Eastern Mass. baseball: Globe Players of the Week for April 23-30
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Evan Luekens
and Sam Luekens
, Newburyport
— On Tuesday, Evan, a senior, threw a complete game and struck out 10 in a 5-2 Cape Ann Kinney triumph over Manchester Essex. Younger brother Sam, a freshman, fanned 12 in a 3-2 victory over Lynn English on Thursday.
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Brian Mancinelli
, St. John Paul II
— In a whopping, 30-0, defeat of Sturgis West on Monday, the Navy-bound junior righthander drove in 10 runs with four hits and scored four times.
Paul McCarthy
, Xaverian
— The senior righthanded pitcher and first/third baseman served up a nine-strikeout, three-hit outing for the No. 1 Hawks (11-2) in a Catholic Conference takedown of No. 4 BC High.
Will Novak
, Plymouth North
— Prior to Plymouth North's 6-2 win over Newton South on Wednesday, the senior outfielder was batting .800 across a three-game span with two triples, six RBIs, eight hits, and an OPS of 2.033, leading the No. 3 Eagles (10-1) in all five categories.
Senior Captain Will Novak on a mission the last 3 games for the Plymouth North Eagles
— Connor Pratt (@PintSizePratt)
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Chicago Tribune
3 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
After running long distances and sprints, Lockport's Nolan Lamoureux rolls to state title in 800. ‘A big jumble.'
A stress fracture in grade school has been a blessing in disguise for Lockport's Nolan Lamoureux. The Lewis-bound senior track star enjoyed cross country and distance running as a youngster, but as he approached the high school stage of his life, that aspect started to take a toll on him. Lamoureux suffered that stress fracture in seventh grade, but that's not all. 'COVID hit right after,' he said. 'It was just a big jumble.' When all was said and done, Lamoureux ended up loving the sprints. He spent three years concentrating on those events for the Porters, finishing third in the state as a junior in the 400. Veteran Lockport coach Tom Razo sat down with Lamoureux before this spring, and they came up with the idea of Lamoureux running races in the middle distances, in particular the 800. That plan worked out pretty well. So well, in fact, that Lamoureux went out and won the Class 3A state championship in that event at Eastern Illinois' O'Brien Field in Charleston. 'He came into our school as a sprinter and I knew him as a distance runner,' Razo said of Lamoureux. 'He made his mark as a freshman sprinter, but I thought he would be at a whole different level if he moves up. 'It took us a while to talk him into it. His junior year, he dabbled in it. This year, after the indoor season was over, he said 'OK, I think the best shot for me winning a title is moving up.''' Lamoureux won the state title in a time of 1:51.92, edging out Yorkville's Owen Horeni at 1:52.22. Then, in the 1,600 relay, Lamoureux joined Fope Omisore, Xavier Adeniyi and Michael Nicholson to finish second for the Porters with a 3:18.01, losing out to Evanston's 3:17.73. Still, Lamoureux became Lockport's first state champion since John Meyer won the shot put in 2018 and the first runner for the Porters to take gold since 2008 when Kyle Engnell won the 1,600. Homewood-Flossmoor's 400 relay of Joaquin Jordan, Charles Dees, Myles Ellis and Zion Morrison won the Class 3A state title with a 41.00. In Class 2A, Southland Prep's Amauree Williams became the first boys track athlete in program history to win a state championship, prevailing in the 300 hurdles with a 37.77. Lamoureux's win, however, wasn't easy. It was a come-from-behind victory. 'No one challenged him all year long,' Razo said of Lamoureux. 'He controlled all of the races he was in. The young man from Yorkville took off at 400 meters, gapped him and gapped him good. 'I was kind of worried there for a second. I'm thinking 'OK, you've got to respond to this.' Prior to the race, we talked about going out at a certain pace, which he did. During the last 200 meters, I wanted him to kick like a mad fiend and he did. With 50 meters left, he took control.' Razo may have been a little worried, but Lamoureux was unfazed. 'Throughout the race, I knew that he was a fast mile guy,' Lamoureux said of Horeni. 'But I knew I had a stronger kick. I let him get out a little bit ahead of me, but it's all about tactical racing. 'I was staying not too far behind, and I was at a good point where I was still in the race. I knew that as long as I kicked, I would still have the race.' In grade school, Lamoureux started running because when he played basketball he was faster than everyone else. Track, though, is something that he has grown to love. 'It's a sport where I can challenge myself,' he said. 'And it keeps me motivated.'
