The Franklin County running community and the Sugarloaf Mountain Athletic Club both fared well in Saturday’s 58th Mount Washington Road Race sponsored by Northeast Delta Dental.
The top two local finishers were Leverett’s Kim and Ethan Nedeau, both members of Acidotic Racing, who were 36th and 37th overall (finishing times are listed below). Meanwhile two Sugarloaf Mountain AC members won their age group and the club itself finished third in both the Masters and Seniors team competition.
Thirty-five year old Kelsey Allen of Wendell was the 10th woman across the line, taking 57th overall with a time of 1 hour, 24 minutes and 37 seconds. Deerfield’s Amy Rusiecki was the 21st woman (111th overall).
Leyden’s Glenn Caffery won the Men’s 55-59 age group, besting 73 others. The 56-year-old Caffery is no stranger to long runs. In the summer of 2011 he ran from Oregon to New England to raise money for Alzheimer’s awareness. Caffery burned through 11 pairs of running shoes during his 3,321-mile jaunt.
Shelburne’s Rich Larsen broke his own course record in the Men’s 65-69 age group. Larsen outran 26 others and was 61st overall.
Others who shouldered the load in the Masters and Seniors competition were Mark Staples, Donald Pacher, Al Ladd, Patrick Pezzati, Eric Ciocca, Phillip Bricker and Tom Van Den Broeck Raffensperger.
This year’s winner, Cesare Maestri of Borgo Lares, Italy, finished the grueling 7.6-mile climb in 1 hour, 53 seconds. Colorado’s Kim Dobson won the women’s division and was seventh overall in 1:11:42.
Of the 1,112 recorded finishers, 16 were from Franklin County, the most in recent memory.
Davis 8th at Nationals
Mohawk Trail Regional High School junior Meghan Davis closed her outstanding season with yet another stellar performance on Saturday.
At the New Balance High School Outdoor National Championships in Greensboro, N.C., Davis finished eighth overall in the 19-person Girls’ 2-Mile Emerging Elite Division, crossing with a time of 11 minutes, 12.88 seconds in scorching conditions.
Davis, who had top-three finishes in the MIAA All-State and New England Championship meets leading up to Nationals, was fresh off a personal-best time of 10:56.13 at New Englands. But Mohawk coach Joe Chadwick said the conditions on Saturday were not conducive to record-breaking times.
Familiar face Sophia Townsley-Jacobs of Amherst Regional High School won the race in 10:58, with fellow Bay Stater Julia Palin of Norton High School the runner-up in 11:01.
“It was really good competition,” Chadwick said. “The weather definitely played a factor, though.”
Frontier Cal Ripken
One day after New England Greenscape forced a decisive championship game with a win, Yankee Candle responded.
The Candle Makers defeated Greenscape, 11-6, in the Frontier Cal Ripken League postseason title game Monday night at Herlihy Park in Whately.
Owen Babb struck out 10 in five innings to earn the win for Yankee Candle, allowing just one run in the process. Dylan Camp closed it out in the final frame.
Camp had a double and a triple at the plate, driving in two runs, while Cam Graves and Margaret Edwards each had two hits and tacked on RBIs. Mason Thornton and Shawn Baumann added hits and two runs scored.
Colin West had two hits for New England Greenscape, while Thomas Unkles and Gabe Solodky each had a hit.
• Greenscape forced the decisive game thanks to a 10-5 win over Yankee Candle on Sunday.
West had three hits and scored three runs in the victory. Tegan Dexter also had three hits, while Unkles tossed a complete-game, striking out five on the mound. Solodky (two hits, RBI) and Ethan Coombs (hit, two runs) also contributed.
Yankee Candle’s Claire Kirkendall and Camp had three hits each, while Thornton had two hits and Matthew Scagel added a hit, a run and an RBI.
Sandy Koufax
In action Sunday night, Aidan Falla roped three hits and drove in a pair of runs to help Frontier Alber Hearing Services to a 10-0 win over Mohawk Hubie’s Tavern in a Pioneer Valley Youth Baseball League Sandy Koufax game at Headmaster Field in Deerfield.
Frontier’s Dylan Martin singled and drove in two runs, while Sean Kirkendall, Matt Como, Tom Alber, Ben Zaranek and Gehrig Brynda had RBI singles. Kyle Barnes doubled and Maxwell Edwards had a single in the win, as Edwards and Tyler Baranowski struck out three and walked six in a no-hit win.
