Shelburne native Sam Downes pitched a two-hit shutout on Saturday to lead St. Lawrence University to a 2-0 victory over Bard College in a Liberty League baseball game in Annandale-on-Hudson.
Downes went the distance to earn the victory and run his record to 2-1 on the season for the 5-11 Saints. The junior struck out five and walked three, inducing 12 ground-outs.
Blanchard delivers Lesley
Casey Blanchard’s RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted Lesley University to a 2-1 win over New England College in a non-conference baseball game Saturday in Haverhill.
Daniel O’Donnell Jr. led off the eighth with a triple and Blanchard, a senior from Bernardston, knocked him home for the walk-off run with a single through the left side.
Blanchard, the starting center fielder, finished 2-for-2 in the game. New England College earned a split on the day by taking the nightcap, 1-0. Blanchard was hitless in that game in two plate appearances.
Verdi tabbed as UMass women’s hoop coach
New England native and 19-year coaching veteran Tory Verdi has been named the 11th women’s basketball coach at UMass.
Verdi arrives in Amherst after spending the previous four seasons at Eastern Michigan University, where he went 72-61 and helped his teams advance to the past two Women’s NITs.
“This is a truly exciting time for our women’s basketball program with the addition of Tory Verdi as our head coach,” Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford said. “Tory has a tremendous track record of success that will be a real asset for our program as we compete for Atlantic 10 Championships. His enthusiasm for building a winning culture that promotes success in the classroom, in competition and in the community makes him a great fit for the University of Massachusetts.”
When Verdi arrived at Eastern Michigan he helped turn around an 8-22 program in two years, going 24-13 in 2014-15. He also secured the Mid-Atlantic Conference’s top recruiting class twice in his four-year tenure.
“I am thrilled to be the head coach at UMass,” Verdi said. “I knew the day that I stepped on campus that the University of Massachusetts was a special place. UMass women’s basketball has all of the elements to build a championship-caliber program and provide an outstanding student-athlete experience. I am excited to take this program to the next level.”
Verdi spent two seasons as the top assistant at Kansas, and was also an assistant coach at Nebraska. He also spent three seasons on staff with the Connecticut Sun of the WNBA, and was also an assistant and interm head coach at Columbia for one season.
No. 19 UMass women win
Erika Eipp recorded eight points on Sunday and the No. 19 UMass women’s lacrosse team knocked off George Washington, 15-9, in an Atlantic 10 match in Washington, D.C.
Eipp finished with three goals and five assists for the Minutewomen (11-1), tying her for fifth place for most points in a single game at UMass since 2005. Senior Nicole Troost had five goals and one assist in the win, and Eileen McDonald and Hannah Burnett each had three goals.
UMass led 8-4 at the intermission and then scored five of the first six goals in the second half to extend the lead to 13-5.
UMass returns to Garber Field in Amherst on Friday at 3 against St. Bonaventure, and then hosts La Salle Sunday at 1.
Towson tops UMass men’s lax
Towson outscored UMass, 5-2, in the second half to break a 6-6 tie at halftime and the N0.7 Tigers defeated UMass, 11-8, in a Colonial Athletic Association men’s lacrosse match Saturday at Garber Field in Amherst.
Brendan Hegary and Tyler Bogart combined to score five goals for UMass, but the UMass (4-6 overall, 0-2 CAA) offense was held to just one goal in each of the final two quarters as Towson (10-1, 2-0) pulled away.
UMass raced out to a 2-0 lead in the first quarter but Towson closed the frame by scoring four straight goals to take a 4-2 lead into the second. UMass came back in the second quarter, outscoring the Tigers, 4-2, to even the score at 6-6 going into the second half. Towson took control of the game in the third quarter as Joe Seider and Spencer Parks each scored in the opening minutes and Towson outscored UMass, 3-1, in the frame. UMass cut the deficit to 9-8 with the first goal of the fourth quarter, but Towson scored the final two goals of the game. Sean Sconone made eight saves in the loss.
UMass heads to Fairfield University Saturday at 1.
UMass softball drops two-of-three
UMass pitcher Meg Colleran struck out five and allowed five hits and two earned runs Sunday but the Minutewomen suffered a 3-0 loss to St. Joseph’s in the rubber match of a three-game weekend series at Sortino Field in Amherst.
