Not that they would be the types to rest on their laurels, but the Brattleboro Colonels boys' lacrosse team has earned the right to step back and admire the body of work that they have created so far this season.
The Colonels have opened the 2011 season with nine straight wins, their best start ever. They chalked up another milestone on May 7 when they rallied to beat the Woodstock Wasps, 10-9, at Natowich Field. It was the first time the Colonels have beaten Woodstock, a perennial power in Vermont lacrosse. Trailing 5-2 early in the second quarter, Brattleboro came back strong with four unanswered goals to take a 6-5 lead at the half. The Colonels led by as much as 10-7, but the Wasps came back to within a goal before time expired.
Last Tuesday, Brattleboro battled back from a 4-4 tie at the half to beat Rutland, 8-6. Travis Elliott-Knaggs had 4 goals and 3 assists. Colin Campbell added 2 goals, and Sam Finnerty and Nik Rancourt had a goal each.
The Colonels suffered their first loss of the season on Thursday, an 8-5 loss at Amherst, Mass. Brattleboro trailed for most of the game, but managed to keep it close against one of the toughest teams the Colonels will face all season. Finnerty and Elliott-Knaggs each scored 2 goals to lead the Colonels.
Brattleboro closed out the week with another heart-stopping finish. Midfielder Nik Rancourt scored with 36 seconds left in the game for a 7-6 victory over Burr & Burton on Saturday afternoon at Natowich Field. The Colonels got off to a slow start and trailed 5-3 at the half. They then turned it on in the second half with strong defense and more aggressiveness on offense. Finnerty had 3 goals and Campbell scored a pair.
Girls lacrosse
• Maddie Rollins won the draw, and Karley Fortier put the ball into the net with 10 seconds left in the game to give the Colonels a 9-8 road win over Keene, N.H. Brattleboro had an 8-4 lead going into the final quarter before Keene rallied for four unanswered goals to set up the dramatic finish. Fortier finished with 3 goals and 2 assists, while Rollins and Mariah Lesure each scored twice.
The last-minute magic wasn't there for the Colonels on Thursday, as Woodstock scored in overtime for 10-9 win at Natowich Field, which was followed by a 12-6 home loss on Saturday to Burr & Burton. Lesure scored 4 goals, while Becca Bird and Fortier also scored for the 3-8 Colonels.
Baseball
• Drury beat Brattleboro, 9-2, last Tuesday. The Colonels had plenty of hitting, as Sawyer Olson had 3 hits, while Evan Parro and Kevin Paciulli had 2 hits each. What they didn't have was the timely hit to score runs.
The next day, against Rutland, the Colonels hit the ball hard, but had only 4 base hits to show for it in a 5-3 road loss. The play that illustrated the frustrations of the Colonels of late came in the top of the seventh. With the bases loaded and one out, Paciulli hit a screaming line drive that looked like it would clear the bases. Instead, Rutland's first baseman made a leaping grab and then tagged first to complete an unassisted double play to end the game.
The Colonels finished the week with a 4-0 loss to Mount Anthony at Tenney Field. Pitcher Tyler Kunzmann was the star for MAU, striking out 14 batters to get the win and then scored what proved to be the winning run with a home run to straight- away center that clanged off the flag pole. Brattleboro only managed two hits off Kunzmann as the Colonels fell to 5-6.
• A 5-0 lead was almost not enough, as the Leland & Gray Rebels eked out a 6-5 win over Green Mountain in Chester on May 9. Drew Barnum struck out 7, walked 4, and gave up 5 hits in 6 2/3 innings of work to get the win. Tyler Miller got the last out in the seventh to earn a save. Miller went 3-for-4 and drove in 3 runs to lead the Rebels' attack, while Barnum chipped in with 2 hits.
• Twin Valley beat up on Black River, 20-8, in Ludlow on May 9. The Wildcats broke open a close game with 7 runs in the fifth inning and 7 more runs in the sixth to get the win. George Molner hit 2 homers, doubled, and drove in 3 runs, while Tony Bernard went 3-for-5, and Ian Murdock and Jason Moore had 2 hits apiece. The Wildcats put plenty of runners on base, as they drew 11 walks and had 6 hit batsmen.
The Wildcats then showed they can win a close game too, with a 2-0 win over Green Mountain last Wednesday. Colin Lozito and Murdock both went 3-for-3; Lozito had a double and Murdock hit a triple. Pitchers Moore, Craig Green, and Murdock combined for the shutout. They then beat Poultney, 8-5, on Friday. Molner homered and combined with Bernard to get the job done on the mound.
• Bellows Falls used a bit of unorthodox baseball strategy to pull out a 4-3 win over Woodstock last Tuesday at Hadley Field. With Bellows Falls clinging to 4-3 lead heading into the top of the seventh, Woodstock had runners on second and third with two outs and their slugger, Greg Selbo, coming to the plate. At first, Bellows Falls coach Bob Lockerby had Jeremy Kilburn pitch to Selbo. Kilburn got ahead of Selbo with two quick strikes, but Selbo then worked the count to 3-2 in an epic at-bat.
