Alvirne Defeats Campbell in Dramatic Fashion
by Tom Roye
In the latest installment of what has become a friendly rivalry, the Class M Campbell Cougars gave the Class L Alvirne Broncos all they could handle before succumbing 5 - 4 in 10 innings on Thursday, May 29. Spectators from both teams were treated to an outstanding high school baseball game that featured timely hitting, spectacular defense and clutch pitching by both teams. Playing for the fourth time in five years, players on both teams look forward to competing against one another. “We play with most of these guys in the summer,” said Alvirne second baseman Ryan MacDonald, adding, “so we know they’re a good team.” The mutual respect extends to the coaching staffs. “When these teams get together there is no class distinction, except the class that both teams show on the field,” said Campbell Coach Jim Gorham.
Defense and pitching dominated early as the two teams remained scoreless for the first several innings. Alvirne standouts included centerfielder, and eventual winning pitcher Korey LeLievre, who ran down several balls in the gap including a spectacular sliding catch in left center that thwarted a Cougar rally. First baseman Travis Terrill contributed a pair of highlight defensive plays as well with his two over-the shoulder-diving catches. Shortstop Kevin Weaver played solid defense in the middle of the Bronco infield.
The visiting Cougars were not without their own impressive defensive display as centerfielder Dan Taschereau and shortstop Cullan Baker made multiple difficult plays appear routine. Second baseman Taylor Hall stopped an apparent Alvirne big inning by spearing a line drive and turning it into an unassisted, rally-killing double play. The Broncos had loaded the bases against Campbell starting pitcher Gabe Williams with one out. Gorham had pulled in the Campbell infield, and Hall’s impressive grab saved two certain Bronco runs. Baker and Cougar catcher Phil Walsh later combined on a perfect pitchout, stopping an Alvirne suicide squeeze attempt and saving another run.
Both teams featured clutch hitting in the back-and-forth contest with MacDonald (four hits including the game-winning RBI double), and LeLievre (three hits with an RBI) leading the way for Alvirne. Matt Topper, Alex Jones and Kyle Brigham each added two hits for the Broncos.
Baker and John Coughlin led the Cougar attack as they combined for three RBIs as Campbell erased a three-run deficit and took a 4 - 3 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning. “I thought our kids showed a lot of heart coming back like they did in the seventh inning,” said Gorham, “but that’s the way we’ve played all year.”
Alvirne starter Brian Patinskas and Campbell starter Williams took control of the game early, keeping both teams off the scoreboard. The Broncos broke through in the fifth and sixth innings to grab a 3 - 0 lead. Baker relieved Williams for Campbell and pitched effectively right through the 10th inning. On the Alvirne side Adam Hagman relieved Patinskas and kept the Broncos in the game before handing the ball over to LeLievre in the sixth.
The intense contest should prove a valuable tournament warm-up for both teams. On Thursday, June 5, the Broncos (10 - 10) traveled to Pinkerton Academy for their preliminary round game in the Class L state tournament. Campbell (14 - 3) hosted rival Newport on the same date. Results of those games were not available at press time.
The outstanding play on the field was matched by the mutual respect and sportsmanship exhibited by both squads. “The kids look forward to this every year,” said Alvirne coach Mike Lee. “This is our big rivalry game. It’s great for both communities.” Gorham echoed his counterpart’s sentiments. “The only thing missing from this experience was the barbecue afterwards,” he said. Maybe next year, coach!
Alvirne Tennis Season Concludes
by Sue LaRoche
The girls’ and boys’ tennis teams sent representatives to the individual tournament sponsored by the NHIAA this past weekend. This tournament features the top 32 players from all classes combined (Class L, I, M and S). Players must qualify for this tournament and be selected by the committee in order to participate.
For the girls, Alexa Trearchis was selected, and won her first round match against her opponent from Bishop Brady. Unfortunately, she came up against the number one seed for the tournament and lost a tough match in the next round.
