On a team that features Te’Lynn Laytonhitting .582 with 34 RBIs and four doubles, and Taylor Haskellhitting .639 with five doubles and 21 RBI, Hannah L’Heureuxhas been Old Colony softball’s most dominant hitter. In fact, she’s been the Mayflower Small Vocational Division’s best batter from the very beginning of 2019 – and it’s not even close.
The senior first baseman is hitting a cartoonish .729 (43-for-59) in 17 games. Her on-base percentage is .732 (52-for-72) and her on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) is a Barry Bonds-like 1.885. L’Heureux also leads Old Colony with three home runs, five triples, six doubles, and 25 stolen bases.
“I’ve never seen something like this from anyone here in eight or nine years,” Old Colony coach Brandon Mendez said. “Her hard work has an awful lot to do with it. She’ll play three games in a week and be at the cages the day after the third game. Her work ethic is second to none. She has one of the cleanest swings I’ve seen. It’s compact and quick: it’s outstanding.”
Up until Old Colony’s 23-0 win over Cape Cod Tech on Monday, L’Heureux had at least one hit in each game she’d played in all season. Where she makes life easier for Mendez, L’Heureux constantly gave opposing coaches headaches.
“Every coach knows how good she is,” Mendez said. “There’s no getting around her. Every time she’s at the plate it’s dangerous. I think the thought is to try to get around her with no one on base. I think that’s why we’ve done so well offensively, people are getting on in front of her.”
Mass Maritime Academy baseball closed its season out with Old Colony alum Mason Ashburnon the mound. The sophomore had one of his best outings of the year, striking out a season-high 10 batters in the 4-2 win over Framingham State. In his seven innings of work, Ashburn gave up two runs on five hits and three walks.
Old Rochester Regional
Old Rochester Regional girls track and field narrowly walked out of the South Coast Conference Track Championship as champions after Apponequet was able to put together a 128-point, second-place performance.
Meg Hugheswas one of four Bulldogs with a first-place finish, and the only one to win two events in the team’s 138-point performance en route to the SCC crown.
Hughes ran the 400 in 58.82 seconds and the 400 hurdles in 1:05.36. She also came in second in the high jump (five feet). Lea Bourgeoistook first in the 100 in 12.92 seconds, Maggie Brogioliwon the high jump with a 5-foot-2 leap, and Michaela Mattsontook the title in the triple jump thanks to a 33-foot-8 1/2 leap.
Brogioli (second in the long jump at 16-feet-3 1/2) and Mattson (third in the 400 at 1:01.64) each had a top-3 finish for the Bulldogs. ORR has several other top-3 performances, which included the 4×100 relay team of Kate Bealiu, Jen Williams,Meghan McCullough, and Shyann Jaques, as well as the 4×400 relay group of Bourgeois, Mattson, Tova Brickley, and Jill Langlais. Both units finished second overall at the meet.
ORR alum Will Hopkins finished second in average (.336) for Suffolk University baseball and led the team in steals (18) after only being caught once in 2019. He didn’t make a single error in the outfield and finished the season with six doubles, four triples, and a home run. Hopkins also walked 20 times (.421 on-base percentage, third on the team), scored 37 runs (first for Suffolk), and knocked in 25 (third).
High School Sports Update
By Nick Friar