The American Legion Baseball schedule in Vermont is short, with a lot of games to be crammed into a six-week window in June and July. But with the variable nature of Vermont weather in summer, getting all the games played can be a challenge.
That explains why Bellows Falls Post 37 and Bennington Post 13 were playing in a downpour on July 1 at Hadley Field.
The first game of the season between the two teams got postponed due to weather, and they were determined to get the July 1 game played. They moved up the start time by an hour to try to beat the rain. The strategy worked for two innings. By the end of the second inning, a steady rain began, but the teams played on.
Post 37 took a 2-0 lead in their half of the second inning when McGregor Vancor, Chase Swisher, and Grady Lockerby all drew walks to load the bases with one out. Rex Hill was hit by a pitch to force one run in, and a throwing on an infield hit by Greg Otis got another run in.
Bellows Falls doubled the lead in the third inning. Jack Boyle was hit by a pitch, Elliott Graham walked, and both scored on a two-run single by Swisher to make it 4-0.
As the field got soggier and soggier, and the dirt on the pitcher's mound and around home plate turned into a muddy quagmire, the umpires and coaches agreed to keep playing.
In the fifth inning, Post 37 was three outs away from getting the requisite number of innings played for a complete game. Starting pitcher Ty Merrill was working on a shutout and would have gotten the win. But everything unraveled for Bellows Falls as Post 13 scored four runs to tie the game.
Post 13's Brody Krawzyck led off the inning with a walk. Ethan LeBatt followed with a bloop single. Jake Sparks then hit a double to score Krawzyck, and Post 37 coach Bill Lockerby brought in Sam Presch to relieve Merrill and get out of the inning.
Presch walked Nick Santiago to reload the bases. Tucker Thayne followed with a sacrifice fly to score LeBatt and pinch hitter Carter Thompson got the tying runs home with an infield grounder that was too slippery for second baseman Jamison Nystrom to handle. Post 37 later got out of the inning thanks to a diving catch in shallow center field by Nystrom.
At that point, with the game tied at 4-4, the umpires suspended the game in the bottom of the fifth. It will be completed as part of a doubleheader in Bennington on July 14.
Rain on July 3 wiped out a scheduled doubleheader with White River Junction Post 84 at Hadley Field. One of the games was made up on July 5 at Hadley Field, with Post 37 losing, 4-0. It was the first of six games scheduled this week for Post 37.
It was a drier night at Hadley Field on June 29 when Post 37 edged Rutland Post 31, 4-3. Bellows Falls scored one run in the first and added three runs in the third as Dylan Merrow and Elliott Graham hit doubles for Post 37.
Rutland scored a run in fourth and two more in the fifth off Post 37 winning pitcher Matt Hayes, who lasted six innings. Vancor pitched a scoreless seventh inning to earn a save.
Rain wipes out Post 5's games
• Last week's rain forced postponements of all of Brattleboro Post 5's scheduled games. White River Junction was to have played Post 5 at Tenney Field on June 30, but that game got rained out.
Rain also claimed a scheduled July 3 doubleheader in Rutland against Post 31. Those games were made up on July 5, and Post 5 won them both, 11-0 and 12-0. Post 5 then hosted Rutland on July 6 and won 4-0.
Weather-permitting, Brattleboro will face Bellows Falls for the first time this season on July 8 at Hadley Field at 7 p.m.
Little League tournaments begin this week
• The Little League Baseball district tournament schedules and team rosters have been announced.
The 12-year-old All-Stars began play on July 5, with Brattleboro beating Rutland, 3-2. At press time, Brattleboro was set to host Bennington on July 6.
The remainder of the 12s tournament schedule is as follows: July 7: Rutland at Bennington, 5:30 p.m.; July 9: Rutland at Brattleboro, 2 p.m.; July 10: Bennington at Rutland, 2 p.m.; and July 11: Brattleboro at Bennington, 4 p.m. (two games to be played).
In the elimination phase of the tournament, on July 15, Seed 3 plays at Seed 2 at 5:30 p.m.; on July 16, the winner of the Seed 2-Seed 3 game plays at Seed 1, 5:30 p.m.; with a rematch of the July 16 game on July 17 for the district title at 4 p.m. A rematch of the July 17 game (if necessary) happens on July 18 at 1 p.m.
The district champion will host the state tournament, which starts on July 24.
Charlie O'Connell manages the Brattlenboro 12s. On the roster are Owen Carrasquillo, Eason DeMarsico, Connor Emery, Kymarion Hall, Naima Harris, Bowen Kunkle, Lucas LaMorder, Charlie O'Connell, Halen Ranslow, Brady Sparks, and Carlos Torres.
• The Brattleboro 11-year-olds were to open their tournament at Rutland on July 6. The rest of the tournament schedule is as follows: July 8: Rutland at Brattleboro, 5:30 p.m.; July 10: Rutland at Brattleboro, 4 p.m. (two games to be played); July 11: Brattleboro at Rutland, 1 p.m.; and July 12: the district championship game, site to be determined, at 5:30 p.m.
The 11-year-old state tournament starts July 17 at the field of the District 1 champion.
Chad Gundry is the manager of the Brattleboro 11s. On the roster are Logan Casey, Kaden Cole, Briar Cutting, Shaun Emery, Sebastion Garro, Kason Gundry, Senji Kimura, Cooper Leary, Wylie Nelson, Colby Robinson, Logan Waite, and Landon Zinn.