Kayla Belanger, who had been overlooked by the selection committee, got into the tournament due to a scratch and made the best of her opportunity. Belanger dominated in her first round match winning 8 - 2 but lost a tough 8 - 6 battle against the number four seed for the tournament.
In doubles, Alexa and her sister Deanna were selected but lost 8 - 3 in the first round to formidable opponents.
For the boys, Jie Gu was selected for the singles tournament. His opponent was from Manchester Central. Gu went down 4 - 1 and 5 - 2 but valiantly fought back getting as close as 6 - 5 but eventually lost 8 - 5.
In doubles, the team of Gu and Bob Gaudet lost to Goffstown and Ben Rennie and Kasper Haugbolle lost to the number three seeded team in the tournament from ConVal.
All in all, both the girls and boys teams had successful seasons with relatively fresh faces. The girls finished at 8 - 6 tied for seventh in Class L. The boys finished 9 - 5, and also tied for seventh in Class L. Unfortunately in tiebreakers, both teams were excluded from the team tournament. With a good portion of both teams back, there are high hopes for next year.
Campbell High School Sports Round-up
May 31
Varsity Track: Ally Lajoie flew to a third place finish in the 200 and 400 meter run. Jess Fabiano finished sixth in the 300 hurdles and seventh in the pole vault. Andrew Cialek cruised to a third place finish in the 110 hurdles and fourth place in the 300 hurdles. Jordan Spencer jumped 12 feet to finish first in the pole vault. Ally, Andrew and Jordan will continue on to the Meet of Champions.
May 29
Varsity Baseball: The Cougars closed out the regular season with a very tough loss in 10 innings to Alvirne 5 – 4. Trailing 3 – 0 entering the seventh inning the Cougars scored four times with key hits by Cullen Baker’s double driving in the first two runs and John Coughlin’s single, scoring Gabe Williams to give the Cougars the lead 4 – 3. Alvirne tied in the bottom of the seventh then won it in the 10th with three solid hits.
May 28
Varsity Softball: Jacquie Landry pitched a complete game two-hitter as Campbell beat Newport 10 – 1. Shannon Mellen, Julie Anne Fernandez and Erin McLaughlin each had three hits for Campbell. The Lady Cougars end their regular season with a record of 10 – 6 and will play their first round tournament game next Wednesday.
Varsity Baseball: The Cougars defeated a pesky Newport squad 5 – 4 to move to 14 – 2 on the season. John Coughlin tossed six strong innings leaving the game with a 4 to 2 lead (Coughlin helping his own cause with a three-run homer in the third inning) only to have Newport tie the game in the top of the seventh.
Ryan Stackpole’s single and aggressive base running to second in the bottom of the eighth set the stage for Gabe Williams’ heroics when he singled (his fourth hit of the game, the third time he has done that this season) to centerfield scoring Stackpole with the winning run. Dan Taschereau picked up the win improving his record 4 – 0 this season.
May 23
Varsity Baseball: The Cougars rallied in the seventh inning scoring nine runs on 10 hits with Cullen Baker’s three-run homerun tying the game 16 – 16. Mascenic eventually scored in the bottom of the eighth bringing the score 16 – 17. John Coughlin joined Baker with four hits, Peter Plansky had five RBIs and Tyler Bonin had four RBIs.
Varsity Softball: Hayley Kmon and Jacquie Landry combined for a one-hitter as the team beat Mascenic 4 – 1.
May 21
Varsity Baseball: The team beat Conant 10 – 5. Leading the way for the Cougars was Kiethen Craig with two hits, two RBIs. Tommy McCue also had a hit and two RBIs.
HMS Girls Track Team Third at State Meet
submitted by Frank Girginis
Youth and inexperience were the two factors going into the season for the girls track team, with most of last years team going on to the high school this was supposed to be a rebuilding year. Well hold on for a minute. Who says a group of mostly seventh and sixth graders can’t go and place in the top three at states? Going into the state meet the talk was the Hudson Memorial School girls were going to finish fifth or sixth, they were just too young to pull off a top-three finish. That is where the leaders of the team, Lucy Torres, Lauren Lacraw, and Chrissy Rowe and Kayla Jarry, the only eight graders who made it to states set the example for their young team to follow. Rowe started it off with a personal best jump of 14-feet-1 in the long jump and placed second overall. Torres also had a personal best in the discus and finished third while also finishing second in the shot put. While the eighth graders were leading by example it was now time for the youth of the team to step up and for Kendall Brigham to leave her mark.
