inning with the score tied 7-7 after Manchester loaded the bases with two outs. Bogart got a strikeout to end threat, then drove in the winning run with a base hit to center. Jackson Emery had three hits and three RBIs for Post 5, while Bogart had three hits.
Brattleboro made another trip to Ludlow on July 18 to face Ludlow Post 36 in Post 5's third doubleheader in four days. Brattleboro swept Ludlow in a pair of five-inning mercy rule wins.
In game one, Post 5 took a 7-0 win after one inning and cruised to a 17-1 victory. Emery, the winning pitcher, held Ludlow to two hits over 4 1/3 innings, with Bogart getting a pair of strikeouts in the fifth to end it. Emery, Elliott, John Satterfield, and Jolie Glidden each had two hits. In the second game, winning pitcher Jayke Glidden threw five no-hit innings in a 10-0 victory. Aidan Davis hit a solo home run, while Wright had two hits and drove in two runs.
Post 5 ended a very busy week with a doubleheader sweep at Bennington Post 13 on July 20.
• Bellows Falls Post 37 had a rough start to the season, but they won three games last week to improve their record to 4-14.
On July 17 in Castleton, Bellows Falls won by forfeit over Lakes Region. The game was ended after three innings with Post 37 leading, 3-2, after Lakes Region was found to have used an ineligible pitcher in the game.
On July 20 at Hadley Field, Bellows Falls swept a doubleheader from Rutland, winning the first game, 5-2, and taking the nightcap, 8-7.
Parker, Magnant, VanHenderick play in Lions Cup games
• The annual Lions Twin State Soccer Cup games, featuring the top graduates from Vermont and New Hampshire, were played in Hanover, New Hampshire on July 20.
Leland & Gray's Maggie Parker was on the Vermont women's team, while Twin Valley's Cody Magnant and Brattleboro's Ozzie VanHendrick were on the Vermont men's team. All helped contribute to a Vermont sweep over New Hampshire.
In the women's game, the Vermonters got a first-half goal from South Burlington's Rachel Kelley and it was all they needed in a 1-0 victory over the Granite Staters. The Vermont men had to rally from an early 2-0 deficit to beat New Hampshire, 5-3. South Burlington's Omar Daoudi keyed the comeback with three goals.
Paddlesports event returns in abridged form
• Last July's flooding in southern Vermont forced organizers of the annual New England Paddlesports Championship and Community Challenge to cancel the event.
This July brought more catastrophic flooding to Vermont, but fortunately Windham County was spared the level of damage seen in the northern part of the state. So, barring another extreme weather event this week, the Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) and the New England Canoe and Kayak Racing Association (NECKRA) Flatwater Point Series is set to present the event on Sunday, July 28. In case of stormy weather, the make-up date will be Aug. 4.
Organizers are expecting about 100 kayakers and canoeists from all around the Northeast to take on either a 12-mile competitive course or a 5-mile recreational course on the Connecticut River, starting at 10:30 a.m. There will also be a 1-mile "community challenge" event at 11 a.m. for novice paddlers.
CRC and local partner organizations will organize on-site activities, food trucks, and info booths for spectators. All the activities and events will be centered upon Norm's Marina in Hinsdale, New Hampshire, the launch point for the races. Go to ctriver.org/nepc for more information.
Registration for the 5- and 12-mile courses is $20, and $10 for the community challenge race at paddleguru.com/races/NewEnglandPaddlesportsChampionship2024. Proceeds from the event will benefit CRC's efforts to support local communities in improving recreational access and river habitat.
CRC is currently in the thick of the relicensing process for the Vernon and Bellows Falls dams to ensure that these hydroelectric facilities make improvements for better fish passage, safer water flows, better access for recreational use, and reduced riverbank erosion.
This year's event on the river will be modest in size, but next year, CRC hopes to have a much bigger event to celebrate the opening of the new General John Stark Memorial Bridge over the river, which will free up the two existing bridges that connect Hinsdale to Brattleboro for pedestrian use. Plans are in the works to turn the decommissioned bridges and the river island they both partially rest upon to into a recreation area for the two towns.
Nancy Heydinger joins High 5 as a program manager
• The founder and longtime executive director of Girls on the Run Vermont now has a new job. Nancy Heydinger was recently appointed by High 5 Adventure Learning Center in Brattleboro as the program manager of Its Edge of Leadership (EOL) program. Heydinger brings more 20 years of youth development leadership and program management expertise to the High 5 team.
In her two decades leading Girls on the Run Vermont, Heydinger significantly expanded the program's reach and impact, empowering countless young girls across the state.
"We are thrilled to have Nancy join our team," High 5 executive director Jen Ottinger said in a news release. "Her wealth of experience, energy, and dedication to leadership development will be instrumental in growing our Edge of Leadership program and enhancing the experiences of the students and educators we serve."
With its motto "Connect. Empower. Lead. Be the Example," the EOL program focuses on equipping students and educators with the skills and confidence to connect with others, empower themselves and others, and recognize and develop their leadership potential.
"I am passionate about empowering young people and educators to realize their potential, and I look forward to working with the talented team at High 5 to make a meaningful impact," Heydinger said. "Each time I visit a classroom, connect with educators, and work with students on the challenge course, I'm reminded of why this work is so fulfilling and important."
Since its founding in 2000, High 5 Adventure Learning Center has been a leader in adventure-based experiential education. The EOL program fosters leadership skills, teamwork, and personal growth among students and educators through hands-on, adventure-based learning experiences and social-emotional learning activities.
For more information about High 5 Adventure Learning Center and the EOL program, visit high5adventure.org.
Brooks Library has swim passes
• Brooks Memorial Library is offering swim vouchers to the Living Memorial Park Swimming Pool and Rotary Water Playground this summer. This pass entitles the patron to two free swim vouchers valid for the summer of 2024.
The pool is open now through Sunday, Aug. 18. For swimming pool hours and more information, visit the Recreation & Parks Department page at brattleboro.gov. Reserve your vouchers online at brookslibraryvt.org.
Senior bowling roundup
• Week 12 of the spring/summer season of the Brattleboro Senior Bowling League at Brattleboro Bowl on July 18 saw first place Misguided (43.5-16.5) have a 5-0 week to add its lead, while Slo Movers (39.5-20.5) moved into second place, just a half-game ahead of Half Normal (39-21). Fab 4 (32-28), is in fourth place, followed by Spare Change (28-32), Three Musketeers (27-33), Stayin' Alive (26-34), Split Happens (22-38), High Rollers (19-41), and Incredibowls (18-17).
Kathy Wehner once again had the women's high handicap game (236) and series (661). Skip Shine had the men's high handicap game (243), while Robert Rigby had the high handicap series (654). Misguided had the high team handicap game (873) and series (2,471).
Rigby had the men's high scratch series (630), with games of 215, 214, and 201. Jerry Dunham had a 548 series with games of 199 and 186. John Walker had a 523 series with a 204 game and Skip Shine had a 501 series. Gary Montgomery had a 193 game and Chuck Adams rolled a 191.
Nancy Dalzell again had the women's high scratch series (487), and the high scratch game (186). Shirley Aiken had a 165 game, Carol Gloski had a 164 game and Pam Greenblott rolled a 162.
Randolph T. Holhut, deputy editor of this newspaper, has written this column since 2010 and has covered sports in Windham County since the 1980s. Readers can send him sports information at [email protected].
This Sports column by Randolph T. Holhut was written for The Commons.