FC Babe Ruth
Jake Whitney was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, including a triple, and Ian Spearance had two hits and scored three runs as Parody Builders defeated Turners Falls Athletic Club, 13-10, in a Franklin County Babe Ruth game over the weekend.
Pat Boyden tossed six innings for Parody, which received solid defense from Aiden Roche in center field.
TFAC’s Charlie Boyden was 4-for-4, while Joe Boyden and Jake Stafford combined for six hits and five RBIs. Jackson Harper was 2-for-4 and Gillis MacDougall struck out six on the mound.
Montague Co-Rec
Malcolm Smith clubbed two home runs and St. Stanislaus Society edged Kustom Auto Body, 7-6, in a rain-shortened Montague Co-Rec Softball League game Monday night at Unity Park.
Action was halted in the seventh inning due to a downpour.
Mark K. Memorial
The team of Bob Maloy, Frank Prondecki, John Mackin, Ron Bovat and Sandy LaCoy combined for a 55, taking first place at Monday’s Mark K. Memorial Mixed Golf League at Oak Ridge Golf Club.
Second place was the team of Butch Trinque, Wendell Barton, Erik Oaks and Don Shebeil with a total of 57.
The league’s halfway party is set for July 9 from noon to close with hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill.
The Franklin County Crush 12U softball team went 1-3 over the weekend, competing in a tournament in Lowell.
The win came on Saturday, when the Crush edged the Dragons 12U, 13-8.
Lilly Ross was 2-for-3 with an RBI, and she struck out four in the pitching circle. Margarette Howland, Addie Rotkiewicz, Gianna DiSciullio, Abby Ortiz and Taylor Menard all had two hits in the win for the Crush, with Menard and Ortiz each driving in four runs and DiSciullio recording two RBIs. Yaya Neoun was 1-for-2.
In Sunday’s loss to the Litchfield Blast (16-8), Holly Myers and Howland were each 2-for-2 with two RBIs, while Madison Liimatainen was 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.
Liimatainen had a big game in the team’s 15-6 loss to the Central Mass. Thunder as she was 3-for-3 with a double, triple and three RBIs. Ross added two hits, while Cady Wozniak and Carly Blanchard both had a hit and drove in multiple runs. Josalyn Eastman contributed a hit as well.
In other action, Myers struck out four and Ross had the team’s lone hit in a 10-0 loss to the Tri-Town Diamonds.
Coach Kevin Ross lauded the defensive work of Liimatainen and Wozniak over the course of the weekend.
FC Bar Association tourney
The Franklin County Bar Association will host its seventh annual Tri-County Open Co-Ed Doubles Tennis Tournament Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Deerfield Academy Tennis Complex.
The event is open to all players, and it’s a single-elimination tournament with a consolation round. Entry fee is $40 for each doubles team entry (tennis balls provided). Deadline for all entries is Thursday at 4 p.m.
Email submission form waivers and entry forms can be sent to Dave DeHerdt (deherdtlaw-office@yahoo.com).
DRIVE men’s league
Matt Gibson poured in 27 points and Lew Borden added 24 as the Woo Crew defeated Bruso Computer Solutions, 84-74, in a DRIVE Hoops Men’s Basketball League Sunday.
Evan Bruso registered 12 points in the loss for Bruso Computer.
• Elsewhere, Zach Christafulli and Temi Bailey combined for 39 points as Money Boyz thumped Whitney Fence, 89-58.
Whitney’s Tucker Llewelyn had 22 points, and teammate Hunter Cote added 17.
• Other action saw Thomas Manning score 30 points in VT Hoops’ 80-41 win over Sandri.
Parker Hickey’s 14 points were tops for Sandri.
• Also Sunday, Calvin Bridges tallied 21 points and Angelo Thomas tossed in 18 for Team DRIVE in its 95-71 win over Markol Strong.
Liam Ellis led all scorers with 28 points for Markol Strong. Kevawn Lord added 13.
• Finally, Chris Brown and Ben Johnson combined for 37 points to help No Name Hoopes to a 79-55 win over Donoghue Realty.
Dan Donoghue had 18 and Jermey Thomas added 10 for Donoghue Realty.