By Thursday, all sports teams had started their season, but bad weather continued to haunt the 2016 season. All games on Tuesday were postponed to rain, though most were made up on Thursday. So far, the baseball team has outscored opponents 22-3 and Girls’ Lacrosse is off to a 3-0 start, making both teams the favorites to win SCC titles. Boys’ Lacrosse, Boys’ Tennis, and both track teams are off to strong starts as well.
Baseball: The Bulldogs had two games early this week, starting out against Fairhaven High at Pope Park in Acushnet on Monday. Junior ace Sam Henrie picked up where he left off, striking out five against two walks and giving up one hit and one run in a 12-1 win. Sophomore Jake Asiaf and juniors Will Hopkins and John Breault had two hits apiece, making for 11 on the day. Hopkins’ triple and Henrie’s two-run single were the key offensive plays of the game, and senior Hunter Parker helped Henrie out with some spectacular defense at second base. On Tuesday, they were scheduled to play Seekonk at home, but the game was pushed back to Thursday. The delay didn’t have much effect on the Bulldogs, as they stormed over the Warriors 10-2. Hopkins pitched five scoreless innings with two strikeouts to get the win. Parker supported him with a big game, reaching base and scoring three times and adding a steal. Senior DH Bryant Salkind drove in two runs on three hits and a sac fly. This week, the boys are on the road to face the Dighton-Rehoboth Falcons on Monday morning. They follow that up with a pair of morning home games: against Wareham on Wednesday and non-conference Coyle-Cassidy on Friday.
Softball: To start the week, the Lady Bulldogs faced Fairhaven High. They wound up losing 9-8 in an intense season opener. The girls planned to play an away game versus Seekonk on Tuesday afternoon, but rain pushed it back to Thursday, where they lost 7-2. They came right back to play non-conference Diman Voc. on Friday afternoon, but unfortunately lost 8-6. This week, they’ll be home to play Dighton-Rehoboth on Monday before traveling to Wareham to play the Lady Vikings on Wednesday.
Boys’ Lacrosse: The Bulldogs were scheduled to start their week with a game against Apponequet at home on Tuesday, but it was pushed back to Wednesday due to rain. Junior Landon Gougen was clearly ready for the first conference game of the season, as he contributed five goals in a 10-8 victory. The game was a seesaw battle, and Gougen turned the tide with three straight goals to bring the game from 6-6 to 9-6. Junior Charlie Tirrell and sophomore Pat Kiernan both scored two goals and added an assist apiece in the victory. Freshman goalie Nathaniel King was a key cog in helping the ‘Dogs hold on for their win. The boys were on the road to play Bourne on Friday afternoon. Gougen scored five goals and surpassed 100 for his career, a remarkable feat considering he is only a junior. Terrell scored three goals and added an assist, while junior Pat Saltmarsh and sophomore Alex Lorenz each scored two. The boys have a pair of home games this week, as they prepare to take on Fairhaven on Wednesday and Dighton-Rehoboth on Friday.
Girls’ Lacrosse: The Lady Bulldogs were on the road to play Apponequet on Tuesday, but rain moved the game to Thursday, and later Saturday. They took on Bourne at home on Friday, winning easily in a 14-4 romp. Junior Emily Hiller and sophomore Kat Tracy were the standouts, scoring three goals and contributing four assists and a goal, respectively. Sophomores Madison Cooney and Alexandra Hulsebosch, as well as senior Sarah Ryan, all scored two goals in the win. Against Apponequet, the girls had to fend off a late surge from the Lady Lakers, but still won 12-8. Cooney had another big game, with four goals and four assists, while Hiller had her second straight three-goal game and Ryan once again scored two. Both Hulsebosch and sophomore Ava Ciffolillo had a goal and an assist. This week, the Lady Bulldogs are on the road to face Fairhaven (Wednesday) and D-R (Friday).
Boys’ Track: The Bulldogs took on non-conference Durfee on Thursday, winning 100-36. Juniors Danny Renwick and Eli Spevack carried over their success from winter and were double winners in their opening meet. Renwick won the 100m hurdles (15.6) and high jump (6-0) while Spevack won the 400m hurdles (61.3) and triple jump (39-2). Senior Will Santos debuted with a win in the 400m, running 54.8, while his brother Evan Santos won his race, the 200m, with a time of 23.7. Most of the team’s runners went to Seekonk to take part in the SCC Relays on Saturday, where despite many absences due to vacation, they ran well, finishing 2nd to D-R. This week, the boys will play host to the Freshman-Sophomore meet on Friday morning and will also participate in a few invitationals.
Girls’ Track: The girls started off the week at Durfee on Thursday. The Lady Bulldogs waltzed to a 97-33 victory behind a trio of state-qualifying performers. Senior Zoe Smith won the triple jump (32-10) and the 100m hurdles (16.1); sophomore Madisen Martin won the 800m (2:34); and senior Maddie Meyer won the 2-mile (12:08). They also brought most of their squad to the SCC Relays at Seekonk on Saturday, where they put together several strong relay teams to win the meet. The girls will be at home for the anticipated Freshman-Sophomore meet on Friday morning, in addition to a few invitational meets.
Boys’ Tennis: The boys were supposed to be home against Bourne on Tuesday, but the game was moved up to Monday to avoid rain, and the Bulldogs responded with a clean sweep of the Canalmen. Singles players Alex Bilodeau, Maxxon Wolski, and Caleb Jagoda all won their sets, while both doubles tandems took (6-1, 6-0) victories. Those teams were made up of junior Josh Lerman and sophomore Jahn Pothier, and juniors Colin O’Malley and Max Asker, respectively. On Thursday, the boys faced off against Fairhaven High at Hastings Middle School. Singles wins from Jagoda, Bilodeau, and sophomore Sam Pasquill led the ‘Dogs to a 5-0 win. The doubles pairings of Pothier/Lerman and Wolski plus freshman Geoffrey Noonan represented the other two wins. The Bulldogs will be home to take on the Seekonk Warriors on Tuesday before traveling to play non-conference Dartmouth High Saturday morning.
Girls’ Tennis: The Lady Bulldogs aimed to begin the week at Bourne on Tuesday afternoon; however, rain postponed the game to Monday, April 25. Their game against Fairhaven, originally scheduled for Thursday, was pushed back unexpectedly to April 22, so the team wound up with an off week. The team also has games against Seekonk on the road on Tuesday morning and non-conference Dartmouth High on Saturday.
Below are the overall spring team records, followed by the conference records in wins, losses, and ties as of April 17.
Baseball: (2-0-0)(2-0-0); Softball: (0-3-0)(0-2-0); Boys’ Track: (1-0-0)(0-0-0); Girls’ Track: (1-0-0)(0-0-0); Boys’ Lacrosse: (2-1-0)(2-0-0); Girls’ Lacrosse: (3-0-0)(1-0-0); Boys’ Tennis: (2-0-0)(2-0-0); Girls’ Tennis: (1-0-0)(0-0-0).
By Patrick Briand