Seventh grader Brigham, last year’s fifth-place finisher at states as a sixth grader, was out to prove what ability she has by winning the 100-meter dash, placing second in the 200-meter and fifth in the long jump. The 4 x 100 relay team, which included Brigham, seventh grader Mikayla Cunningham, Rowe, and sixth grader Sydney Thomas also had their best relay of the year and in doing so earned a first place finish while breaking the state record. The girls 4 x 200, which included seventh graders Ericka Notini, Ashley Guy, Elizabeth Trusdell, and sixth grader Sandi Purcell also had their best run of the season, ran to a photo finish and placed second.
Overall it was a great day for the girls. They had personal bests, exceeded expectations and earned a third-place finish, of which all can be proud.
State meet participants: Eighth grade: Lucy Torre, captain; Chrissy Rowe, captain; Lauren Lacraw; and Kayla Jarry. Seventh grade: Kendall Brigham, Mikayla Cunningham, Erica Notini, Sara Rosseti, Alicia Gillis, Elizebeth Trusdell, Janelle Kelly, Marissa Kulis and Alison Bendal. Sixth grade: Sydney Thomas, Gina Conteh, Sal Conteh, Sandi Purcell, Lydia Lyman and Tori LaRoach.
LMS Lady Raiders Undisputed Champs
On Friday, May 30, the Litchfield Middle School (LMS) Lady Raiders completed their season’s journey with perfection while capturing their second consecutive Tri-County Championship title. The season went without a blemish and extended LMS’s unbeatable streak to 23, giving them back-to-back undefeated seasons.
The team cruised into the playoffs with fire in their eyes and a desire in their heart with a record of 9 – 0. They defeated the Hampstead Hawks 12 – 0 in the semi-final with a sparkling pitching performance from Lauryn Kmon, who struck out 11 and allowed only one hit in the five-inning game.
The Raiders jumped out to an early lead in the first when, with the bases loaded, seventh grader Chelsea Caynon strolled to the plate and blasted a rocket that cleared the fence in left center field. The crowd roared as she rounded the bases. Erin King and Aly O’Donnell added two hits apiece. Sam Radcliffe, Julia Marra, Brittney McNulla, Kristen Frost, and Becca Arnone played solid defense in the win.
The finals against Sanborn Middle School were a little different. After three and a half innings, the score was deadlocked at zero. A little bit of concern started to build with the fans.
The confidence never wavered in Allie Nolan, the young ace from Litchfield, 5 – 0 in the season. In fact, she only got better as the game went on, striking out 12 and allowing only a bunt hit to the first batter of the game. The Lady Raiders scored six runs in the bottom of the fourth and then added two more in the fifth. Then, in the sixth, after being intentionally walked all game, Chelsea Caynon hit a three-run shot out of the park. Building the lead to 11 – 0, this put the game out of reach and ended the season with a bang. Erin King had three more hits while Shannon Lavigne, Liz Pettis, Becca Arnone and Aly O’Donnell each had two hits and Britney McNulla had a triple. Casey Mellen starred in the field.
Congratulations girls on a job well done; you’ve met and exceeded all the challenges given to you. Mission accomplished.
Manchester Falls to Boston 38 - 7
submitted by Rich Parkinson
The Manchester Freedom traveled to Somerville, Massachusetts, to face the Boston Militia in Independent Woman’s Football League action Saturday evening. Manchester, a Tier 2 team elevated a division class on its schedule to play Boston, a Tier 1 team.
