-Last week was a busy one for Vermont's high school athletes as they cris-crossed the state for the opening rounds of the playoffs. There's a lot to cover, so let's get to it.
Baseball
• Bellows Falls earned the No. 3 seed in Division III and hosted the No. 14 Windsor Yellowjackets in a first-round game on June 3 at Hadley Field, and advanced with a 6-1 victory. Steve Joslyn was the winning pitcher.
That set up an epic quarterfinal matchup with sixth-seeded Green Mountain on June 10 at Hadley Field. GM has two of the top pitchers in Division III in Tanner Swisher and Mason Parker. They combined on a no-hitter as GM crushed Hazen, 22-2, in their first round game in Chester on June 4.
The quarterfinal had been delayed by heavy rain on Friday and Saturday, forcing a rare Sunday game. But the rain delay helped GM, as both Swisher and Parker were available without pitch count eligibility restrictions.
The more than 400 fans who lined both sides of Hadley Field were treated to a tight, well-played game as GM went with Parker as the starting pitcher, while BF used ninth-grader Jaden Bazin. Parker was just a bit better than Bazin as GM won, 2-1.
Parker went 6 2/3 innings, striking out seven and walking one batter as he held BF to just four hits. "It was a great game to be part of. If you're a baseball fan, you had to enjoy it," said BF coach Bob Lockerby after the game. "Give Parker credit, he kept a good-hitting team in check."
Bazin also pitched 6 2/3 innings, leaving the game with two outs in the seventh when he hit the 120-pitch limit. He struck out 11, but walked eight and gave up three hits. Jacob Kissell got the last out in relief.
There was little separating the two teams. The only difference was Green Mountain took advantage of walks and got just enough hitting to make it hurt for the Terriers, while BF was making good contact against Parker, but those deep fly balls found their way into the gloves of the GM outfielders.
"Ground balls and line drives are more important than fly balls in high school baseball," said Lockerby. "We weren't hitting line drives today."
BF got its only run in the first inning when Bazin drew a two-out walk, and later scored on a error on a ground ball hit by Quincy Knapp. GM tied the game in the third when Logan Williams and Chris Rogers walked with two outs. Evan Farrar then singled to score Williams, but was caught in a rundown and tagged to end the threat.
The game stayed tied until the GM fifth, when Parker walked, stole second, and scored on a double by Andrei Solzhenitsyn, who was thrown out at third as he tried for a triple.
BF had a chance to win it in the seventh. Will Hallock led off with a single to right, and moved up to second with a two-out single to left by Kissell. After 112 pitches, Parker then handed the ball off to Swisher, who faced Eli Allbee with the game in the balance. With the count at 2-2, Allbee flied out to left field to end the game.
While Lockerby was disappointed at the ending, he was pleased with Bazin's performance. "He looked so strong out there," Lockerby said. "We wanted to pitch him for as long as we could. He has quite a career ahead of him. People are going to know who he is."
Bazin was just one of several freshmen who were on the field through the season, and Lockerby credited the leadership of his two seniors - Allbee and Hallock - for helping the underclassmen improve. "You couldn't ask for more from those two."
Green Mountain now advances to the Division III semifinals, where they are scheduled to face second-seeded Thetford on June 10.
• Leland & Gray was seeded fourth in Division IV and got a first-round bye. They hosted the fifth-seeded Rivendell Raptors in a quarterfinal game on June 8 that was also pushed back two days due to the rain. The Rebels beat the Raptors, 7-2, and are scheduled to face top-seeded Blue Mountain on June 10.
• Twin Valley got the No. 8 seed in Division IV and got to host a first-round game on June 3 against the ninth-seeded Poultney Blue Devils. The Wildcats won that game, 12-7, with pitcher Colton Corey getting the complete game victory. He gave up seven runs, with seven hits and two walks. He struck out 11, and helped his cause with a 2-for-3 day at the plate, driving in two runs. Halen Ranslow went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, Max Nido also went 2-for-4, with a double and an RBI, and Seth Wrathall hit a double and drove in two runs.
