Lily Van Baaren won a pair of individual events while running a leg of a winning relay team, but her Pioneer Valley Regional School girls’ track and field team was unable to open the season with a win on Wednesday.
The visiting Panthers made things interesting before host Springfield School of Science & Technology held serve on its home track with a 70-62 independent win.
Van Baaren, an eighth-grader, took wins in the 2-mile (14 minutes, 2 seconds) and pole vault (7-0), and she ran a leg on Pioneer’s winning 4×400 relay team (5:09.5) along with Emaline Relyea, Lucy Koester and Kaylin Voudren.
Relyea won the mile for Pioneer (0-1) in 7:20.4, as the Panthers did well in the distance events by also snagging a victory in the 800 meters thanks to Liesel Nygard’s time of 3:01.3.
In addition to Van Baaren’s pole vault win, Pioneer captured a pair of field events as senior Elizabeth Sweeney won the javelin (63-11) and sophomore Avery Kelton was first in the high jump (3-10).
The Panthers are off until a tri-meet with High School of Commerce High and Greenfield High School on April 25.
Four Rivers holds off Northampton
Powered by a strong defensive effort, the Four Rivers Charter School boys’ varsity ultimate team captured a 13-10 victory over Northampton High School on the road Wednesday afternoon.
Four Rivers was paced by Jake Duda and Milo Riggoloud, as the duo helped stem the tide against Northampton’s offensive attack.
“They played strong defense in the zone up the middle and that made the difference for us,” offered Four Rivers head coach Terry Plotkin.
Four Rivers returns to action on Saturday, when it competes in its first tournament of the season on the campus of Northfield Mount Hermon.
NMH volleyball sweeps
Powered by the offensive firepower of Erich Roman and William Li, the Northfield Mount Hermon boys’ volleyball team cruised to a 25-14, 25-14, 25-22 sweep of visiting Wilbraham Monson Academy in action on Wednesday.
Roman led the Hoggers (1-1) with 12 kills, while Li added 8 in the team’s first win of 2017. The squad travels to Phillips Academy Andover on Saturday.
Deerfield perfect in home contests
South Deerfield’s Shelby Scarborough registered a pair of hits and Hadley’s Erin Tudryn also added a hit to power the Deerfield Academy varsity softball team to a 9-5 road win against Worcester Academy on Wednesday afternoon.
The win was the third in a row for the Big Green, which improved to 3-1 on the season entering Saturday’s home tilt against Choate Rosemary Hall.
• Elsewhere, the DA varsity lacrosse teams swept a pair of games on Wednesday. The boys’ team was a 14-8 winner over Navy Prep, while the girls’ team took to the road and used a Bailey Cheetham hat trick to move past Phillips Academy Andover.
In JV lacrosse action, the boys’ side was a 6-5 winner over Cardigan Mountain School in overtime while the girls’ team dropped a 13-9 decision to Phillips Andover.
• The DA varsity golf team swept a tri-match with Avon and NMH, as the Green carded a team total of 203 to hold off the pair of opponents. DA’s Kim Stafford was the medalist with a low round of 38.
• The varsity baseball team fell on the road to Taft School, 10-1, while the JV team picked up an 11-0 victory.
• On the road at Loomis-Chaffee, the DA girls’ water polo team was edged in overtime on Wednesday, 7-6.
UMass softball sweeps twin bill
It was a solid afternoon in the Ocean State, as the UMass softball team swept a pair of games on the road against Atlantic-10 foe Rhode Island on Wednesday. The Minutewomen took victories via 9-5 and 5-3 scores against the Rams to get to the .500 mark on the season (17-17, 6-2 A-10).
Junior Meg Colleran and freshman Candace Denis earned wins in the pitching circle for UMass, with the Minutewomen capturing the first game in nine innings.
UMass returns home to Sortino Field in Amherst this weekend for a three-game Atlantic-10 series against Fordham beginning Friday at 3.
Tech Trivia Night
The Franklin County Technical School athletic department is holding a Trivia Night fundraiser on May 12 at 7 p.m. at St. Kazimierz Society in Turners Falls.
Teams can consist of up to eight people with a $10 entry fee per person. There will be a range of cash and bar prizes.
For more information and to register contact Dan Prasol at dprasol@fcts.org.
Tri-County League to add new division
The Tri-County Baseball League announced this week that it will add a second division to its league and is now accepting applications for teams interested. The bulk of the league, for players aged 18 and up, is made up of college-aged players and a good nucleus of veterans who have played for years.
