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Fitchburg, Leominster to start tourney at home

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The trio of teams which split the Mid-Wach boys volleyball title this spring found out their MIAA tournament destinations on Tuesday.

And for two of them, the road to a state championship starts at home.

Leominster and Fitchburg will host round of 32 contests to open the Division 2 tournament, while North Middlesex Regional will travel to North Andover in the opening round of the Division 1 tourney. Dates and times for those contests were not immediately available.

Leominster drew the 10th seed in Division 2 with its 17-3 record. The recently-crowned Central Mass. Athletic Directors Association tournament champion Blue Devils will host No. 23 Granby (13-6) to start things off.

Fitchburg (16-3) is the 16th seed in D2 and will host No. 17 Keefe Tech (17-3) in its opener.

In the Division 1 tournament, No. 20 North Middlesex (14-3) starts on the road, heading to 13th-seeded North Andover (15-5) in the round of 32.

Tennis

Nashoba Regional will have a chance to vie for both the Division 2 girls and boys tennis titles, with the tournament kicking this week.

The Wolves’ boys tennis team finished the season 13-5 and drew the 21st seed in the Division 2 tourney. Nashoba opens play Thursday at 4 p.m., traveling to No. 12 Plymouth South (14-4) for a round of 32 matchup.

The Nashoba girls (9-9) are the 36th seed in D2 play. The Wolves head to No. 29 Tewksbury (11-6) Wednesday afternoon in the preliminary round, with the winner advancing to face fourth-seeded Masconomet Regional (15-0) on Thursday.

Leominster’s girls are the 37th seed in Division 2 after closing the spring with an 11-8 mark. The Blue Devils will head to North Easton on Wednesday to face No. 28 Oliver Ames (10-6) in a prelim at 4 p.m., with the winner moving on to play No. 5 Minnechaug (16-2).

Local roundup: Blue Devils avenge loss to Titans

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The Leominster High baseball team avenged its lone loss this season, topping Algonquin Regional, 10-4, Friday afternoon in Northboro.

Leominster broke open a 1-all game in the second, putting up six runs in the top half of the inning.

With the win, the Blue Devils improve to 15-1 and return to action on Tuesday with a CMADA Class A quarterfinal against Doherty at Doyle Field at 4 p.m.

St. Paul 10, St. Bernard’s 0: The loss drops the Bernardians to 4-12.

Oakmont 3, Foxboro 2: Caleb Allen had a two-run single in the seventh to lift the Spartans (14-2) to a win on the road.

Groton-Dunstable 3, Fitchburg 2: Albert Ascenio and Steven Escano each went 2-for-4 and Nyle Sim drove in a run for the Red Raiders in defeat.

Boys lacrosse

St. Bernard’s 12, Leominster 6: Josh Hoecker had six goals and an assist as the Bernardians (9-7) clinched a postseason berth. Chase Courtemanche added five goals and a helper.

Michael Halstead potted three goals and had an assist for Leominster (5-11), while Dom Carr had two goals and two helpers.

Girls lacrosse

Leominster 11, Shrewsbury 8: The victory at Doyle Field lifts the Blue Devils to 14-3.

Softball

Monty Tech 12, North Middlesex 1: Alyssa Rabb picked up the win, going four innings and giving up one unearned run on three hits, striking out a pair. Elaina Sarsfield pitched the last three innings and gave up one hit, struck out two and walked one for the Bulldogs (15-3).

Danielle Belliveau had three hits, including a double, and drove in three. Jessica Mueller (double) and Jordan Higbee each had two hits and Haley Fleming and Jordin Sawyer each had a home run.

Monty Tech plays Oakmont at home on Monday in the first game of the Central Mass Division B Tournament. Game time is 4:00 pm.

Boys tennis

Algonquin 5, Leominster 0: Sam Ward and Carter Moge battled in second doubles for the Blue Devils, but fell to Susmith Divi and Shivnath Shankar, 3-6, 6-1, 10-2, in a CMADA Class A quarterfinal.

Nashoba 3, Grafton 2: Victor Xu, Jesse Gjeltema and Tyler Brown swept the singles matches as the Wolves (12-4) won a CMADA Class A quarterfinal.

Girls tennis

Algonquin 4, Nashoba 1: JJ Bravo was victorious in third singles action as the Wolves fell in a CMADA Class A quarterfinal.

Volleyball

North Middlesex 3, Algonquin 1: The Patriots advance to the semifinals of the CMADA Class A tournament.