The Wildcats then traveled to Wells River on June 6 to face the top-seeded Blue Mountain Bucks and lost, 13-0, in five innings. Nido got Twin Valley's only hit of the game. Despite the loss, this season was a big step forward for Twin Valley, which finished with a 5-9-1 record. The school revived its baseball program in 2024 after a five-year hiatus.
• Brattleboro, the No. 11 seed in Division I, traveled north to take on the sixth-seeded Essex Hornets on June 4 in a first-round game, and lost, 8-4. Trailing 3-1, Essex scored five runs in the fourth inning to take control of the game. Jayke Glidden threw a complete game in the loss, giving up 10 hits and three walks with five strikeouts. Sean Cozza went 2-for-3 with an RBI as the Bears ended the season with an 8-8 record.
Softball
• Leland & Gray got the No. 3 seed in Division IV and a first-round bye. They hosted the No. 6 Poultney Blue Devils in a quarterfinal game on June 5. The two teams battled to the end, but it was the Rebels that came out on top, 8-7.
The Rebels took a 4-2 lead in the third inning with a two-run homer over the left field fence by Molly Bingham. Poultney came back, scoring a run in the fifth and the sixth innings to tie the game. The Rebels then responded with four runs in the sixth inning to retake the lead.
But the Blue Devils almost came back again in the top of the seventh with a three-run homer by Kaylee Hunt. Her long fly to left field popped in and out of the glove of left fielder Sophia Hall and landed over the fence. There was some question whether it was indeed a home run, but after a brief discussion, the umpires ruled in Poultney's favor to cut the lead to 8-7 with one out.
A muffed infield pop-up put the tying run on base, but Rebels pitcher Kristen Lowe struck out the next batter for the second out. It was her 10th strikeout of the game, and the 400th of her varsity career. The game ended with the next batter called out for interfering with catcher Anabelle Brookes, who was trying to throw out a base runner who was stealing third.
It was a chaotic ending to a great game. Bingham and Sophia Hallock each had two hits for the Rebels and combined for five RBIs. At press time, the Rebels were set to take on No. 2 Proctor in the semifinals on June 10.
• Bellows Falls was seeded fifth in the Division III playoffs and hosted the No. 12 Vergennes Commodores in a first-round game on June 3 and won, 13-1, in five innings. Ninth-grader Brielle Mulverhill was the winning pitcher for the Terriers, holding Vergennes to four hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Mulverhill and Izzy Stoodley both drove in a pair of runs with doubles, Brook Parker also doubled and Jaelyn Fletcher tripled.
Stoodley, BF's usual starter in the circle, was held in reserve for the quarterfinal game at No. 4 Randolph on June 6. It turned out to be a smart move as the Terriers rolled to a 16-4 win in five innings. She struck out seven, walked five, and gave up four hits. She also went 2-for-2 at the plate, driving in three runs. Mulverhill drove in two runs with a triple and Grace Hayes went 2-for-2 with a home run and two RBIs.
At press time, the Terriers were scheduled to play a June 10 quarterfinal game against the winner of the June 9 quarterfinal between No. 9 Mill River and No. 1 Oxbow. That game started on June 6, and was suspended in the second inning due to rain with Oxbow leading, 3-0.
• Twin Valley got the No. 8 seed in Division IV and hosted No.9 Craftsbury in a first-round game on June 3. Craftsbury had the longest trip for a game of any team in the postseason -179 miles - and they went back home after a 13-11 loss to the Wildcats.
Sara Dix was the winning pitcher, despite giving up 16 hits. Her teammates lifted her up as Aliyah Walker (3-for-3, two doubles, four runs scored), Elizabeth Barber (4-for-4, double, four RBIs), Leann Crafts (2-for-4 with a double), and Tori Dix (3-for-3, with a double, a triple, and one RBI) provided the scoring punch.
Twin Valley then had to head north on June 4 to face top-seeded West Rutland and were soundly beaten, 34-2. Winning pitcher Peyton Guay also hit for the cycle with a home run, triple, double, and single. Twin Valley finished the season at 3-15.
Track & Field
• The Bellows Falls girls finished second in the Division III state championships at Burlington High School on June 5. Peoples Academy won the state girls' title with a score of 104, with Bellows Falls close behind in second with 99 points.