Benefits of this newly-formed ‘National Division’ include a focus on emerging players looking to enhance their skills. In addition to being a place for up-and-comers, the league will be a great fit for seasoned players who are looking for a lighter schedule
This division will start its season two weeks after the ‘American Division’ and will play a 14 to 18 game schedule (7 inning games), which will be created depending on the number of teams. Playoffs will start the first week of August and will be completed by mid-month, with games on Wednesdays and Sundays. Fridays will be used as alternate days if games become backed-up due to weather.
With Manny’s TV & Appliance announcing this week that it will no longer play in the league, Teddy Bear Pools & Spas remains the lone local team in the Tri-County League entering this summer.
Post 81 tryouts on horizon
The Greenfield Post 81 American Legion Baseball program will hold tryouts for its Senior and Junior Division teams on four upcoming days at Veterans Memorial Field in Greenfield.
Tryouts will take place on April 30 and then on May 6, 7 and 13. Senior Division players (ages 19 and under as of Dec. 31, 2017) will meet at 1 p.m. each day, while Junior Division players (ages 17 and under as of Dec. 31, 2017) will meet at 3 p.m. All players will meet at 3 p.m. on May 13 (no 1 p.m. tryouts) and the teams will be selected and players notified that evening.
Players from all Franklin County schools are eligible to try out and should bring glove, cleats and birth certificate. Players from previous a Post 81 roster must attend tryouts to be eligible and players should make as many tryouts as possible.
For more information, contact Bill Phelps 774-3954, Kyle Phelps 522-7317 or Tom Bresciano 522-1995 or email kylephelps83@gmail.com.
Junior Golf League back
For the second season, Country Club of Greenfield is offering PGA Junior League Golf to boys and girls age 13 of all abilities, and registration is now open. Parents can visit PGAJLG.com to learn more. Registration will close May 1.
Teams play in a two-person scramble format for competition, which reinforces the team concept and allows captains to substitute players to ensure everyone on the team can participate. Parents are encouraged to play an active role as volunteers, spectators or coaches, making it a fun activity for the whole family.
“We are thrilled to once again host PGA Junior League Golf here at CC of Greenfield ” said Kevin Piecuch, PGA Golf Professional. “PGA Junior League Golf has proven to be a fantastic opportunity for kids of all skill levels to learn and enjoy the game as a team. We look forward to welcoming families to CC of Greenfield for another fun season.”
Cost is $150 and includes a team jersey, bag tag, T-shirt, six practices and six matches. Boys and girls of all abilities, ages 7 through 13, are invited to register. No prior golf experience is necessary to participate.
The season is slated to begin on May 1. For more information, contact Kevin Piecuch or Patrick Maddock at the Country Club (413-773-7530) or ccgreenfield@crocker.com.
Northfield opening Friday
The Northfield Golf Course is planning to open for the season on Friday.
For questions and more information email northfieldgolfcourse@gmail.com.
Deerfield rec team
Registrations are now open for the Union 38 grades 7 through 9 recreational softball team. The team is for players in Deerfield, Conway, Whately and Sunderland.
Union 38 is in the Quabbin Valley league, which includes: Belchertown, Ware, Monson, Palmer, South Hadley, Chicopee and Frontier. Games begin the weekend of May 20 and the season with playoffs will end by June 25. There is usually one weeknight game and at least one game on the weekends.
The cost is $60 and the deadline to register is Friday. Registration forms are available online at www.deerfieldma.us.
The team will play its games at Merritt Field and practices will be at Merritt and/or Sugarloaf depending on coaches schedules and field availability. If you are interested in playing, please contact Sue Antonellis in Deerfield or Jim Ewen in Sunderland.
Race to End Child Abuse 5K
The Race to End Child Abuse 5K run/walk will take place on April 22 at The Children’s Advocacy Center at 56 Wisdom Way in Greenfield. Registration is at 8 a.m. and the race starts at 9 a.m.
There is no registration for the race but donations for the Children’s Advocacy Center will be accepted. The race will be officially timed, with homemade cookies and water waiting for you at the end. Come take a tour, run a race and support the community program. For further information, email info@cacfranklinnq.org or call Irene Woods at 508-843-7306.
IAS speed clinic
Two free co-ed speed clinics for athletes in grades 7 through 12 will be offered at Indoor Action Sports in Greenfield. The 90-minute sessions are geared to improve speed, agility, quickness, and benefit athletes from any sport.
The clinics are scheduled for April 18 at 6:30 or April 29 at 10:30 a.m. Learn proper acceleration/sprint technique. A 30-athlete limit per session; go to thefastpractice.com to register.
This event is sponsored by Indoor Action Sports at 1385 Bernardston Road. IAS will accept non-perishable food donations for the ‘Center for Self-Reliance Food Pantry of Greenfield.’ Donation are not required but appreciated.