Boston Globe
5 hours ago
- Boston Globe
With a big rally at first doubles, Lexington girls' tennis squeaks past Newton South and into Division 1 final
'It was just about our mindset,' Eamranond said. 'We had to just play more aggressively and just play more offensively. We were playing very tentatively at first, definitely some nerves were kicking in.' Related : Senior Kiki Reddy came off the court first for Lexington with a dominant 6-2, 6-0, triumph at third singles, and sophomore Adhiti Hariram added a 6-3, 6-2, victory at second singles. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The win earns Lexington a spot in the Division 1 title game on Saturday at MIT, where they will face either No. 4 Wellesley or No. 8 Winchester. Advertisement 'We have a lot of seniors on our team, and the thought of it being my last year on the team and this being possibly our last game, it motivates us,' Choi said. Division 2 State Longmeadow 3, Hingham 2 — Ellen Kennedy and Nora McMahon (6-2, 7-5) secured the deciding victory at first doubles to lead the top-ranked Lancers (23-0) to a semifinal victory at St. John's (Shrewsbury). Sarah Tiru (6-4, 6-2) and Bailey Downes (6-2, 6-1) also surged to dominant wins at first and second singles, respectively. The win sends Longmeadow back to the Division 2 championship game on Saturday at MIT, where they will face No. 2 Wayland. Advertisement Wayland 4, Notre Dame (Hingham) 1 — After trailing 5-0 in the opening set, Olivia Todd stormed back to claim a 7-5, 6-1 victory at third singles en route to a dominant semifinal win for the second-seeded Warriors (11-5) at Stoughton High. Senior Bella Camacho (first singles) and freshman Elena Tan (second singles) also earned straight-set wins. The victory sends the Warriors to the title game on Saturday at MIT, where they will face top-seeded Longmeadow. Division 3 State Martha's Vineyard 3, St. John Paul II 2 — In a hard-fought clash at first singles between Vineyarders sophomore Laina Dubin and JPII senior Lily Walker, Dubin emerged victorious with a 6-4, 6-3, triumph to earn the deciding point for third-seeded Martha's Vineyard (19-1) in a semifinal meeting of Cape & Islands foes at Somerset Berkley High. The Vineyarders' other points came from sophomores Leah Thomson and Zoe Treitman (6-4, 7-5) at first doubles and seniors Ella Moran and Clementine Zeender (6-1, 6-3) at second doubles. The win sends Martha's Vineyard to the state final Saturday at MIT, where it will face the winner of No. 1 Dover-Sherborn and No. 21 Bishop Fenwick. Division 4 state Manchester Essex 3, Bromfield 2 — When the moment got big, Grace Scarborough thought small. With the match tied, 2-2, and only Scarborough's No. 3 singles match remaining, there couldn't have been more pressure on the Manchester Essex senior to send her sixth-ranked Hornets to the championship. Caught in a three-set, three-hour semifinal epic with her Bromfield School opponent, no point came easy. Advertisement Her Manchester Essex teammates help pick up No. 3 singles player Grace Scarborough after her epic three-hour win to send the Hornets to the state championship. Evan Walsh Scarborough went ahead in the season-defining third set, 5-2, but fell back to 5-all. She had three match points in the tiebreak and lost them all. But even without the bounces going her way she earned the victory (5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (6)) and sent her team past No. 2 Bromfield to MIT's duPont courts for a shot at the state title. 'I say that I have the mind of a goldfish. I just try to let points that I lose go,' said Scarborough. 'I just try to move on, because I've learned that if I take things personally, things go south. I try to stay calm, and I just try to get it over – that's what my dad says to me.' 'This is the fourth or fifth time she's been in a big match that's come down to the third set,' said Manchester Essex head coach Barrett Alston. 'She's come through every time, and it was no different today under as much pressure as you're going to find.' Manchester Essex's Sarah Cort won at No. 2 singles (6-1, 6-1), while Nina Zalosh and Libby Lawler scored another point for the Hornets, winning their No. 1 doubles match (6-3, 7-6 (2)). Hamilton-Wenham 3, Lynnfield 2 — The fourth-seeded Generals (17-2) took control of the match early, but had to battle to hold on and upset top-seeded Lynnfield (18-3) in the semifinals at St. John's Prep in Danvers. H-W got early wins from Naomi Provost at first singles (6-4, 6-2) and Emily McIntosh at second singles (6-1, 7-5), but Charlotte Ireland lost a tough tiebreaker to lose at No. 3 singles. After a loss at second doubles, it all came to first doubles, where Olivia Romans and Evelyn Esdaile jumped out to a 6-1 first-set lead, but then dropped the second set 7-5 before rallying to win a third-set tiebreak 7-6 (5). Romans finished off the win with two vicious backhands, followed by an aggressive backhand volley at the net to clinch a spot in the state final for the Generals. 