-It always means more to win a game on Senior Day, and the Brattleboro Bears baseball team made the most of the positive vibes with a 5-1 win over the Fair Haven Slaters at Tenney Field on May 22.
This was a game where everything fell into place for the 2-9 Bears. Senior Sean Cozza pitched a complete game for the win, striking out seven batters. After giving up a run in the first inning, he threw six scoreless innings and got plenty of run support and defense from his teammates.
“We got pretty good pitching, we played pretty solid defense, and we got timely hits,” said Bears head coach Chris Groeger. “When you do that, you give yourself a chance.”
After Derek Webb’s two-out RBI single in the first inning gave the Slaters a 1-0 lead, the Bears responded with two runs off three singles in the bottom of the first. Briar Cutting and Cozza both scored on a base hit to shallow center field by Wylie Nelson off Slaters starting pitcher Cody Adams.
The Bears added to their lead in the second when Bowen Kunkle reached base on an infield single and scored on a two-out RBI double by Cutting. Another Bears run came home in the fifth when Cozza was hit by a pitch, and Noah Gagne, a courtesy runner for Cozza, scored on an RBI single by Cooper LaFlam. Kmar Hall got the Bears’ final run in the sixth when he hit a double to left and scored on another RBI single by Cutting.
Earlier in the week, the Bears lost 10-0 to Keene on May 19, and lost 12-2 to Mount Anthony on May 20.
Baseball
• With so many rainouts this spring, Bellows Falls had to cram four games into five days last week. The busy week started May 19 with a 7-4 loss to Burr & Burton at Hadley Field. Steven Joslyn led off the game with a two-run homer in the first inning and Jaden Bazin went 2-for-3, but the Terriers were held in check by winning pitcher Kaden Downey, who threw six innings in relief of starter Ryan Cramer. The Bulldogs rallied from a 3-0 deficit to score seven runs in the middle innings to clinch the win.
BF bounced back with a 15-0 drubbing of Green Mountain in a five-inning game in Chester on May 21, then swept a day-night doubleheader at Hadley Field on May 23 with a 3-1 win over Hartford in the first game and a 15-3 victory over Springfield in the second game to improve to 10-3 heading into the final week of the regular season.
• Leland & Gray had three games last week. On May 18 in Townshend, the Rebels lost to Springfield, 12-7, as Logan Merrow and Chase Bialy each drove in four runs for the Cosmos. On May 21 in Woodstock, the Rebels lost, 12-3. After two losses to higher division teams, the Rebels downed a Division IV foe on May 23 with a 12-2 road win against Arlington. The Rebels finished the week at 9-3 with the No. 2 ranking in Division IV.
• Twin Valley opened the week with a 14-10 loss at Arlington on May 19. The Wildcats then notched their highest run total of the season with a 15-7 win over Proctor at Baker Field to improve to 6-4. Twin Valley is now ranked No. 5 in Division IV.
Softball
• Brattleboro had its best week of the season with a pair of wins. On May 18, the Bears beat Rutland, 16-2, for their first road win of the season and a sweep of their season series.
The Bears broke open a close game with three runs in the third, fourth, and fifth innings, followed by seven runs in the seventh. Brattleboro had 15 hits, with Alyssa Jones and Erika Fletcher each with three hits. Kennedy Unaitis struck out seven and benefited from strong defense in the field to earn the win.
Brattleboro then lost to Mount Anthony, 8-0, on May 20 in Bennington before coming home to Sawyer Field on May 22 for a 10-0 rout of Fair Haven to improve to 3-9.
• Bellows Falls needed eight innings to defeat Burr & Burton, 4-3, in Westminster on May 19. Bri Mulverhill went the distance for the win, striking out nine, walking five, and giving up just three hits. Grace Hayes went 3-for-4 and Jaelyn Fletcher had two hits and drove in two runs. Against West Rutland on May 23, the Terriers were held to just four hits in an 8-1 loss. Brook Parker drove in the only run for BF, now 9-3 and ranked No. 2 in Division III.
• Leland & Gray took a pair of home games against Poultney (9-5 on May 19) and Green Mountain (25-8 on May 21) before a trip to Manchester on May 23 to face Burr & Burton. The Bulldogs won, 15-11, for only the third loss of the season for the 9-3 Rebels, who are far behind the only team that has beaten them this year, West Rutland, in the Division IV rankings.
Track and Field
• The Brattleboro girls finished second to Burr & Burton in the Southern Vermont League A Division championships in Manchester on May 22.
Teagan Thurber was second in the 300 meter hurdles in 49.17 seconds and third in the 100 meter hurdles (17.20), Amanda Montalva was fourth in the 800 meters (2:41.51), Amara Tuma was fifth in the 100 hurdles (17.28), Hailey Richards was fifth in the 100 meters (13.74), Bethany Traudt was fifth in the 300 hurdles (1:18.44), and Margaux DesJardins was sixth in the 200 (28.87). In the relay events, the Brattleboro quartet of Tuma, DesJardins, Keelin Rosinski, and Richards won the 4x100 in 53.40, and the foursome of Olivia Brown, Stella Thies, Lydia Donohue, and Montalva was third in the 4x800 in 11:53.60.
In the field events, Richards won the pole vault (10 feet), Rosalie Schneski was fourth in discus (61 feet, 5 inches) and javelin (75-03), while Thies (4-02) and Evelyn Paine (4-02) were third and fourth in high jump, Sage Holmes was fifth in pole vault (6-06), and Maeve Bald was fifth in shot put (23-02.5).
• The Brattleboro boys finished fourth in that meet, behind Mount Anthony, Rutland, and Springfield.
