Last Saturday, Brattleboro's newest softball diamond was named in honor of one of the people who had the most to do with it being built.
Brownlow “Brownie” Towle of Dummerston has been involved with the Brattleboro Men's Softball League for more than 40 years, first as a player and then as a board member and umpire. About 30 years ago, the Brattleboro Area Softball Association (BASA) started collecting players' fees, with an eye toward building an additional diamond beyond the two at Living Memorial Park.
By the time the town was able to buy land along the West River off Route 30 in 2008 to develop as a new recreation area, BASA was able to kick in $125,000 toward the new West River Park.
More than $800,000 of the project's $1 million cost has been raised over the past five years. That is what is needed to build the park and pay off a $250,000 bond that the town took out to start the project - that must be repaid to meet a stipulation saying no town funds ultimately would be attached to the project.
Aided by lots of volunteer labor, the 10.7-acre park's multipurpose field opened last fall. Work on the softball diamond was finished this spring, fulfilling a longtime dream of Towle and hundreds of other softball players in the Brattleboro area.
Towle's family knew about the dedication, but he did not, so the announcement struck him as a complete surprise. The normally loquacious Towle happily came up short: “I'm speechless,” he said, just before the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Ben Underhill, a member of the West River Park Committee, noted “there's no one who deserved it more. He had the vision and the determination.”
The greatest accolades went to Recreation & Parks Director Carol Lolatte, who oversaw the project and delivered to the town its first new recreation facility since her predecessor, the late Frank Dearborn, created Living Memorial Park in 1955.
Lolatte said Dearborn's wife, Doris, told her a few days ago that, “Frank would be proud of you” for helping to make West River Park a reality.
“That meant the world to me,” Lolatte said.
Some $200,000 is still sought for bathrooms, a picnic and play area, and other amenities. To donate, call Lolatte at 802-254-5808, e-mail westriverpark@brattleboro.org, or visit the West River Park page on Facebook.
Lacrosse
• Brattleboro's Maddie Rollins, a senior from Dummerston who is the captain of the girls' lacrosse team, recently signed a letter of intent to attend Longwood University in Farmville, Va., as a member of the Class of 2017.
Longwood is a NCAA Division I school playing in the Big South Conference. Rollins, who also plays lacrosse for Team IAS in Massachusetts during the offseason, was spotted by Longwood coach Elaine Jones and her staff last November in Naples, Fla., at the Presidents Cup, a showcase tournament for high school lacrosse players.
Maud Lonergan, who coaches Rollins on both the Brattleboro and IAS squads, said she was proud of Rollins and the way she worked to improve herself over her high school career. Lonergan has said that Rollins had the talent to play college lacrosse at the Division I level, and Rollins has more than risen to meet her coach's faith in her.
• The Brattleboro girls opened their week with a 6-5 loss to Mount Anthony at Natowich Field on May 14. It was the second time this season the Colonels lost by a single goal to MAU, an indication of how evenly matched these two teams are. Rollins scored three goals, sandwiched between tallies by Meghan Kinsman and Hannah Lynde.
They followed that up with a 9-6 win over Keene, N.H., last Friday night. Megan Siggins had two goals and two assists, and Rollins had five goals and an assist for the 7-4 Colonels. Goalie Melissa Semenovich had four saves in the win.
• The Brattleboro boys broke open a 4-4 tie at the half to beat Burr & Burton, 12-8, on May 14. Sam Siegel had three goals and three assists, while midfielder Conner Elliott-Knaggs scored four goals. Nik Rancourt got two goals; Tanner Freeman, Jesse Brown, and Brennen Zolnoski each added solo goals. Goalie Romello Lindsey finished with 15 saves.
Two nights later, the Colonels beat Woodstock on the road, 9-5. Again, the two teams were tied 4-4 at the half and, again, Brattleboro poured it on in the second half. Rancourt had the hot hand with four goals. Siegel had two goals, and Elliott-Knaggs, Devon Avery, and Brennen Zolnoski each scored.