Finally, Lockerby told Kilburn to walk Selbo to load the bases, rather than let him clear the bases with a hit. The decision worked, as Kilburn then secured the victory by getting Griffin Thomas to fly out to end the game. Kilburn and Cooper Long, who pitched the first four innings, combined for 4 strikeouts and 5 walks, and held the Wasps to 5 hits. Matt Marchica, Luke Brophy, and Mike LeBeau all finished with 2 hits to lead the 8-3 Terriers offensively.
There was no drama on Friday as Bellows Falls trounced Springfield, 15-0. The Terriers had 18 hits, including a 4-for-6 day by leadoff hitter Marchica. Brendan Hackett went 3-for-4, while Long, Bruce Wells, Brophy, and Peter Falzo all finished with 2 hits. Marchica got the complete-game victory. He struck out 8, walked 5, and threw a one-hitter as Bellows Falls ended the week at 9-3.
Softball
• It may seem like sophomore pitcher Kayla Wood gets a majority of the attention in reports about the Colonels, but when you've established yourself as one of the top pitchers in the state, and you're swinging the bat well, you're going end up with most of the ink.
Wood followed up her no-hitter on May 6 with a three-hitter against Otter Valley on May 9 in a 10-2 win at Sawyer Field. She struck out 12 and walked 2 batters. She also had three hits and drove in two runs.
But the Colonels aren't a one-woman show. Landis Field, Taylor Kerylow, Kelsey Patterson, and Kaylee Graham all finished with two hits as the Colonels pounded out 15 hits against the Otters.
The Colonels then ran into one of the best pitchers in upstate New York, Hoosick Falls' Rachel Quackenbush. She struck out 17 to lead the Panthers to a 2-0 win in the opening game of the Mount Anthony Softball Tournament in Bennington on Friday.
• Leland & Gray smashed Green Mountain, 30-7, on May 9. The Rebels racked up 18 hits on the day, including 3 doubles, 3 triples, and a grand slam by pitcher Nicole Sherman.
Aly Marcucci and Sherman each went 4-for-5, with Marcucci scoring 5 runs and Sherman driving in 7. Ashley Goddard added 3 hits, and Chelsea Cox had 2 hits. Sherman and Caitlyn Arellano took turns in the circle, and combined for a six-hitter.
The Rebels topped that effort with a 31-2 win over Woodstock in Townshend last Wednesday. The Wasps issued 29 walks and 10 hits, including three doubles, as the Rebels cruised to a five-inning win. Kori Griffin went 2-for-2 with a double and 4 RBIs, while Marcucci had 2 hits and an RBI, and reached base all six times she stepped up to the plate. Goddard scored five runs, while Cox ripped a two-run double. Sherman and Arellano again shared the pitching load.
The bats finally fell silent on Friday, in a 3-2 loss to Mill River in North Clarendon. It was the first loss of the season for the 8-1 Rebels.
• Twin Valley got roughed up by Windsor, 11-1, on May 9. The Wildcats were held to just 3 hits, and sloppy defense in the fifth inning sealed their fate. Bryer-lyn Crawford, Kate Corey, and Abby Putnam all hit safely for Twin Valley; Crawford doubled and scored on Corey's base hit for the Wildcats' lone run.
The Wildcats regrouped and beat Green Mountain, 6-2, last Wednesday. Pitcher Kylie-blu Crawford walked 2, gave up 2 hits, and struck out 8 to get the win, and she helped her cause with a 2-for-3 day at the plate. Bonnie Boliver also went 2-for-3, and Sam Bernard, Ashley Dix, and Corey each had a base hit.
Twin Valley then got roughed up again, this time by Poultney, in a 15-0 loss in five innings. The Wildcats are now 5-4.
• Rutland beat up on Bellows Falls, 16-1, last Tuesday. The Terriers then played their most competitive game of the season, a 5-0 loss at Burr & Burton last Thursday. Megan LaBeau had 3 hits.
Track and field
• The Brattleboro underclassmen and underclasswomen had a chance to shine in a pair of New Hampshire meets.
In the Keene Freshman-Sophomore meet on May 7, Paxton Reed took first and second in the triple jump and long jump, respectively. In the triple jump, he recorded a distance of 39 feet, 7 inches, and registered a leap of 17 feet, 6 1/2 inches in the long jump.
Sam Kochinskas won the high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 8 inches, while Trenton Fletcher won the pole vault by clearing 8 feet, 6 inches, and Jonathon Burdo came in third in the 300-meter dash in 48.2 seconds. The 4 X 400-meter relay team took second with a time of 4:01.10.
Winners for the Colonel girls included the all-sophomore 4 X 800-meter relay team of Linnea Jahn, Halie Lange, Bailey Paige and Hannah Reichel, which won with a time of 11:02.50. Sophomore Greta Pellerin won the javelin event, with a distance of 85 feet, 1 inch. Casey Ursula took third in the triple jump with a total distance of 30 feet, 5 1/2 inches, while Paige finished second in the 800 in 2:47.3.
