Here is a look at the sixth week of scheduled games for ORR spring athletics.
Baseball: The Bulldogs continued their SCC dominance this week, notching two key wins on their march to become the conference champions. The boys easily defeated Wareham, 12-1, early in the week, and then followed it up with a tight 5-4 win over Fairhaven. The game was tied 3-3 in the fourth inning, when senior Kiernan Besse hit a two-run triple to give the Bulldogs the upper edge. Pitcher Andrew Ryan struck out five in his fifth consecutive win, while Ryan Plunkett earned the save. Jordan Menard and Bryant Salkind also had great games, each going 2-3 from the plate.
Softball: The ORR girls had a great start to their week, winning a narrow 13-12 victory over Wareham thanks to strong offensive performances. Kaleigh Goulart, Mia Vercellone, and Sam Allaire each had four hits, with Goulart also contributing defensively, grabbing her fourth win of the season from the pitching mound. The headline of the game, however, was a freak play that resulted in a Wareham player breaking her femur and getting evacuated to the hospital. Following the win over Wareham, the Lady Bulldogs faltered against Fairhaven in a 14-3 loss.
Boys’ Track: The boys’ track team had a fantastic week, winning both of their regular season meets. The boys defeated Dighton-Rehoboth 69-67 in a thrilling meet that gives the Bulldogs the upper edge in the SCC. The boys followed up their important win with an easier 72-64 win. The highlights of the week, however, were some fantastic performances by the Bulldogs at the prestigious Loucks Games held in White Plains, New York. Senior Mike Wyman placed second in the mile, running a stunning 4:13, which is not only a school record, but the best time by a Massachusetts athlete this spring. Similarly, Colin Knapton placed third in the javelin with a fantastic heave of 184 feet. Knapton broke his own school record, which he had set earlier in the week against Fairhaven, to give him the top throw in the state of Massachusetts. Kevin Saccone also did well, placing fifth in the competitive 110-meter hurdles in 15.41 and fourth in the long jump with a school record 21’7”.
Girls’ Track: The girls remained perfect this week, claiming victories against both Dighton-Rehoboth and Fairhaven, 94-42 and 106-24, respectively. Against DR, Paige Santos shone, winning the high jump, 400-hurdles, and 110-hurdles. Senior Morgan DaSilva won the 400- and 100-meter races, while Abby Adams won the long jump. ORR notched four other wins on the day to defeat what was expected to be their toughest competitor in the SCC. The Lady Bulldogs also had several athletes compete at the Loucks Games, where many set personal bests at a meet featuring some of the top athletes in the Northeast.
Boys’ Tennis: The Bulldogs won all three of their matches this week. The boys won 4-1 over Fairhaven, 3-2 over Apponequet, and 3-2 over Seekonk to earn their eleventh overall victory and tenth conference victory. ORR has only one loss in their conference record, putting them in a great position to take the SCC title.
Girls’ Tennis: The girls had a rough start to their week, suffering two consecutive losses to SCC competitors and furthering themselves from the top of the SCC. Against Fairhaven, the girls lost 4-1, with first singles Julia Nojeim losing her first match of the season. The girls went on to lose 4-1 to Apponequet, with Nojeim rebounding nicely to win the lone match for the Lady Bulldogs. However, the girls shook off the losses with a nice 5-0 sweep against Seekonk, where all ORR players won their matches in two sets.
Boys’ Lacrosse: The SCC race is shaping up to be an exciting one for boys’ lacrosse, as exhibited through the Bulldogs’ up-and-down week. ORR started their week off with an overtime loss to out-of-conference Dartmouth, 9-8. The boys then suffered their second consecutive loss against Apponequet later in the week, 8-7. This loss had greater effects on the Bulldogs, as it was their first conference loss of the season and puts them tied for the SCC title with Apponequet. The Bulldogs got out of some frustration, however, with a dominating 21-5 victory over Bourne to close out their tumultuous week.
Girls’ Lacrosse: The girls won two of the three games this week thanks to strong defensive performances by goalie Madison Thomson. The girls defeated Sturgis East 15-0, with Thomson making eight saves in her first shutout of the season. Bailey Truesdale was the lead scorer for ORR with four goals. The girls then defeated Bourne, 12-10, with Thomson making nine key saves to give the Lady Bulldogs an important SCC win. Maggie Wiggin was the lead scorer of the game with four goals. However, the girls’ good fortune ended with a tough 19-6 loss to Apponequet.
Below are the overall spring team records, followed by the conference records in wins, losses, and ties as of May 11.
Baseball: (11-3-0) (10-2-0); Softball: (4-8-0) (4-8-0); Boys’ Track (6-0-0) (6-0-0); Girls’ Track (6-0-0) (6-0-0); Boys’ Tennis: (11-3-0) (10-1-0); Girls’ Tennis: (8-5-0) (7-4-0); Boys’ Lacrosse: (8-5-0) (7-1-0); Girls’ Lacrosse: (11-4-0) (3-4-0).
By Michael Kassabian