BF's Desi Broadley won the 3,000 meter run in 11 minutes, 5.60 seconds, and was fourth in the 1,500 in 5:16.32. Hadley Gleim was second in the 100 (13.32) and fifth in the 200 (28.05). Avery Maxfield was fifth in the 800 (2:37.01), and Abigail Nystrom was fifth in the 300 hurdles (51.57).
In the relays, the foursome of Maxfield, Elyse Thurber, Gillian Robb, and Broadley won the 4x800 meter relay in 10 minutes, 39.90 seconds. Gleim, Thurber, Maxfield, and Nystrom were third in the 4x100 (54.04), while Maxfield, Thurber, Avery Dole, and Nystrom combined to finish fifth in the 4x400 (4:36.54).
The field events saw Laura Kamel win the discus with a throw of 115 feet, 5 inches. She also set school records for javelin (103-1) that placed her second, and in shot put (29-7.25 ) that was good enough to tie for fourth place. Nola Sciacca was third in javelin (103-1) and fourth in discus (97-11), Gleim was second in triple jump (31-11.25, a school record), and Veronica Moore was fifth in long jump (15-6.25).
Leland & Gray did not have enough points for a team score in the girls' meet. Lily Litchfield was seventh in javelin (80-4).
• Thetford won the Division III boys' championship with 164.5 points, well ahead of second-place White River Valley with 65.5 points. Green Mountain was third with 46 points, and Bellows Falls was seventh with 28.5 points.
BF's Brandon Keller won the 110-meter hurdles in 15.41 seconds and the 300 hurdles in 41.82 seconds. Both were personal bests. Keller also tied for sixth in the high jump (5 feet, 8 inches). Tristan Boylan was fourth in the long jump (19-11.75) and fifth in the triple jump (39-0.5). Morgan Haskell, Keller, Matheo Vargas, and Connor Jones were fifth in the 4x100 relay (48.48).
• The Brattleboro girls finished 11th, while the boys finished 13th in the Division I state championships at Burlington High School on June 7. Champlain Valley again won the girls' championship with 91 points. The lone winner for the Bears in the girls' meet was Hailey Richards, who was first in pole vault as she cleared 10 feet, 1.25 inches. Teagan Thurber finished fifth in the 100 meter hurdles in 17.03 seconds and sixth in the 300 hurdles in 49.07. Meredith Lewis was sixth in pole vault (8-2.5) and Rae Thibault tied for sixth in high jump (6-0).
In the boys' meet, Essex had the top team score with 137 points. The Bears were led by Jack Cady, who won the 400 meters in a personal best time of 48.92 seconds. Nico Conathan-Leach was sixth in the 3,000 in 9 minutes, 5.52 seconds, and the 4x100 relay team of Gabriel vonRanson, Dylan Holmes, Colby Weaver, and Stockton Woodruff finished fifth in 45.85 seconds.
Ultimate disc
• Brattleboro was seeded third in the Ultimate Disc playoffs and hosted No. 14 Rice for a first-round match on June 4 at Natowich Field. The Bears lost, 11-9. This was not an upset as Rice was far better than its 3-9 record, reflecting the strength of the Northern teams.
Brattleboro fell behind early, 4-1, and trailed 8-5 at the mid-match break, but rallied with four straight scores to close the gap to 10-9 with about 9 minutes left. The Bears struggled to get the tying goal, but could not get the equalizer. Rice got its final goal with 15 seconds left.
Dallas St. Peter led Rice with eight goals and an assist, while Elijah Wood had seven assists. CJ Tustin scored four goals, Desmond Longsmith had three assists, and Colby Bristol had four blocks for the 7-3 Bears.
Tennis
• The Brattleboro boys were seeded sixth in the state tournament and opened with a first-round match against No. 11 Rice on June 3 at the BUHS courts. The result was a 4-3 win that wasn't as close as the final score.
The Bears got straight set wins from Mark Richards at No. 2 singles (6-0, 6-2 over Tristan Schreiber), from Beckett Mann at No. 5 singles (6-3, 6-2 over Julian Anderson), and from Seamus Bald and Dashiell Morse at No. 2 doubles (6-1, 6-0 over Jaxon Comstock and Tiger Le). For Mann, Bald, and Morse, it was their first-ever playoff victories.