At Stevens Junior Meet in Claremont on May 6, Brattleboro's Jacob Ellis won the 1,600 in 4:32.25, while Greg Reuter placed second in both the 200 (24.33) and 400 (52.02), and Jesse Gurney placed third in the shot put with a distance of 38 feet, 8 3/4 inches.
• The Twin Valley girls' track team finished fourth in a seven-team meet in Chester on May 6. Sammy Cunningham-Darrah placed second in the 100- and 200-meter dashes with her times of 14.01 and 29.08, respectively. Alex Kennedy took second in the 400 at 1:07.91 and recorded a time of 1:00.26 in her first-ever attempt at the 300 meter hurdles.
Hannah Swanson tossed the discus 60 feet, which set a personal record by nearly 10 feet and was good enough for second place. The 4 X 100 relay team of Emily Furlon, Chelsea Schneider, Kennedy, and Cunningham-Darrah finished in second with a time of 58.59 -- just .28 seconds behind South Royalton.
Considering how small in number their team is, Twin Valley is definitely holding its own this season against the bigger schools.
Tennis
• The Brattleboro boys beat Rutland, 6-1, on May 9. Chris Brewer, Isaiah Ungerleider, and Matt Dunn's singles matches all went to three sets, but all three prevailed in those matches. No. 4 Kai-Ming Pu and No. 5 Cesar Moore gave Brattleboro a sweep of the singles matches. The teams split in doubles play, with Brattleboro's Cuyler Cunningham and Seth Marcil winning the No. 2 doubles match.
Brattleboro swept the singles matches in a 5-2 win at Woodstock on Friday, as Brewer, Ungerleider, Dunn, Moore, and Senou Lynn all won.
• The Brattleboro girls had three straight wins last week where they skunked their opponents by a 7-0 score.
It started with a 7-0 win over Mount St. Joseph last Tuesday. Lauren Mabie, Hayley Ryan, and Mary McLouglin all won their singles matches, 6-0, 6-0. No. 1 Caroline Dinicola-Fawley also won in straight sets, 6-0, 6-1, while No. 5 Miranda Mosley won her match 6-2, 6-1.
Brattleboro then shut out Springfield at the BUHS courts last Wednesday. Springfield forfeited one singles match, and Dinicola-Fawley, Mabie, Ryan, and Mosely all won their singles matches in straight sets, while the doubles teams Libby Annis and Carly Emond, and Katie Tsukamoto and Aiden Earley, did likewise.
They then blanked Otter Valley at home on Friday. Mabie, McLoughlin, and Mosley all won their singles matches, while the Otters forfeited the other two matches. In doubles play, the No. 1 team of Kelly Clark and Erin Gendreau, and the No. 2 team Jennifor Hutton and Caroline McCarthy, both won in straight sets.
• Hartford swept the Bellows Falls girls, 7-0, last Tuesday. Bellows Falls then lost again to Woodstock, 6-1, on Thursday. The only win came in No. 2 doubles, as Lexi Dodge and Remington Kurkul pulled out a three-set victory.
Bellows Falls battled back against Mount St. Joseph, but ultimately fell short in a 4-3 loss on Friday. Emma Moyna was handed a forfeit victory at No. 5 singles, while the other wins for Bellows Falls came at second and third singles. Weeze Bennett prevailed 6-4, 6-7, 7-5 and Lee Parslow won in straight sets, 6-0, 6-1.
Recreation Department hosts registration extravaganza
The Brattleboro Recreation & Parks Department will hold its annual Summer Program Registration Extravaganza on Thursday, May 19, from 3:30 to 7 p.m., in the gymnasium at the Gibson-Aiken Center, 207 Main St.
Children will be able to register for their summer programs all at one convenient location - including Summer Day Camp, Little Peoples Camp, “Hoop It Up” Basketball Camp, baseball camp, gymnastics camp, Track & Field, tennis and golf lessons, art classes, Challenger Soccer Camp, Play Soccer Camp, U.S. Sports Camp, lacrosse camp, Mad Science camp, and discounted passes for the Living Memorial Park pool.
For more information, call the Recreation & Parks Department at 802-254-5808, or visit their website at www.brattleboro.org.
Grace Cottage golf benefit at Tater Hill on June 12
• The second annual Grace Cottage Hospital “Tee Up for Health” golf benefit is Sunday, June 12, at the Tater Hill Golf Club in Windham. All proceeds benefit Grace Cottage Hospital in Townshend.
The tournament begins with a shotgun start at noon. Players can win prizes for hole-in-one, closest to pin, and more. The player fee is $125, which includes a steak dinner (or alternative) to be held in the clubhouse following the tournament.
There's also an online auction on the Grace Cottage Hospital website, which is open to all, whether or not you play in the golf tournament. Auction items include a one-week stay at Vieques, a two-night stay in New York City, Boston Red Sox tickets, a day cruise on the Mystic Whaler, a handmade quilt, and the opportunity to be named in one of Archer Mayer's crime novels. Visit the “Auction Action” link at www.gracecottage.org.
For more information about sponsoring this event or playing on a team, call Jim Heal at 802-365-3624 or register online at www.gracecottage.org/events.