Spring Sports Get Under Way

Here is a look at the first week of scheduled games for ORR spring athletics.

            Baseball: The boys’ baseball team had a rough opening to the season, losing their second consecutive game in two weeks. Last week, Bishop Stang handed the Bulldogs a loss in their season-opener, and this week, the Bulldogs lost to Case High School, 4-1. Pitcher Andrew Ryan recorded two strike-outs on the loss, and senior Kiernan Besse went two for three with a double and the lone run scored. Austin Salkind, Tyler Zell, and Ryan also added hits for the Bulldogs.

Softball: The Lady Bulldogs also had a rough opening to their season, losing both of their games. Despite a great performance by Kaleigh Goulart, who pitched well and also recorded a two-run homer in the sixth inning, the girls narrowly lost to Bishop Stang, 7-6. Freshmen Hannah Guard and Olivia Labbe and sophomore Cami Zell all recorded their first varsity hits for the Lady Bulldogs as well. Later in the week, the girls suffered a tough 17-13 loss to Case. Again, Goulart shone, striking out six on the mound and adding two hits offensively. Sophomore Mia Vercellone had a huge three-run homer to keep the Lady Bulldogs in the game, but ultimately it was not enough.

Boys’ Track: The boys’ track team kicked off their season with a 78-58 win over Case, thanks to strong performances by veterans Kevin Saccone and Colin Knapton. Saccone won the triple jump, 400-hurdles, and 110-hurdles, while Knapton won the javelin, 100-meter dash, and high jump. Possibly the best surprise for Coach Bill Tilden was senior newcomer Jack Smith, who won the long jump with an impressive 20’1”, and placed second in both the high jump and 100-meter dash. Other wins came from Mike Wyman (two mile), Chris Demers (400-meters), and the 4×400-meter relay team.

Girls’ Track: The Lady Bulldogs dominated Case this week, winning with a huge score of 128.5-5.5. Paige Santos won all four events in which she competed (high jump, long jump, 100-hurdles, and 200-meter-dash), while her sister Brooke Santos won the 400-hurdles. Morgan Browning also had a great day, claiming both the shot-put and discus events. Freshman Jilani Brooks won the javelin in her first time competing with a heave of 79’8”. The Lady Bulldogs showed a wide array of depth in the meet, and they are on their way to claim their fourth consecutive spring SCC title.

Boys’ Tennis: The boys’ tennis team had a strong start to their season thanks to several strong performances. The Bulldogs swept Bishop Stang in their season opener, easily winning 5-0. Alden Truesdale, Lars Eklund, and Alex Bilodeau all won in the singles’ matches. In the doubles’ matches, Josh Lerman and Doug Blaise won at first doubles while Connor Blagden and Stephen Burke swept their opponents 6-0, 6-0 in second doubles. A day after the impressive victory, however, the Bulldogs traveled to Dartmouth, where they were shut out, 5-0. The closest match of the day came from Bilodeau, who lost at third singles in three sets: 6-4, 6-7, 6-6 (6-10).

Girls’ Tennis: Like the boys’ tennis team, the girls split their games one and one. The girls lost their season opener against Bishop Stang 4-1, with the lone Bulldog victory coming from third singles, where Morgan Middleton won 6-2, 6-0. However, the Lady Bulldogs claimed their first victory of the season over Dartmouth, where they narrowly defeated the Lady Indians 3-2. Julia Nojeim and Haley Dickerson won the first and second singles matches, respectively, and ORR clinched the win with a decisive victory in first doubles, where Middleton paired up with senior Triona Cuddy to win 0-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Boys’ Lacrosse: The boys’ played two hard-fought games this week. In their second game of the season, the Bulldogs lost to Sandwich High School in double overtime, 12-11. Ethan Lizotte led the Bulldogs with five goals and an assist, while Mikey Pruchnik and Connor Severino each scored three goals apiece. Junior Goalie Gerald Lanagan made 11 saves for the Bulldogs. Despite the loss, the Bulldogs came back later in the week to notch their first victory of the season. Once again, Lizotte led the team, recording three goals in a 7-6 victory over Fairhaven. Chris Nadeau and Severino also played well, each scoring two goals.

Girls’ Lacrosse: The Lady Bulldogs were the only ORR team to remain undefeated in two or more games this week. After a 16-8 victory over Silver Lake earlier in the week, the Lady Bulldogs returned to defeat Fairhaven, 8-5. The win marks the first girls’ lacrosse win over Fairhaven in the history of the program. Thanks to strong performances by Mikayla Demanche (four goals, one assist), Bailey Truesdale (two goals), and Chloe Riley and Ali Grace (one goal apiece), the girls remain undefeated at a perfect 2-0 for the season.

Below are the overall spring team records, followed by the conference records in wins, losses, and ties as of April 6.

Baseball: (0-2-0) (0-1-0); Softball: (0-2-0) (0-1-0); Boys’ Track (1-0-0) (1-0-0); Girls’ Track (1-0-0) (1-0-0); Boys’ Tennis: (1-1-0) (0-0-0); Girls’ Tennis: (1-1-0) (0-0-0); Boys’ Lacrosse: (1-2-0) (1-0-0); Girls’ Lacrosse: (2-0-0) (1-0-0).

By Michael Kassabian

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