Baseball
• Bellows Falls pitcher Mike LaBeau is having a dream season for the Terriers. Against Springfield on May 13, he struck out 14 batters and walked no one in throwing a complete-game four-hitter in a 7-0 win. He also had a great day at the plate, going 3-for-4, with three doubles, three runs batted in, two stolen bases, and one run scored. His catcher, Ethan Illingworth, chipped in with a 2-for-2 day with two RBIs.
However, LaBeau's six-game winning streak ended last Friday in Brandon at the hands of Otter Valley as the Terriers lost, 12-1. BF managed only six hits off winning pitcher Brett Patterson, who struck out 11 batters. Colby Howe and Zac Streeter each doubled in the seventh to account for BF's lone run. The Terriers are 7-5.
• Brattleboro continues to struggle. On May 14, the Colonels dropped a 5-3 decision to Mount Anthony. Joey Barrows and Evan Parro each tripled for the Colonels, while Elliot Gragen added a double, and Ansel Borofsky had a run-scoring single.
The following night, the Colonels were hammered by Keene, N.H., 15-3, at Tenney Field. Six runs in the fourth inning and six more runs in the seventh put the game away for the Blackbirds. Kevin Tao had a 3-for-3 day at the plate for the Colonels, while Chris McAuliffe had two hits. McAuliffe, Gragen, and Tao shared the pitching chores, and gave up a combined 10 hits and nine walks. The Colonels stand at 1-10.
• Leland & Gray lost on the road to Otter Valley, 6-1, on May 14. The Rebels' only run came on a string of singles by Riley Kenney, Drew Barnum, and Wade Beattie. Those turned out to be last hits of the day for Leland & Gray.
The Rebels bounced back two days later with a 16-3 rout of Green Mountain in Chester. Pitcher Robbie Litchfield picked up the complete-game victory, striking out eight on the day. Beattie finished with three hits; Kenney followed with two, and they combined to drive in six runs.
They finished the week last Friday with a 13-0 win over Twin Valley. Barnum was the winning pitcher - he struck out 13 in a complete-game one-hitter. Zach Wilkins and Josh Donna each went two for four, and Corey Nystrom and Barnum both drove in a pair of runs.
The Rebels ended the week with a 9-2 record and are tied for second with Oxbow in the Division III rankings.
Softball
• Brattleboro lost its first game to a Vermont opponent on May 13 when the Colonels got shut out by Mount Anthony, 2-0. MAU pitcher Baylee Ports threw a no-hitter, striking out seven and walking one. Colonel pitcher Kayla Wood struck out eight and walked just one, but scattered eight hits. It was the first time that MAU has beaten Wood in eight tries.
• Leland & Gray started its week with a win in a 19-12 slugfest against Burr & Burton in Townshend on May 14. Emily Thibault went three for three to lead the Rebels, while Kate McAllister, Kori Griffin, and Kelsey Bruder had two hits apiece. Pitcher Elizabeth Symanski walked just two and struck out seven to get the win.
Two days later, it was Ashley Goddard's time to shine. Goddard, a three-sport all star and honor student who recently announced that she will be attending Johnson State College this fall for basketball, hit a two-run homer to lead the Rebels to a 7-3 win at Green Mountain. Goddard and Jordan Gouger each had three hits for the 9-3 Rebels.
• Eleven errors by Twin Valley were to blame in a 21-5 home loss to West Rutland May 14. Sammy Cunningham-Darrah and Colton Butler each had a pair of hits for the Wildcats, and Christina Moore tripled and drove in a run.
The Wildcats turned it around two days later with a 19-4 win over Long Trail. Moore was the winning pitcher and helped herself by going four for four with three RBIs. Butler had three hits and drove in three runs.
Track and field
• The Bellows Falls boys' and girls' track teams both finished fifth in the Connecticut Valley Conference qualifying meet in Windsor on May 7.
David Dunbar won the high jump and long jump to lead the BF boys, while TJ Bernier added seconds in the 110 and 300 meter hurdles and a third in the discus. Jamie Moore was runner-up in the 800. Enny Mustapha led the BF girls with a win in the shot put, and seconds in the discus and javelin. Brit Moyna took second in the pole vault, third in the 300 hurdles and fourth in the 100 hurdles.
