Last week was a rough one for the Bellows Falls Post 37 American Legion baseball team.
The week started out promising for Post 37 with a doubleheader split with Rutland Post 31 on June 25 at St. Peter's Field.
Rutland had a 7-run inning on the way to a 10-2 win in the opener, but Bellows Falls had a 6-run inning in the second game and held on for a 7-5 win. With a win over Post 31 two days earlier at Hadley Field, Post 37 had a 2-1 season series lead against one of the top teams in the Southern Division.
• Next up for Post 37 was a pair of home games against Brattleboro Post 5. The first game on June 27 got rained out, but the weather held off for the June 29 contest, which Brattleboro won, 9-4.
Brattleboro got a run in the first inning on an RBI single by Tommy Carroll. Kam Pelkey drove in another run in the second inning. Post 5 then got 3 runs in the sixth inning off a double by Dan Betz, an error, and a single by Dan Petrie.
Post 5 had 9 hits in the game as Leif Bigelow, Carroll, and Petrie each collected multiple hits. Pelkey went 1-for-3 with 2 RBIs.
Kendal Heath took the loss for Post 37. He gave up 6 runs on 6 hits over 5 innings. He struck out 6 batters. Alex Groenewold and Liam Hackett each drove in a run to lead Post 37.
• On July 1, Post 37 played host to White River Junction Post 84 for a doubleheader.They managed to get in a pair of 5-inning games in between waves of heavy rain that passed through southern Vermont.
Unfortunately, it was Post 84 that benefited, scoring a combined 30 runs to sweep Post 37. Post 84 won the first game, 12-1, and took the second game, 18-7.
White River Junction pitcher Dylan Spencer allowed only 1 run on 5 hits, a walk and 3 strikeouts over 5 innings for the win. Tyler Hamilton was 2-for-2 with 3 runs scored and Jordy Allard was 2-for-4.
In game two, Post 84 rallied from a 7-3 deficit in the third inning to complete the sweep. They scored 5 runs in the third inning to retake an 8-7 lead and piled on 10 runs in the fifth to end the game due to the 10-run mercy rule.
• After getting beaten up by Post 84, Bellows Falls was back at it the next day with a doubleheader against Randolph at Hadley Field, and bounced back with a sweep.
Seth Balch threw a 1-hitter as Post 37 shut out Randolph, 11-0, in a mercy rule-shortened game. He struck out 6 batters and needed just 55 pitches to get through 5 innings.
Bellows Falls got 8 runs in the fourth inning to put the game away. Post 37 finished with10 hits as Jacob Streeter, Groenewold, and Josh Woods all had 2 hits apiece. Zack Streeter, Kendal Heath, and Kyle Weeks finished with two RBIs each.
Game 2 was close, but Post 37 came away with a 7-4 win. Bellows Falls managed only 5 hits, but took advantage of 11 walks by Randolph's pitchers as they pushed single runs across in the first three innings, and 2 runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Heath, Illingworth, Joe Corey, and Woods all had RBIs.
Woods was the winning pitcher, scattering 8 hits while striking out 6 batters for the complete-game victory. Post 37 finished this difficult stretch with a 6-5 record in Southern Division play.
Illingworth helps Vermont gain split in Twin State Classic
• Brady Illingworth of Bellows Falls delivered a key 2-run single and threw 2 innings of scoreless relief as Vermont held off New Hampshire, 6-5, in game two to earn a split in the 2017 Twin State Baseball Classic at Memorial Field in Concord, N.H., on June 24.
New Hampshire held off a late Vermont rally to earn a 5-4 win in the first game of the doubleheader. Since the series resumed in 2015 after an 11-year absence, the border rivals have now split six one-run decisions in this game featuring the top high school seniors of both states.
Illingworth, a lefty pitcher who also played first base, was named Vermont's tournament MVP. He shut down the Granite Staters on the mound in game 2 with 2 scoreless innings to pick up the victory, and his two-run single triggered Vermont's five-run fourth to take the lead.
The Twin State Baseball Classic will return to Vermont in 2018.
North-South Classic gets rained out
•The North-South Softball Classic has been played each year since 1987, with this year's edition held on July 1 at Castleton University.
But thunderstorms stopped the game in the second inning with the South holding a 3-1 lead. It was only the second time in the game's history that it had not been completed.
Brattleboro's Devin Millerick was one of the recipients of the Mackenzie Pratt Scholarships. She and Middlebury's Lily Smith will each receive a $250 scholarship upon completing their first semester of college. Millerick is headed to Castleton this fall.
Little League All-Star rosters announced
• The Little League Baseball tournament season begins this weekend, and Brattleboro will have three teams vying for a state title.
The 12-year-old All-Star team will take on Bennington in the District 2 Tournament, with Game 1 in the best-of-7 series set for July 8 in Bennington at 8 p.m. Game 2 is July 9 at 3 p.m. in Brattleboro.