Brattleboro clinched the win with No. 1 singles player Malo Renault defeating Rice's Jaden Binkhorst, 7-5, 3-0, after Binkhorst had to end the match due to an ankle injury.
Two of Brattleboro's losses came after super tiebreakers. At No. 1 doubles, Tucker Hessel and Jackson Pals lost to Rice's James Waite and Alex Binkhorst 6-7 (4), 6-3, 4-10, while at No. 4 singles, Eli Welch fell to Chris Guyette 3-6, 7-6 (5), 9-11. At No. 3 singles, Elias Frazer Olsen lost to Rice's Inigo Lopez 2-6, 3-6.
The Bears then went north to face No. 3 Essex in the quarterfinals on June 5, and lost 6-1. Brattleboro's only win was at No. 3 singles as Elias Frazer Olsen defeated Jeremey Chen, 6-3, 6-0. Pals and Hessel battled through another super tiebreaker at No. 1 doubles as they were defeated by Donovan Ho and Omar Khan 6-7 (6-8), 7-5, 10-8. The Bears ended the season at 11-5.
• The Brattleboro girls got the No. 10 seed in the Division I playoffs and went north to Newport to face the seventh-seeded North Country Falcons. The Bears were swept, 7-0, to finish the season at 1-10.
• The Bellows Falls girls were seeded fifth in the Division II playoffs and went north to take on No. 4 Harwood in a quarterfinal match on June 4. The Terriers lost, 6-1, with the only win coming at No. 1 doubles as Maisie Ferenc and Grace Patterson defeated Haley MacDonald and Eleanor Hume 6-3, 6-4. The closest match of the day came at No. 4 singles as Harwood's Sophia DeSanto needed a tiebreaker to defeat BF's Myleigh Illingworth 4-6, 6-2, 10-4. The Terriers finished with a 7-7-1 record.
Lacrosse
• The Brattleboro boys were seeded ninth in the Division II playoffs and traveled to Barre to face the eighth-seeded Spaulding Crimson Tide in a first-round game on June 3, and came away with a 9-5 win. It was the first playoff victory for Brattleboro since 2019. The Bears then had to take on the top-seeded Harwood Highlanders in the quarterfinals, and lost 16-1. Brattleboro finished the season at 5-13.
• The Brattleboro girls were the No. 10 seed in Division I and also had to head north for their first-round game. The Bears faced the No. 8 Burlington Seahorses on June 3 and were narrowly defeated, 13-12. Sophia Albright led the Bears with six goals, Emerson Fresnee and Abby Henry scored two goals each, and Amelia Moore and Natalie Knutson each scored a goal. Maren Sawyer made seven saves in goal as the Bears finished the season with a 5-10 record.
Senior bowling roundup
• Week 6 of the spring/summer season of the Brattleboro Senior Bowling League at Brattleboro Bowl on June 5 saw Slo Movers (24.5-5.5) have another 5-0 week to remain in first place. Dims (20-10) had a 4-1 week to move into second place, followed by Team 7 (18-12), Cyclones (16.5-13.5), 4 Queens (13.5-16.5), Wayne's World and Leftovers (both 13-17), I.D. Care (11-19), Strikers (10.5-19.5), and Having Fun (10-20).
Carol Gloski had the women's high handicap game (225), while Debbie Rittenhour had the high handicap series (635). Robert Rigby had the men's high handicap game (288) and series (764), and Team 7 had the high team handicap game (913) and series (2,637).
Kevin Napaver, who rolled a perfect game in Week 5, almost did it again as he had the high scratch series (699), with games of 278, 212, and 209. Rigby was not far behind with a 689 series with games of 263 and 246. Milt Sherman had a 549 series with games of 207 and 192, Chuck Adams had a 543 series with a 207 game, and Warren Corriveau Sr. had a 531 series. Gary Montgomery had a 529 series with a 193 game, Wayne Randall had a 508 series, and Jerry Dunham rolled a 198.
Gloski had the women's high scratch series (442) and game (177). Nancy Dalzell had games of 163 and 153, and Pam Greenblott rolled a 151.
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 [email protected].
This Sports column by Randolph T. Holhut was written for The Commons.