• The Brattleboro 10-year-olds open their district tournament on July 10 with a doubleheader at South Main Street Field against Bennington starting at 1 p.m. The rest of their tournament schedule is as follows: July 11: Brattleboro at Bennington, 1 p.m. (two games to be played); July 14: Brattleboro at Bennington, 5:30 p.m.; July 17: Bennington at Brattleboro, 1 p.m.
The championship game is July 18, site to be determined, at 4 p.m. The state tournament starts July 23 at the field of the District 4 champion.
Jay Cudworth manages the Brattleboro 10s. On the roster are Collin Bell, Azyi Crews, Elde Coplan, Nolan Demanski, Eli Depue, Carson Depue, Vinnie Doell, Owen Elliot, Owen Houghton, Spencer Jones, Dominic McKay, and Bentley Sparks.
Rec. Dept. offers field hockey, lacrosse, soccer camps
• The Brattleboro Recreation & Parks Department, with help from Kayla King and Daija Germain, will offer a youth field hockey camp for those in grades 3-8. This camp will run from Aug. 16 to 20 at the West River Park Multipurpose Field on Route 30 from 4 to 6 p.m.
This camp is for players of any level. Coaches will work with campers on fundamentals and increasing knowledge of the game. There are limited sticks available for use.
Participants are asked to bring their own stick, goggles, mouth guard, shin guards and water bottle. The fee is $55 for Brattleboro residents, $70 for non-residents.
• The Rec. Dept. also hosts a boys' lacrosse camp, run by head coach Chris Sawyer and some of his Brattleboro Union High School varsity players, from July 19 to 23, 9 a.m. to noon, at West River Park. The camp fee is $75 for Brattleboro residents, $90 for non-residents.
This camp is for boys who are in grades 3-8, who will be trained in the fundamentals of lacrosse. All campers will receive personal attention toward skill improvement and knowledge of the game to help take campers to the next level of the game. You should arrive with cleats/sneakers, a water bottle, a stick and a snack.
• The Vermont Voltage Soccer Academy will be coming to Brattleboro to offer a week of Voltage Soccer Camp from Aug. 2 to 6, 9 a.m. to noon, at West River Park. All participants are required to bring their own shin guards and water bottle.
This camp is for ages 5-14. Attention will be given to the instruction of good ball control habits and movement techniques in challenging drills and simulated match situations. Conditioning methods and training ethics are also stressed to prevent injuries and improve coordination and flexibility, as well as the development of a positive self-image and a sense of respect and sportsmanship among players.
The fee is $115 for Brattleboro residents and $130 for non-residents. The fee for a second child in the same household is $105 for Brattleboro residents, and $120 for non-residents.
• For all programs, events, facility information, online fillable registration forms and more, visit www.brattleboro.org. Once you are on this page, hover over the “Sport and Recreation” tab found on the blue horizonal bar and click “Recreation & Parks.”
If there are special needs required for these programs, let the Recreation & Parks Department know at least five days in advance. For more information, call the Gibson-Aiken Office at 802-254-5808.
Tickets now on sale for BUHS Hall of Fame banquet
• The Brattleboro Union High School Athletic Hall of Fame says tickets are now available for its Sept. 25 banquet honoring the inaugural Hall of Fame class of 2020. The banquet will be held at American Legion Post 5 in Brattleboro.
Last year's banquet was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's banquet will include a cocktail hour from 5 to 6 p.m., dinner at 6 p.m., and an award ceremony after dinner.
Tickets are $35 per person. Those planning to honor a specific inductee who would like to reserve a table(s) may do so. Tables will accommodate 6 or 8 people. Make your preference known at the time of ticket purchase. If there are not enough people in your party to reserve a full table, groups will be combined. You do not need to reserve a table to attend the banquet as there will also be general admission.
Send your check, made out to BUHS Athletic HOF, to P.O. Box 8018, Brattleboro, VT 05304-8018. In your mailing, list the name(s) of the people corresponding with the ticket order. No physical ticket will be issued. Confirmation of your order will be sent and you only need to check in at the entrance on the night of the banquet to be admitted. Include in your ticket order a typed email address to confirm your ticket purchase. A committee member will email ticket confirmation.
The committee is allowed to sell 200 tickets on a first come, first served basis. Priority will be given to family members and guests of the inductees
The inductees for the inaugural BUHS Athletic Hall of Fame are Barb Barrett, the 1965 BUHS Football Team, Jan Carlson, Peter Faridoni, Ernie Johnson, David McGinn, Coach Andrew Natowich, Heather Pancake, Coach Darrell R. Sawyer, Joe Shield, Ray Smith, Graydon E. Vigneau Jr., and Dana Charles Zelenakas, with special recognition honors for women's athletics at BHS/BUHS.
Senior bowling roundup
• Week 10 of the spring/summer season of the Brattleboro Senior Bowling League on July 1 at Brattleboro Bowl saw Team 2 still in first place (35-15), four games ahead of second place Team 6 (31-19). Team 7 remained third place (29-21), followed by Team 3 (25-25), Team 5 and Team 1 (both 19-31), and Team 4 (18-32).
Carol Gloskie had the women's high handicap game (254), while Debbie Kolpa had the high handicap series (647). Robert Rigby had the men's high handicap game (246), while Fred Bump had the high handicap series (648). Team 6 had the high team handicap game (888) and series (2,513).
In scratch scoring, Robert Rigby led the men with a 641 series that featured games of 246, 199, and 196. Warren Corriveau Sr. had games of 200 and 199 as part of his 583 series, and Bump had a 199 game as part of his 510 series.
Josie Rigby had a 188 game as part of her high scratch series of 518 to lead the women. Gloski's 208 game was the women's high scratch score, which was part of her 509 series. Nancy Dalzell rolled a 191 game.