Tiers are based on roster size. Manchester dressed 25 players, Boston 46. Manchester received the opening kickoff, and began a nine-minute 60-yard drive that ended with a missed field goal. That would prove to be the most effective drive Manchester had. The Boston offense scored two touchdowns in the first quarter, one of which was a 60-yard touchdown pass. Manchester scored its only touchdown of the day late in the second quarter when quarterback Lauri Izzi connected with Jamie Naylor for a 54-yard touchdown pass. The first half ended Boston 24 Manchester 7.
The Manchester defense played strong all day. Christine Halloran who was recovering from a concussion suffered in practice, led the Manchester defense with six tackles. Jen Pirog added five tackles, while Nisa Packert, Katia Pashkevitz and Darren Hood Tucker each had four tackles.
The Manchester ground game was led by Pashkevitz who had 60 yards on 22 tough carries. Izzi completed five of 14 passes for 80 yards, and one touchdown. For the game, Manchester had 221 yards.
The Freedom pride was evident throughout the game, as they fought hard and competed until the last whistle. Unfortunately, Boston’s passing game, speed at the running back position and the ability to substitute fresh players, proved to be too much for Manchester to overcome. During the post-game meeting the coaching staff told the players they were proud of the effort, and that tough games like this is what builds champions.
Manchester faces another Tier 1 opponent Saturday, June 7, as they host the Baltimore Nighthawks at Manchester West High School. Kickoff is at 4 p.m. Tickets can be bought at the gate.
Hudson Revolution Wins Big 4 - 2
submitted by Bob Barry
Hudson Revolution soccer U/13 division under the coaching of Bill Eaton and John Sirvydas nailed a big win Saturday against the Timberwolves from Timberlane 4 - 2. This was its first win of the season and a big win it was. The boys played so well with the defense of Jacob the “G” man Giordani and Cam Cormay. Cam and Jacob saved two potential goals from going in and redirected the ball to the sidelines. Between them they tamed the wolves’ offensive drives and sent them chasing the ball up field repeatedly. Goalie Adam Chandonnet played one of his best games of the year by far. Reading the opponents progress up field and cutting off so many attempts, he sent the wolves packing back into their den.
Jacob had two assists on goals from Richie Eaton and Kmau Higgins. Richie’s passing was superb, setting up Aaron Bellamo for one of his two goals, to making so many plays you would need an ESPN camera crew to cover all of his stuff. Aaron was another one who could do no wrong. His game was poetry in action. From headers and kicks, to blocked shots back on defense, he was a weapon of mass destruction against Timberlane.
Defense, that was the key to Hudson’s success. Mike Deminico, PJ Martineau and Joan Villanueva each added to our goalie’s great game. Blocking shots and keeping the ball down the other end where our offense of Mike Sirvydas and Dan Teague took over and kept the pressure on Timberlane till the end. Kmau’s soccer skills were right on. He constantly pressured the Timberwolves and created many opportunities for Hudson.
Dan Teague was a player who truly stood tall among his teammates. It was his 110 percent extra effort along with others like Mike Pease, Jesse Pettis and Sean Barry that insured Hudson to finally get what it deserved, a game in the win column. Great work boys. See, good things do come to those who wait.
Hudson Gets Revenge in Title Game at Woodbury
by Tommy Gates
Hudson Memorial’s Taylor Carbone lost a tough 4 - 0 game to Woodbury in the regular season, but she was on fire last Monday afternoon at Brian Memorial Field in Salem. Carbone shut down the Woodbury offense on two hits, while striking out nine over the first five innings. Hudson would hold on to win the Tri-County League title with a 4 - 2 victory over the 11 - 1 Woodbury girls.
Brittney Hall gave up back-to-back singles to Hudson’s first two batters before the next batter hit one off the fence. Seventh grader Hannah Latham did a nice job of retrieving the ball from the fence, and although Hudson scored a run, Woodbury kept the runners at first and second. With one out, another single produced another run, but Woodbury got two Hudson runners in a run down. One would score and the other was safe, making it a 3 - 0 Hudson lead before Woodbury even got to the plate. Hall would single with one out in the Woodbury first inning, but Carbone would strike out all three Woodbury batters.