On the 12-year-old roster are Alex Palomba, Brock Longe, Cameron Frost, Devin Speno, Forrester Avard, Joseph Reynolds, Patrick Gagliardi, Samuel Hall, Tristan Evans, Joshua McKenney, and Tucker Sargent. The manager is Jeff Henry, with Eugene Frost and Rob Heileman are the assistant coaches.
The 10-year-old All-Stars will also face Bennington in the District 2 tournament, with Game 1 in the best-of-5 series set for July 8 in Bennington at 5:30 p.m. Game 2 is July 9 at 1 p.m. in Brattleboro.
On the 10-year-old roster are Chase Austin, Evan Wright, Gabe Alexander, Harper Cutler, Hayden Avard, John Satterfield, Keagan Systo, Lucas Speno, Montez Venson, Zach Corbeil, and Evan Batts. Lance Cutler is the manager, with Jolene Paquette and Dan Systo as assistant coaches.
The 11-year-old All-Stars go straight to the state tournament, which begins on July 15. On the roster are William Hill, Willem Thurber, Nick Gerard, Karson Elliot, Brandon Weeks, Jackson Emery, Troy Forkin, William Miskovich, Jett Emery, James Fagley, Alex McClelland, and Nolan Chisholm. The manager is Chad Gundry, and Rich Fagley and Chad Emery are the assistant coaches.
For the latest information on these three teams as they make their way through their respective tournaments, visit brattll.com.
New England softball teams face off in Women's Freedom Center fundraiser
• The 23rd annual Glove, Sweat and Cheers Women's Softball Tournament will be held this Saturday, July 8, at Living Memorial Park.
The slow-pitch softball tournament is a popular family-friendly event that supports awareness of women's sports and raises money for the Women's Freedom Center, the local domestic and sexual violence program and shelter serving Windham and southern Windsor counties.
Softball teams from around New England will vie for top honors in this double elimination tournament. Games will be played on both upper and lower fields beginning at 8:30 a.m. Updated schedules will be posted at each field.
The tournament is a free public event. The Memorial Park swim area will be open for those who need to cool down and the park has several playgrounds for kids of all ages. Volunteers will be grilling and selling food at the upper field. Concessions stands offering tournament merchandise, 50-50 raffle tickets, snacks, and beverages will be open at both fields to raise funds for the organization.
“Exposure to women's sports is vital in shifting the often negative, media-influenced perceptions of women's athletic abilities,” said Women's Freedom Center Executive Director Vickie Sterling in a news release. “As for the softball tournament itself, the community is always supportive, and there is always a broad range of spectators. It takes a lot of coordination and effort, but is so worth it when the day arrives.”
Last year's Glove, Sweat, and Cheers Tournament generated nearly $6,800 for the Women's Freedom Center. Organizers say they hope to surpass that total this year.
Grace Cottage's 'Tee It Up For Health' raises $30,000
• Thanks to very generous sponsors, golfers, and volunteers, Grace Cottage Hospital's eighth annual Tee It Up for Health raised $30,000 for Grace Cottage's Patient Care Fund.
Twenty-eight teams participated in the tournament, held on Friday, June 9, at The Hermitage Club at Haystack Mountain in Wilmington. The winning team was Trip Morse, Ray Devault, Adam Palmiter, and Mark Wallace. Second place team was Steve Bergleitner, Mike Bergleitner, James Sawtelle, and Jeff Bentley.
The low women's gross team winner were Judy Manley, Wendy Scott, Barb Oles, and Kate Clark. The low mixed team winner were Elizabeth Walker, Eileen Ranslow, Jim Lindsay, and Ward Dannemiller.
The team that traveled the longest distance to get to the tournament was Richard and Carol Steiner and Jerry and Lorraine Farmer (5,724 cumulative miles).
The hospital sends out special thanks to volunteer organizers Elizabeth Walker, Eileen Ranslow, Mary Tarinelli, and Betsy Miller, to all of the volunteers who made the event possible, and to The Hermitage Club's golf pro, Drew Anderson, and his staff. They also remind golfers to save the date for next year: Saturday, June 9, 2018, at The Hermitage Club at Haystack.
Senior bowling roundup
• At the midpoint of the spring season of the Brattleboro Senior Bowling League, Team 4 (34-11) remains in first place, but Team 8 (31-14) is now within three games of the lead. Team 1 (24-21) moved into third, followed by Team 5 and Team 3 (both 23-22), Team 2 (17-28), Team 7 (16-29), and Team 6 (12-34).
Nancy Datzell had the high handicap game (269) and series (701) for the women, while Peter Gilbert had the men's high handicap game (264) and Warren Corriveau Sr. had the high handicap series (624). Team 5 had the high team handicap game (858) and series (2,411).
Corriveau (576) was the only bowler with a 500-plus series, while Gilbert (207) was the lone bowler with a 200-plus game.