This week marked the end of the 2015-2016 sports year for Old Rochester. Five teams finished up their seasons this week, with boys’ tennis and baseball both making it to the final rounds of their respective state tournament. It has been another great year for Bulldog sports with a variety of teams finding success. Before the spring, the most notable tournament runs were made by the volleyball and basketball teams, while the girls’ cross country team prevailed over all competitors to win a hard-earned state championship. Below is a recap of the final week of action for the spring.
Baseball: The Bulldogs faced Dedham High on the road in the second round of the D-3 State Tournament on Monday. Junior Sam Henrie pitched another good game, striking out six hitters in six innings before senior Bryant Salkind came on in the seventh to get the save. This performance allowed the ‘Dogs to remain competitive throughout, and the team wound up winning 6-4 over their higher-ranked opponent to advance to the D-3 South semifinals. Junior Kyle Brezinski led the team with three hits, while fellow juniors John Breault (catcher) and Will Hopkins (centerfielder) added two, as did seniors Salkind (DH-Pitcher) and Hunter Parker (2nd baseman). The boys played Bourne in the semi-finals on Thursday and won 4-3 on a walk-off RBI single by Henrie. He scored Hopkins, who hit a double, and then moved to 3rd on a sacrifice fly by Parker. On the mound, Salkind scattered five hits and four walks over seven innings to get the win. Henrie and Hopkins each had three hits, which led the team. Both junior players have been instrumental in the team’s late-season success, and they were leaned on heavily once again in Sunday’s D-3 South final against East Bridgewater. Henrie pitched well, flashing excellent command by striking out 10 and walking none. However, he allowed four runs on eight hits in a 4-2 loss. Sophomore Jake Asiaf’s RBI triple was the lone extra-base hit. That hit scored freshman Adam Breault, and Asiaf later came around on a knock by Hopkins. Sunday’s loss ended the team’s magnificent run and a very productive season. Although seniors Parker, Salkind, and Jacob Fluegel will be missed, the Bulldogs have plenty of young talent moving forward and should be able to make an impressive state tournament run in 2017.
Girls’ Lacrosse: The Lady Bulldogs were away at Cohasset in the second round of the State Tournament on Monday afternoon. Unfortunately, they were defeated 19-3 to end their season. The team’s goals came from sophomores Ali Hulsebosch and Maggie Adams and junior Emily Hiller. Despite the loss, the team had an extremely successful season (12-6, and 6-2 in SCC play) and looks to return quite a few top players including the three aforementioned girls as well as sophomore Maddie Cooney and freshman Gates Tenerowicz.
Boys’ Track: Junior Danny Renwick competed in the 110m hurdles at the New England meet in New Britain, Connecticut on Saturday. Despite poor weather, Renwick finished sixth with a time of 15.43. That allowed him to cap off an incredible season as the top point-scorer on the 8-1 Bulldogs. Next season, the team will look to take aim at Dighton-Rehoboth’s stranglehold on the South Coast Conference. Renwick will be supported by fellow rising seniors such as Eli Spevack, Jacob Cafarella, Ryson Smith, and Andrew Nadeau.
Boys’ Tennis: The boys were home against Martha’s Vineyard in the second round of the State Tournament on Monday. Sophomore Sam Pasquill and junior Caleb Jagoda won both their singles matches in a 4-1 win over the Islanders. The doubles teams of junior Josh Lerman and sophomore Jahn Pothier, along with junior Maxx Wolski and freshman Geoffrey Noonan, were both victorious as the team’s only loss came at 2nd singles. Next, the team took on Maimonides at home on Thursday afternoon. Pothier and Jagoda repeated as winners while junior Alex Bilodeau won at 2nd singles in a 5-0 victory that wound up being much easier than expected. The doubles pairings, which were held over from last match, continued their success. Finally, the boys ran into undefeated Dover-Sherborn in the finals on Friday. The anticipated match was held in a neutral zone in Scituate. Only the doubles team of Lerman and Pothier emerged successful, sadly, though Bilodeau took his competitor to a third set in a close match. The 4-1 loss ended a fantastic season for Bulldog boys’ tennis. With no seniors on the roster, the team can only improve from here on out. A host of veteran leaders and exciting young players will surely make the 2017 squad a force to be reckoned with.
Girls’ Tennis: The Lady Bulldogs faced Norwell High at home in the second round of the State Tournament on Monday. Seniors Morgan Middleton and Olivia Bellefeuille both won their singles games at #1 and #2, and both of the team’s doubles pairings came out on top. The pairings were composed of juniors Katelyn Bindas and Alexis Parker and junior Emma Collings with freshman Delaney Pothier. Against Ursuline Academy on Wednesday, the team lost 5-0, ending their season on a rough note. However, there were a great number of positives to take away from the season, one in which the Lady Bulldogs finished with a shining record of 20-4. The team has a strong base of talent to build on in the coming years, though it will miss the talents of Middleton and Bellefeuille, who have helped the team to be extremely competitive at all levels.
Below are the final overall spring team records, followed by the conference records in wins, losses, and ties as of June 12.
Baseball: (15-8-0)(13-4-0); Softball: (8-13-0)(6-8-0); Boys’ Track: (8-1-0)(7-1-0); Girls’ Track: (9-0-0)(8-0-0); Boys’ Lacrosse: (11-6-0)(9-1-0); Girls’ Lacrosse: (12-6-0)(6-2-0); Boys’ Tennis: (20-3-0)(13-1-0); Girls’ Tennis: (20-4-0)(12-2-0).
By Patrick Briand