The Brattleboro boys finished ninth, while the girls placed 13th. Paxton Reed was third in the triple jump for the Colonel boys. Miles Goldenbird was fourth in the javelin, and the 4x800 relay team of Mike Cioffi, Spencer Olson, Dan Burke and Ryan Gilligan was also fourth.
• The BF teams followed up that performance by winning a five-team meet at Fall Mountain on May 14.
The Terrier boys scored 227 points to take first place. Bernier led, winning the 110 hurdles and discus. Other winners included Moore (1,600), Dunbar (high jump), Brian McAnuff (300 hurdles), Jacob Hodsden (shot put), Kendrick Mills (pole vault), and Tim Jones (800).
The BF girls also rolled with 153.5 points to win their meet. Finishing first for the Terriers were: Chapin Reis (800), Moyna (pole vault), Cassidy Santorelli (300 hurdles), Mariah Barnett (400), Mustapha (shot put), and the 4x00 relay team of Anna Clark, Nieva Schemm, Ashley Palmisano and Moyna.
• The Brattleboro boys' and girls' track teams swept a four-school meet with Windsor, Mill River, and Rutland on May 16.
Ursula Casey won the long jump and triple jump, while Guendolyn Harris added a victory in the 400, and helped the Colonel girls win the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
Jonathon Burdo (110 and 300 hurdles) and Josh Parro (long jump, triple jump) were multiple winners for the Brattleboro boys. Other winners included Austin Nichols (200), Kadin Maile (shot put), Sam Sherlock (javelin), and Michael Cioffi (3,000). The boys also finished first in three different relays.
Tennis
• The Brattleboro boys cruised to a 6-1 win over Hartford on May 13 at the BUHS courts as the Colonels' top singles players got the day off. Playing in the No. 1 singles spot, Tony Acevedo won in straight sets, as did Lochlan Francis at No. 3 and Gideon May at No. 4. Brattleboro won the No. 5 singles and No. 2 doubles by forfeit, and the No. 1 doubles team of Jake Gartenstein and Luke Cionci came out on top.
The next day, the Colonels defeated Mount Anthony, 5-2, in Bennington. In singles play No. 1 Isaiah Ungerleider won 6-2, 6-2, while No. 2 Asa Lane earned a 6-3, 6-1 victory, No. 3 Benson May took a 6-2, 6-4 decision, and No. 5 Oliver Goodman prevailed 6-3, 4-6, 10-8. At No. 2 doubles, Brattleboro's Cionci and Gartenstein won 6-1, 6-2.
Last Friday, the Colonels picked up their 10th straight win with a 6-1 rout of Woodstock. It was closer than the final score would indicate, as three of the Brattleboro matches were settled on tiebreakers. After four losses to start the season, the Colonels are now 10-4.
• The Brattleboro girls lost 4-3 at Hartford on May 13. The Colonels swept the doubles matches with No. 1 Kara Piergentili and Linnea Jahn winning 6-1, 6-3 and No. 2 Anna Kerlin-Smith and Aliza Racine winning 6-2, 6-3. Unfortunately, they could only win one singles match against Hartford, as No. 5 Jennifer Hutton won 6-2, 6-4.
On May 16, the Colonels were shut out by Mount Anthony, 7-0. The two doubles matches both went to tiebreakers, but the Colonels couldn't get the decisive point.
Last Friday, the Colonels avenged the loss that started the week with a 5-2 win over Hartford at the BUHS courts. Brattleboro swept the doubles matches, and battled the Hurricanes in singles play. No. 1 Aidan Early (6-3, 6-3), No. 2 Halle Lange (7-6, 6-4), and No. 4 Katie Tsukamoto (5-7, 6-4, 10-6) were the singles winners in a hard-fought match that improved Brattleboro's record to 5-7.
Little League
• The Pirates are running away from the pack after the first three weeks of play in the Brattleboro Little League. They remain undefeated at 6-0.
Tied for second are the Athletics (2-2) and the Red Sox (3-3), while the Cardinals (2-3) and Giants (2-3) are tied for third, and the Royals (1-5) trail the field.