Stockton Woodruff won the 400 in 53.15 seconds while Nico Conathan-Leach took the 3,000 in 9:10.84. Colby Weaver was fifth in the 100 (11.87) and 200 (23.95), Jonas Ackerman-Hovis was fifth in the 800 (2:16.55), Jackson Ferreira was fifth in the 1,500 (4:34.18) and sixth in the 3,000 (9:58.29). The relay team of Ackerman-Hovis, Willow Sharma, Conathan-Leach, and Ferreira won the 4x800 in 8:42.13.
In the field events, Teagan LaValley was second in the triple jump (43 feet, 9.25 inches), Noah Duell was fourth in high jump (5-06), Clayton Rondeau was fifth in discus (74-09) and shot put (34-7.5), and Maxwell Becker was sixth in discus (72-10).
Girls’ tennis
• Brattleboro is still winless, but the Bears were quite competitive in a 5-2 loss to Woodstock on May 20 at the BUHS courts. The Bears’ two wins came in singles play as No. 1 Vivian Elliot beat Chiara Winawer-Stein 7-6 (4), 6-2 and No. 5 Ida DesJardins defeated Katie Keown 7-5, 7-5.
In two close matches that ended in losses for the Bears, Paige Renaud was defeated by Woodstock’s Caroline Adams 3-6, 6-0, 12-10 in a super tiebreaker at No. 4 singles, while Sylvia Plitt and Drea Murowski lost against Woodstock’s Maggie Knox and Adelle Danilchick 3-6, 6-7 (8) at No. 1 doubles.
• Bellows Falls was narrowly defeated by Rutland, 4-3, on May 21. The 1-7 Terriers had wins at No. 1 singles as Natalie Douglass beat Rutland’s Brooke Flewelling 6-4, 6-1, and No. 2 Avery Dole beat Rutland’s Chelsea Pond 6-2, 6-4. BF’s Anna King and Gracie Patterson beat Sierra McMorrow and Kinsley Rodrigue 6-1, 6-0 at No. 1 doubles.
Lacrosse
• The Brattleboro boys finished the week at 7-4. On May 19 in Manchester, the Bears lost to Burr & Burton, 11-4. The next day, the Bears got a road win, 10-8, over Randolph. On Senior Night on May 22 at Natowich Field, the Bears lost 11-3 to Woodstock.
• The Brattleboro girls picked up their first win of the season with a 10-7 victory over Stratton Mountain School on May 19. The Bears then lost to Rutland, 10-3, on May 23 to fall to 1-9.
Ultimate disc
• Brattleboro lost 13-12 in overtime to Mill River on May 19 under the lights at Natowich Field. It was the first-ever Ultimate win for the Minutemen. The Bears bounced back with a 15-6 win over Grace Christian School on May 21 to improve to 5-4.
Take an ice cream ride to Guilford
• Brattleboro Community for Active Transportation (BCAT) is a group that describes itself as “committed to growing our robust bicycle culture, building bicycle community, and promoting bicycle safety.”
BCAT has been hosting monthly social community bicycle rides on the first Monday of the month. The next ride on June 1 will be an out and back ride from Living Memorial Park to the Blueberry Haus in Guilford. Cyclists will meet in the lower parking lot at Living Memorial Park at 6:15 p.m. and ride together, caravan style, over the 3 hilly miles along Guilford Street and Creamery Road to the Blueberry Haus. After enjoying ice cream, the caravan will ride back.
This as a family friendly event, with traditional bicycles, e-bikes, cargo bikes, and other one, two or three wheel (mostly) self-propelled contraptions all welcome, For more information, email bcat-bratt@googlegroups.com.
Softball tourney benefits Tyler Gilbert Scholarship Fund
• The Tyler Gilbert Memorial Softball Tournament takes place on May 30 and 31 at Living Memorial Park in Brattleboro. There will be raffle prizes, and food will be provided by Mama T’s and 802 Soul Kitchen.
All net proceeds from the tournament benefit will go toward the Tyler Gilbert Memorial Scholarship Fund, which was established at Brattleboro Union High School to honor the life of Tyler, who was killed by his father in a murder-suicide on Aug. 4, 2021. He was 12 years old and about to enter seventh grade at Brattleboro Area Middle School that fall.
The scholarship, set up by Tyler’s mother, Christie, has awarded $5,000, to date, to graduating seniors at BUHS who wish to continue their education. If you wish to make a contribution, make your check payable to the Tyler Gilbert Memorial Scholarship Fund and send it to Windham Southeast Supervisory Union, Attention: Jody Nutting, 53 Green St., Brattleboro, VT 05301.
Senior bowling roundup
• Week 3 of the spring/summer season of the Brattleboro Senior Bowling League at Brattleboro Bowl on May 21 saw Number 1 (12-3) take sole possession of first place, followed by Slo Movers and Queen ‘n’ Joker (both 10-5), Skippers, Near Miss, and Pin Heads (all 9-6), Strike Force (8-7), The House (6-9), Ducks (2-13), and Team Two (0-15).
Andrea Papanek had the women’s high handicap game (242) and series (702). Gary Montgomery had the men’s high handicap game (248) and Robert Rigby had the high handicap series (684). The House had the high team handicap game (876) and Number 1 had the high handicap series (2,518).
Rigby had the men’s high scratch series (684) with games of 245, 224, and 215, while Kevin Napaver had a 611 series with games of 227 and 194. Warren Corriveau Sr. had a 541 series with a 198 game, Montgomery had a 529 series with a 223 game, and Stan Kolpa had a 203 game.
Papanek had the women’s high scratch series (558), with games of 194, 183, and 181. Carol Gloski had a 503 series with games of 180 and 179, and Nancy Dalzell had games of 171 and 168.
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 news@commonsnews.org.
This Sports column by Randolph T. Holhut was written for The Commons.