Last week was spring vacation week for area schools, so the sports schedule was relatively light.
That's by necessity. Between religious observances, class trips, college visits, and other activities, it would have been tough to field a team at some schools.
But the Brattleboro Colonels and the Bellows Falls Terriers still scheduled a baseball game for last Thursday. Both teams were shorthanded, but the bigger problem was trying to play a baseball game when the temperature is in the low 40s and a cold northwest wind is blowing with gusts up to 40 mph.
The Colonels managed to prevail, 9-2, at Tenney Field as they snapped the three-game winning streak that BF had entering the game.
BF gave the game away with numerous errors, and allowed a Brattleboro team that hasn't been hitting much at the start of the season a chance to pile up the runs.
Tommy Heydinger went the distance to get the win for the 2-1 Colonels. Jacob Kilburn lasted only three innings for the Terriers and 5 runs in taking the loss. Matt Marchica finished up.
Sawyer Olson had a 3-for-4 day at the plate, while Kevin Paciulli went 2-for-4.
• The 3-1 Terriers started the week with a 10-8 win over Mill River on April 18 in North Clarendon. Winning pitcher Cooper Long pitched four innings, and went 3-for-4 at the plate, hitting 2 homers and driving in 7 runs.
• Leland&Gray ran into a tough pitcher in Fall Mountain's Garrett Tewksbury on April 18, and the result was an 8-4 loss to the Wildcats.
Tewksbury shut out the Rebels until the final inning of the game. He finished with a complete game 6-hitter, walking 3 and striking out 8. Jared Van Osdol was the losing pitcher for the 2-1 Rebels.
Softball
• The Brattleboro Colonels beat the Stevens Cardinals, 2-1, in Claremont, N.H., last Thursday. Kayla Wood struck out 12 and walked only 1 batter in throwing a complete game 4-hitter.
A two-run triple by Ashley Watson that scored Sydney Santor and Ariel Kane accounted for all the Colonels runs. Santor was 2-for-2 with two stolen bases while Kane went 1-for-2 and Landis Field was 1-for-3 with a triple.
Track and field
• Brattleboro and Bellows Falls traveled to Swanzey, N.H., to face Monadnock and Hinsdale in a four-team track meet last Wednesday.
Host team Monadnock won both the girls and boys meets, while Brattleboro came in second in both meets, BF was third in both meets and Hinsdale was fourth.
Brattleboro boys winners include Jacob Ellis in the 800 and 1,600, and Sawyer Olson in the 3,200. Helen Manning was the lone winner for the Colonel girls in the long jump.
BF's Ryan Hayward won the 100 meter dash and the shotput, while Joe Aslin won in the javelin.
Senior softball begins
• Senior softball will begin its 2011 season on Tuesday, May 3. Games will be played Tuesdays throughout the spring and summer, starting at 9:30 a.m. on the lower field at Living Memorial Park.
This is a low-stress way to dust off your glove and get back onto the diamond. According to Sam Pilo, one of the regulars on Tuesdays at the park, everyone - regardless of age, gender, or experience - is welcome.
The mornings start with a little bit of batting and fielding practice, said Pilo, before they choose up sides and play a few innings.
“Primarily, everyone is there for the camaraderie and exercise,” said Pilo, “but mostly to hit some softballs and have a few good laughs all around. By the second or third inning, no one bothers with the score, because it really doesn't matter, and most of the players can't remember. Smacking a few balls, running around the bases, catching a few flies and chasing a few grounders are all that matters.”
If there are questions, contact the Recreation&Parks Department at 802-254-5808. Or just show up on Tuesday mornings with your glove and, as Pilo said, “remind yourself why you like the game in the first place.”
Guilford 5K road race set for May 28
• The town of Guilford's year-long celebration of its 250th anniversary continues with a 5K road race on May 28.
Registration is now open for this event, which takes place on the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend at 10 a.m., with final registration at 9 a.m. The race route, developed by Guilford runner John Majonen, will begin and end at Broad Brook Grange in Guilford Center. It features a scenic course that winds its way past quiet woods, open fields, dairy farms, and one-room schoolhouses. There will be prizes and refreshments at the finish.
The entry fee of $10 covers the cost of presenting the event, with other proceeds going to support the Guilford 250th celebration. An entry form and a route map are both posted on the web site at www.guilford250.com. For other information, contact Majonen at [email protected], or 802-257-4067.