Here is a look at the seventh week of scheduled games for ORR spring athletics.
Baseball: Though the ORR baseball team has yet to clinch their share in an SCC title, they certainly seem poised to do so, evident in their fairly successful week. The boys won an important game over Dighton-Rehoboth, 9-3, ending an eight-game win streak for the Falcons who were in top contention for the conference title. Ryan Plunkett did well from the pitcher’s mound, striking out five and only allowing five hits, while classmate Andrew Ryan went 2-for-4 from the plate, scoring two runs and recording three RBIs. The Bulldogs did suffer a blow towards the end of the week, however, suffering a 1-0 loss to Seekonk. Though it is a minor setback, it only marked the Bulldogs’ third conference loss, keeping them in a great position to win the SCC.
Softball: The Lady Bulldogs continued to face some troubles this week, as they lost two of their three games. The girls suffered tough losses to Dighton-Rehoboth, 7-5, in an eight-inning thriller, and to Apponequet, 6-0. Against DR, the girls had a close game, with Kaleigh Goulart once again leading the team offensively and defensively. Goulart got support from several players including sisters Hannah Guard and Michaela Guard, who each had two hits, and Madison Cristaldi, who notched her first varsity hit. Unfortunately, it would not be enough to secure the win for ORR, as the girls lost in extra innings. The one bright spot for the girls was a 9-2 win over Seekonk, marking their fifth win of the season.
Boys’ Track: The boys clinched a share in the SCC title this week, defeating Seekonk 78-58 and suffering a 78-58 loss to GNB Voc-Tech to end their season with a 7-1 record. Going into the meet, the Bulldogs needed a victory over GNB Voc-Tech to secure the outright SCC championship, but despite great performances by multiple-event winners Mike Wyman (mile, two-mile), Kevin Saccone (400-hurdles, 110-hurdles, triple jump), and Jack Smith (100-meter, 200-meter), the Bulldogs came up short, forcing a three-way tie between themselves, Voc-Tech, and Dighton-Rehoboth. The meet marked the end of the regular season for the boys, who now look to secure the SCC Championship Meet title and a Division 4 state championship.
Girls’ Track: The Lady Bulldogs also clinched the SCC title in a dual meet against Seekonk and GNB Voc-Tech, but unlike the boys, they clinched it outright, marking their fifth consecutive undefeated championship season. The girls defeated Seekonk 94-41 and GNB Voc-Tech 115-23. The girls won several events, including all of the throwing events, with Jill Sethares taking the shot-put, Morgan Browning winning the discus, and Nicole Gifford winning the javelin. The girls also swept the distance events thanks to Sam Barrett (two-mile), Shannon O’Malley (800-meter) and Rachel Scheub (one-mile). Like the boys, the girls now look to the conference meet and divisional meet to continue their dominant season.
Boys’ Tennis: The boys had a fantastic week this week, securing a share of the SCC title and winning both of their matches. The Bulldogs easily defeated Wareham 5-0, with the Vikings forfeiting their last two matches after the Bulldogs had secured the victory. Later in the week, ORR extended their winning streak to nine games, defeating Case 5-0. The win also guarantees the Bulldogs a share in the SCC crown, which they could claim outright with a win over Dighton-Rehoboth later in the season.
Girls’ Tennis: The girls also had a good week this week, winning two of their three matches. The Lady Bulldogs defeated Case 5-0 and Wareham 3-2, but lost a match early in the week to Dartmouth, who defeated ORR 4-1. The loss marked the girls’ fifth loss of the season, and though by no means is that a bad thing, it most likely puts them out of conference contention.
Boys’ Lacrosse: The boys’ lacrosse team had a good week, winning both of their games, securing a share of the SCC crown, and clinching a playoff berth. The Bulldogs defeated GNB Voc-Tech, 15-5, and out-of-conference Upper Cape, 14-3, to clinch their ninth and tenth wins of the season. Against Upper Cape, freshman Landon Goguen scored four goals, with junior Ethan Lizotte and sophomore Chris Nadeau adding three apiece. The boys’ win against GNB Voc-Tech was also important, as it allowed them to gain a share of the SCC title with Apponequet.
Girls’ Lacrosse: Thanks to strong offensive performances, the Lady Bulldogs managed to win all three of their games this week against Abington, GNB Voc-Tech, and Coyle-Cassidy. The girls blew out Abington 17-3, with Tori Saltmarsh, Maggie Wiggin, and Mikayla Demanche all scoring three goals apiece to lead the Bulldogs offensively. Demanche and fellow classmate Bailey Truesdale would each score two to lead the girls to a 10-3 victory over GNB Voc-Tech later in the week. Finally, Truesdale had a whopping six goals in an 18-8 victory over out-of-conference Coyle-Cassidy. The six goals were also important as they put Truesdale’s career goals at 98, just two shy of the century mark, a milestone that ought to be reached, as the girls have two regular season games and a playoff run remaining.
Below are the overall spring team records, followed by the conference records in wins, losses, and ties as of May 18.
Baseball: (12-4-0) (11-3-0); Softball: (5-10-0) (5-10-0); Boys’ Track (7-1-0) (7-1-0); Girls’ Track (8-0-0) (8-0-0); Boys’ Tennis: (13-3-0) (13-1-0); Girls’ Tennis: (10-6-0) (9-4-0); Boys’ Lacrosse: (10-5-0) (8-1-0); Girls’ Lacrosse: (14-4-0) (4-4-0).
By Michael Kassabian