Here is a look at the tenth and final week of scheduled games for ORR spring athletics.
Baseball: This year has been one of the strongest years for baseball in recent ORR history, thanks to a strong team and a tenacity to fight back. The Bulldogs exhibited these qualities in the Division 3 South quarterfinal against Fairhaven, where they won 6-1 in an exciting game. Fairhaven got off to a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning, and for a moment, it looked as if the Bulldogs were faltering. However, thanks to some explosive batting and key pitching by Ryan Plunkett, the Bulldogs were able to go on a 6-0 run to defeat Fairhaven for the third time this season. Austin Salkind and Tyler Zell each recorded two hits on the win, while five other Bulldogs added solo hits. Plunkett successfully pitched the Bulldogs out of some tight jams to secure the win. However, the boys were not able to advance any further in the tournament, as they suffered a tough 13-3 loss to second-seeded Bellingham in the semifinal round. Though their season may be over, the Bulldogs showed that the baseball program at ORR has improved and will be a threat in the conference and the state for years to come.
Boys’ Track: The highlight of this week for ORR athletics was junior track star Kevin Saccone, who won his first All-State title in the long jump with a new school record of 22’ ¾”. Saccone, who was originally seeded tenth in the event, jumped ahead with a monster leap to claim the title of the best long-jumper in the state of Massachusetts. Besides Saccone, ORR athletes had a great day at the annual All-State Meet. Mike Wyman finished off his incredible high-school career with a narrow second place finish in the 800-meter, lowering his own school record to 1:53. Colin Knapton closed his impressive track career with a fourteenth place finish in the 100-meter dash and a thirteenth place finish in the javelin.
Girls’ Track: The Lady Bulldogs also had a few athletes compete in the All-State Meet this week. Paige Santos was the top finisher for the girls, placing ninth in the 100-hurdles and just missing a spot in the finals. Santos also claimed 18th in the high jump. The girls also had a 4×400-meter relay team go to the prestigious meet. The team, comprised of recent graduates Santos, Sammie Barrett, Morgan DaSilva, and sophomore Nicole Mattson, placed twenty-first overall with a 4:15.
Boys’ Tennis: The boys’ tennis team, who has had a dominant spring, finished their season with a 4-1 elimination from the Division 3 South Quarterfinal to Cohasset. ORR won a lone match thanks to second doubles players Maxx Wolski and Doug Blaise, but was not able to overcome Cohasset’s depth to move on in the tournament. Regardless, the boys have had a great season, complete with a SCC Championship and an impressive tournament run.
This year has been one of the most successful athletic years in ORR history. Old Rochester earned nine conference championships this year, five of them coming from spring sports. This conference domination led the Bulldogs to collect their fourth-straight overall conference championship, which is determined by the number of conference championships and records of each school in the SCC. Credit must be given to the strong coaching staffs and talented teams who have dedicated hours upon hours to strive to be the best. It has been a pleasure reporting for the ORR sports teams this year, and hopefully ORR continues a strong showing in the SCC and state in the years to come.
Below are the overall spring team records, followed by the conference records in wins, losses, and ties as of June 7.
Baseball: (16-7-0) (12-4-0); Softball: (7-11-0) (6-11-0); Boys’ Track (7-1-0) (7-1-0); Girls’ Track (8-0-0) (8-0-0); Boys’ Tennis: (16-4-0) (15-1-0); Girls’ Tennis: (10-8-0) (9-4-0); Boys’ Lacrosse: (10-6-0) (8-1-0); Girls’ Lacrosse: (17-5-0) (4-4-0).
By Michael Kassabian
