Little League roundup
• On July 8 at South Main Street Field, the Brattleboro 12-year-old All-Stars rolled to 14-0 win over Rutland in four innings.
Tucker Sargent was the big star at the plate, going 3-for-3 with seven RBIs. Sargent set the tone with a three-run homer, and Degan Gundry followed up with a solo home run. Brattleboro also got big hits from Will Hill, Will Miskovich, Charlie Clark, and Ben Berg.
On the mound, Brandon Weeks struck out five batters in the two innings he pitched. Teammate Karson Elliott wasn't as dominant, but still kept Rutland from scoring as he worked out of a couple of jams.
The two teams met again in Rutland on July 10, with the winner going on to start a best-of-three series with undefeated Bennington, and Brattleboro won the rain-shortened contest, 8-0.
Brattleboro pitchers Clark and Troy Forkin combined on the shutout, and did not give up a hit. Nick Gerard had three hits and drove in four runs to lead the offense. Hill and Emery each added two hits and two runs scored.
This set up a best-of-three showdown with previously undefeated Bennington for the District 2 title. Brattleboro showed plenty of grit as they rallied from a 9-4 deficit in the sixth inning to win the game, 12-10, in eight innings in Bennington on July 12.
Weeks started the rally with a two-run homer in the sixth, and Gerard completed the comeback with a three-run homer in the eighth. Gerard had three hits and scored three runs. Forkin, Hill, Gundry, and Emery all had key hits in the game.
In right field, Clark threw out a baserunner and made a diving catch of a fly ball in the eighth inning to preserve the win. Forkin started on the mound for Brattleboro and lasted into the fourth inning. Emery came on and struck out five batters over three innings, and Weeks entered the game in the eighth to close out the win.
• Bennington completed its sweep of the Brattleboro 10-year-old All-Stars with a 16-6 win on July 11. Hayden Avard was the losing pitcher, but he got a hit a drove in a pair of runs. Leadoff hitter Kymarion Hall also got a base hit and scored a run, and Sean Cozza, Brady Sparks, and Lucas Lamorder each had a base hit. Cozza and Lamorder each scored two runs.
Bennington now advances into the state tournament, which starts on July 21.
Babe Ruth roundup
• Zinabu McNeice pitched the Brattleboro 14-year-old All-Stars to an 11-1 win over St. Albans in the opening game of the Vermont State Babe Ruth Baseball Tournament at Tenney Field on July 12.
McNeice and Aaron Petrie each drove in three runs.
• In the 15-year-old state tournament in Winooski, Brattleboro beat St. Albans, 6-3, on July 12.
Legion roundup
• Chris Frost went 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI and stole two bases and to spark Brattleboro Post 5 team to a 7-3 victory over Bellows Falls Post 37 in American Legion baseball action on July 12 at Hadley Field.
Tommy Carroll and Tyler Millerick each hit a double and pitcher Tanner Bell went six innings for the win.
Senior bowling roundup
• There's a new leader after Week 11 of the summer season of the Brattleboro Senior Bowling League. Team 3 (36-19) had a 5-0 week to move into first place, and Team 2 (35-20) had a 1-4 week to fall into second place. Team 9 and Team 7 (both 31-24) are now tied for third, followed by Team 1 (29-26), Team 8 (27-28), Team 4 and Team 6 (both 26-29), and Team 5 (21-31).
Mary Parliman had the women's high handicap game (259) and series (708), while Doug Switzer had the men's high handicap game (278) and series (760). Team 9 had the high team handicap game (891), while Team 4 had the high handicap series (2,541).
In scratch scoring, Gary Montgomery (567), Switzer (532), and Jerry Dunham (514) each rolled a 500-plus series. Montgomery had a 206 game, while Fred Bump had a 205 game, and Switzer had a 202.