The teams split a doubleheader on Saturday.
Amanda Kulp went 2-for-4 for the Hawks and scored twice.
• On Saturday, UMass split a doubleheader with the Hawks, winning the opener, 2-1, but dropping the nightcap, 7-1.
Ashton Wince was the hero in Game 1, hitting a walk-off RBI single to right field in the bottom of the eighth inning to give UMass the win.
The game was scoreless until extra innings, as St. Joseph’s scored it’s lone run on a Sarah Yoos RBI single in the top of the eighth. The Minutewomen answered in the bottom half of the frame. Tara Klee doubled to lead off and Lindsey Zenk reached on an error. Kaycee Carbone singled up the middle to tie the game, and Wince later produced the game-winning hit. Sophomore Meg Colleran earned the win with five strikeouts in eight innings.
St. Joseph’s earned the split in the second game of the day on Saturday, as Kaylyn Zierke hit a three-run home run to left field in the third inning to help the Hawks to a 7-1 win.
Klee belted a solo home run for the Minutewomen in the loss, but that was the only run the hosts could manage.
Colleran suffered the loss, striking out one in four innings of work.
NMH tennis falls
NMH picked up a pair of wins in singles play but suffered a 5-2 loss to Kimball Union Academy in a boys’ prep tennis match Saturday.
Connor Edwards defeated Bobby Young, 6-1, 6-3 at fifth singles for the Hoggers, and Aran Zecha topped Carlos Gonzalez, 6-4, 6-3 at sixth singles. Kimball Union won the top four singles matches and picked up the fifth point by sweeping the three doubles matches.
Lacrosse
Mimi Lazore scored two goals and had one assist on Saturday but Northfield Mount Hermon School suffered a 8-6 loss to Taft School in a girls’ prep lacrosse match in Watertown, Conn.
Micah Pollak and MC Robben each had one goal and one assist in the loss, while Taylor Zuberer and Ellen Arena each scored once. Sophie McLaughlin finished with 15 saves.
Frontier Rec program
The Frontier Regional district recreation departments are looking for girls in grades 7-9 who are interested in playing Recreation Softball.
Players from Conway, Deerfield, Sunderland and Whately are eligible to join the team, which will play games once a week in the Quabbin Valley League, which includes teams in Belchertown and South Hadley. The season runs from May 14 until June 25.
To be eligible players must not be 16 before Sept. 1 and cannot be in a grade higher than ninth. Players must also not be on a varsity team. Junior varsity players are allowed, but not eligible to pitch.
Registration, which includes a uniform shirt, should be done by Wednesday and forms can be found at www.deerfieldma.us. For more information contact Sue Antonellis (665-1400 ext. 107) or Jim Ewen (387-8824).
Sunday’s Pro-Am results
Ben Schlimmer and Trevor LeFever made it a weekend sweep as they won the Pro/Am Millers River Rat Race Sunday to wrap up festivities in Athol.
The winners of Saturday’s main event teamed up for Sunday’s Pro/Am and won that in a time of 1:31:22. Adam Gelinas and Michael Schlimmer, who finished third on Saturday, came in second in 1:34:46, while Saturday’s second-place team of Matt Rudinsky and Shane Macdowell, finished third on Sunday in 1:36:33.
In the Pro Women’s Division, Emma Ellsworth and Mary Schlimmer won in a time of 1:45:15, while Vicki Cummings and Pam Fitzgerald finished second in 1:52:30. Briana Fitzgerald and Sandy Harris were third in 1:56:45.
Zachary Fish and Colin Fish won the Amatuer Division in 1:31:30, while Bob Cooley and Linda Cooley won the Mixed Division in 1:35:55.
Stephen Miller won the Single Man Canoe Division in 1:27:32, while Joe Schlimmer was second in 1:30:40. Ken Goodwin was third in 1:35:46.
Cameron Whaland and Jerry Whaland won the Youth-Adult Race in 21:05, while Michael Clapper and Mark Clapper took second in 21:53, and Joe Bullock and Trevor Bullock were third in 25:57.
Michael Dostal won the Kayaks Division in 1:17:07, and Ed Dvorchak was second in 1:35:35.