'I can't say enough about this group of girls, all of them, not just the starters but the whole team,' said coach Joe Maher. 'They stick together and support each other and work hard to make each other better. I am so proud of the way we competed today. Lynnfield is a talented and well-coached team and we had to play at a new level to beat them.' Advertisement Boys' tennis Division 3 State Weston 5, Martha's Vineyard 0 — From the moment Peter Chen (6-3, 6-1) won at first singles, the sixth-seeded Wildcats (7-7) didn't look back, upsetting the second-seeded Vineyarders (15-2) with a semifinal sweep. 'Our number one never loses so that makes it easy,' said head coach George Conlin. 'That puts pressure on everyone else like, 'Hey, look what I'm doing.'' Winston Starett (6-1, 6-3) won at second singles and Jacob Wu (7-6 (5), 6-4) won at third singles. 'We're the 'smashing seven'. We have no replacements. It makes it easier and harder because you have nobody to replace anybody, but at the same time, everybody knows how to communicate with everybody,' said Conlin. Nate Ko and Siyang Ding (6-3, 6-2) won at first doubles and Sammy Reggelman and Ben Rosenthal (2-6,6-0,6-4) were victorious at second singles. Conlin said that his team is going into the championship game with the same mindset they've had all year, 'Let's get all the way to the finals and let's play better than we did the first time we played.' Weston now awaits the winner of top-seeded Bedford (11-4) and 13th-seeded Latin Academy (12-6). Advertisement Evan Walsh reported from Shrewsbury and Chloe Wojtanik contributed. Matty Wasserman can be reached at
Boston Globe
6 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Walpole baseball flips the script on Plymouth North, avenging title game loss with Division 2 semifinal victory
In the bottom of the fourth inning, St. Martin delivered a strikeout to escape a bases-loaded jam and maintain a 2-2 tie. 'Huge moment,' said St. Martin. 'We had the momentum. I had to keep the energy going.' Walpole's Cash Cantrell dives across the plate during a 10-2 semifinal win over top-seeded Plymouth North. Barry Chin/Globe Staff The Timberwolves (14-9) capitalized on that momentum, batting around and plating five in the top of the fifth to take a commanding 7-2 lead. With runners at second and third, Junior Cole Pilieski (2 for 3 with a walk) grounded a ball up the middle, which was fumbled by the Eagles' shortstop, allowing two runs to score. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Junior Ryan McDonald delivered a two-run single three batters later and sophomore Shane Harrington scored the fifth run on a wild pitch. Advertisement The Timberwolves only struck out three times, putting pressure on a Plymouth North (19-5) defense that committed six errors. 'You have to put pressure on the defense,' said Walpole coach Chris Costello. 'There's gonna be a miscue in there, and then it's up to you to make it hurt.' Walpole's Quinn MacNeil steals second ahead of the throw to Plymouth North's Henry Novick in the fourth inning. Barry Chin/Globe Staff Walpole scored one more run in the sixth and two in the seventh, highlighted by an RBI single from senior outfielder Cash Cantrell. The Timberwolves will face the winner of No. 2 Reading (20-3) and No. 6 Somerset Berkley (17-6) at Polar Park. Advertisement 'It really means something to us, and it's a tribute to the team we had last year,' said St. Martin. Walpole's Richie Hayes (center) and Cole Pileski (right) celebrate after they both scored in a 10-2 win over Plymouth North. Barry Chin/Globe Staff Division 1 state Braintree 8, King Philip 3 — Three weeks ago, Connor Grieve hadn't made a start on the mound for Braintree. The senior was thrust into a new role in the final week of the regular season during the Don Fredericks Memorial Tournament. Since then, he has been a revelation. Behind a complete game on the mound and a three-hit, four-RBI day at the plate, Grieve powered the eighth-seeded Wamps past No. 4 King Philip, 8-3, at Lowell's LeLacheur Park, and into the title game. 'He's been the MVP of this tournament,' Braintree coach Bill O'Connell said. 