Coach Rino Beninati decided to use Nicole Gubellini out of the bullpen and she set the side down in order in the second inning. Carbone was sailing along by setting down eight batters in a row until Sarah Frahm drew a walk with two outs in the fourth inning, but she was stranded there. Gubellini got a great unassisted double play by Rachel Morrissey to get out of the third inning and was sailing all the way through the sixth inning. Woodbury’s bats finally came alive in the last of the sixth inning, Sammi Cloutier led off with a single, but would be thrown out attempting to steal second. That run would loom large as Hall followed with her second hit of the game and Alex Borelli hit a hard shot at second base that couldn’t be handled. Sarah Frahm then reached on an error by the shortstop as Hall scored to cut Hudson’s lead to 3 - 1. Rachel Morrissey followed with an RBI single to make it a 3 - 2 game, but Carbone got out of the inning still leading 3 - 2 when she got Woodbury’s last two batters to pop to second and ground out to second base.
Carbone then gave herself a little breathing room as she led off the top of the seventh inning by hitting a double off the left field fence. Gubellini got the next two batters on a fly to left and a strikeout, but the next batter hit a grounder to second that took a funny hop into right field and scored Carbone to make it a 4 - 2 game. Jackie Cone drew a walk with one out in the last of the seventh, but Cloutier lined a shot up the first base line that was gloved and turned into a double play to end the game. It was a terrific pitching duel between these two top-notch teams, and you’d never know that they were only seventh and eighth graders by watching them play. Woodbury ended their season with 11 - 1 and Coach Beninati will be giving me a year in review next week on what sixth and seventh grade talent that he has coming back.
Coach Rino Beninati’s softball girls started off their title run by hosting Merrimack last week in the Tri-County League semi-final game. Woodbury had beaten Merrimack twice in the regular season by scores of 12 - 0 and 9 - 0, but Merrimack started off hitting the ball a little better the third time around. Merrimack got a run off Brittney Hall in the first inning on two singles, an error, and a fielder’s choice. Then Merrimack got another run on a triple and fielder’s choice in the second inning, but that’s all they’d do against Hall in her three innings on the mound. Woodbury got a pair of runs in the first inning and blew it wide open with six runs in the second inning, with all of them coming with two outs. The Woodbury girls scored in all five innings and took this game 15 - 3 to earn their ticket to the championship game against Hudson.
Brittney Hall earned the win, going three innings and giving up one earned run on three hits, while striking out five and walking nobody. Fire-baller Nicole Gubellini came in to pitch the last two innings. She didn’t allow a hit and whiffed four batters without a walk. Hall walked in the first inning and tied the game at 1 - 1 when Alex Borelli roped a long triple. Sarah Frahm doubled home Borelli for a 2 - 1 lead. Merrimack was able to tie the score at 2 - 2 in the top of the second, but the Woodbury bats came alive in the last of the second inning.
Rachel Morrissey led off with a walk and went to second on Hannah Latham’s single. Woodbury then had a bunt hit her foot out of the batters box for one out and a pop up short for two outs. Brittney Hall had a two-strike count on her and Coach Beninati didn’t think anything would happen in this inning.
Beninati said, “Brittney fought off a couple of nice pitches for foul balls and earned a walk to load the bases and then we got five straight hits. It was a great at bat for Hall.” Borelli followed with a two-run single, Frahm had an RBI double, Stephanie Long had a bunt single to score a run, Amanda Baron had an RBI single and Morrissey knocked in Woodbury’s eighth run with a hit. Now Woodbury led 8 - 2 and never looked back. They scored three more runs in the third inning when Latham reached on a two base error in centerfield. Jackie Cone knocked her in with a single, and Sammi Cloutier sacrificed her to second base. Hall singled to drive home Cone and she’d later score on Borelli’s fielder’s choice. Borelli and Frahm led Woodbury with three hits apiece, but all their attention was focused on Hudson coming to town Monday for the league championship.
email: news@areanewsgroup.com Copyright © 2007 Area News Group