'Pitching and the way he's been hitting, I can't say enough about what he did . . . Connor Grieve has been the difference.' The Wamps (18-8) will face the winner of No. 2 St. John's (Shrewsbury) and No. 14 Chelmsford at Polar Park in Worcester. After knocking an RBI triple in the top of the first to put the Wamps on the board, Grieve surrendered a pair of runs to the Warriors (20-5) in the bottom half. He needeAfter the Wamps tied it on a Max King single, Grieve gave them the lead once again with a third-inning single. M3 - second RBI hit of the day for Connor Grieve, who helps himself by knocking one up the middle to score Owen Donnelly for the second time. Nice throw by KP's Johnny Prater from center, but not in time. 3-2 Braintree — Mike Puzzanghera (@mpuzzanghera) But his biggest hit came in the fifth — with the bases loaded and the game knotted at 3-3, Grieve ripped a two-run single down the left-field line to put Braintree in front. A Matt Rogers two-run triple followed to extend the lead. T5 - Connor Grieve comes through AGAIN, with this two-run single giving him four RBI and three hits - and more importantly, giving Braintree a 5-3 lead. — Mike Puzzanghera (@mpuzzanghera) The Wamps lost five of eight games in early May after injuries to ace Max DeRoche and Peter Brooks. But they caught fire at the end of the year – and Grieve is a big reason why. Advertisement 'He didn't even pitch much in the regular season,' Brooks said of Grieve. 'Then out of nowhere, he's just been unbelievable. On the mound, at the plate, he literally can't do any better.' Owen Donnelly collected three hits and scored four runs for Braintree. Luke Joyce tallied two hits and Brooks, back in the lineup after what was thought to be a season-ending injury, added an RBI single. 'A month ago, if you asked me where we'd end up, I'd say probably a first- or second-round exit, just with all the adversity we were fighting,' Grieve said. 'These guys are my family . . . Knowing the town's behind me, it felt amazing.' Division 3 State North Reading 6, Wakefield 0 — North Reading starting pitcher Ethan Quan felt shaky. His curveball wasn't turning. His changeup wouldn't dip. But he trusted his gut through a bases-loaded jam in the top of the first, and completed all seven innings in shutout fashion, clinching the ninth-seeded Hornets (20-4) a spot in the state championship at Polar Park. 'My arm couldn't feel any better,' Quan said. 'Wasn't the best start, had the bases loaded, but I have a great staff. My pitching coach over there, my coaches and my teammates, they helped me keep the ball low and that seemed to be effective.' The North Reading baseball team is headed to the Division 3 championship game after taking down Wakefield, 6-0. Graham Dietz Quan only registered two strikeouts but limited No. 13 Wakefield (18-6) to zero runs on four walks and five hits. 'Honestly, the key to the game for him was those first three innings,' North Reading coach Eric Archambault said. 'I think they had base runners in all three innings, and for him to be able to work out of those jams — I mean, if they rip a double there it's a completely different game.' Advertisement Christian Lava scooted a two-run single through the right side of the infield to put the Hornets on the board in the top of the third inning. A Glenn Mello moonshot scored Nick Torra in the top of the fifth, and effective baserunning led to two more North Reading runs. Jason Curran scored on a passed ball, and Gavin Brady raced home on a sacrifice bunt by Max Forristall. Archambault wisely chose to intentionally walk Wakefield junior Jack Pennacchia whenever he stepped up to bat. Andrew Nemec led the Warriors with a single and a double. 'We just weren't going to let [Pennacchia] beat us,' Archambault said. 'He is such a phenomenal player. I've seen him in person, seen his highlights, talked to a few people and I know he's a key cog when he gets going.' Arlington Catholic 5, Sandwich 4 — With Tyler Valente singling home Matt Toland with the winning run in the top of the eighth, the 11th-seeded Cougars (16-6) clawed past No. 7 Sandwich (18-6) and into the championship game. Toland finished with two hits and two RBIs, and Patrick Clair pitched three hitless, scoreless innings of relief with two strikeouts after starter Tyler Nelson went five innings, allowing four runs on six hits and three walks with six strikeouts. Division 5 state English 9, Drury 7 — Down five runs before coming to the plate, the second-seeded Blue & Blue caught up before the first inning was over and held on late for a 9-7 victory over third-seeded Drury (20-4) to return to the state championship game. Advertisement However, defending champion English (21-5) likely will be without senior Armanis Romero, who was ejected in the sixth inning after he flipped his bat following a single — which then proceeded to take a bad hop into the visitor's dugout at Worcester's Fitton Field. 'His emotions got the best of him,' English coach Christian Ortiz said. The MIAA rule (49.3.1) is that a player ejected from a game must sit out the next game. Romero had been 3 for 4 with a pair of RBI singles. After starting the game at shortstop, Romero pitched four innings in relief, giving up just one run. The Eagles will take on top-seeded Pioneer Valley this weekend in their quest for a repeat after the Panthers knocked off No. 4 Hopedale in the other Division 4 semifinal, 12-2. Mike Puzzanghera reported from Lowell, Graham Dietz reported from Lynn, and Jake Levin reported from Henry Dinh-Price can be reached at