Local notebook: Big day for Bulldogs, Blue Devils

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Not every victory is created equal.

In terms of wins and losses, sure, each contest has a value of just one in either column. But beyond that baseline classification, some wins are much bigger than others.

Whether they come with huge emotional lifts or large implications, they’re meaningful.

And locally, two programs picked up some pretty important victories on Thursday and deserve a proverbial tip of the cap.

First off, the Monty Tech softball team rebounded from a loss to Blackstone Valley Tech by topping the Beavers, 10-6, in the second meeting of the season and in doing so, the Bulldogs captured the Colonial Athletic League regular season championship.

At 5-1 in the league, the Bulldogs edged Blackstone Valley (4-2 CAL) for their first league crown since 2010.

Bridget Divoll picked up another win in the circle and the Bulldog bats provided plenty of support, pounding out 11 hits and reaching double digits in runs. Jessica Mueller (home run) and Jordin Sawyer each drove in three runs in the victory.

The Bulldogs (15-3) open the CMADA Class B tournament on Monday with a game against Oakmont Regional.

Not to be outdone, the Leominster’s girls tennis team had its own monumental win on Thursday, advancing past third-seeded Wachusett Regional in the quarterfinals of the CMADA Class A tournament with a 3-2 victory.

The victory was the first over the Mountaineers in head coach Daryl Robichaud’s 19 years of coaching the Blue Devils, propelling Leominster into the semifinals.

Arielle Kouadio, Kaitlyn Perrault and Caoline Bjornvig all picked up singles victories for the sixth-seeded Blue Devils, who now await both a time and an opponent for the next match in the tournament.

An Oil Can in Leominster

Boston Red Sox pitcher Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd fires a pitch against the Chicago White Sox in the first inning at Boston's Fenway Park on August 5, 1986, Boyd's first appearance since his suspension just prior to the All-Star break. (AP Photo/Peter Southwick)
Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd will make an appearance at the Hall of Fame of Leominster on Saturday. (AP FILE PHOTO)

Former Boston Red Sox hurler Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd will make an appearance at the Hall of Fame of Leominster sports card and memorabilia store Saturday afternoon, signing autographs from noon to 2 p.m.

Boyd, who pitched for the Red Sox in nine of his 11 Major League seasons and compiled a 78-77 career record, will sign items free of charge, though the Hall of Fame of Leominster will have cards of the righty starter for $3 each, with all the money collected going to Toys for Tots.

The Hall of Fame of Leominster is located at 21 Sack Boulevard, just outside the Mall at Whitney Field.

 

Lacrosse, tennis CMADA pairings announced

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Several local high schools will take part in the upcoming Central Mass. Athletic Directors Association lacrosse and tennis tournaments in the build toward their respective state tourneys.

The boys lacrosse pairings saw Nashoba Regional (10-4)  draw the fourth seed and the Wolves will host a quarterfinal against No. 5 Tantasqua Regional (13-2) Tuesday at 6 p.m. In the same bracket, No. 6 North Middlesex Regional (9-5) will travel to No. 3 Groton-Dunstable (12-2) Tuesday at 4 p.m.

In the boys Class B tournament, No. 6 Lunenburg (8-7) will face third-seeded AMSA (10-4) Monday at 3:30 p.m., while No. 7 Oakmont Regional (1-11) hits the road to square off with second-seeded Littleton (11-3) with a time and date yet to be announced.

In the girls Class A tournament, Leominster (12-2) is the third seed and will host No. 6 Westboro (5-8) with a date and time to be determined. Nashoba (8-7) is seeded seventh and will travel to No. 2 Shrewsbury (13-2) on Wednesday, with a time to be announced.

Lunenburg (10-6) is the Class B fifth seed and will head to No. 4 Notre Dame Academy (12-3) Monday at 3:45 p.m., while Oakmont (6-6) is seeded seventh and will face No. 2 Nipmuc Regional (12-3) Tuesday at 4 p.m.

In boys tennis, Nashoba (11-4) is the Class A third seed and will host South (7-4) Monday at 3:45 p.m. Leominster (1-10) is seeded seventh and faces No. 2 Algonquin Regional (9-7) on Friday at 4 p.m.

Nashoba (9-7) is the fifth seed in the girls tennis Class A pairings, drawing a matchup with No. 4 Algonquin (7-6) Friday at 4 p.m. Leominster (10-6) claims the sixth seed and will face No. 3 Wachusett Regional (10-6) Thursday at 4 p.m.

Local roundup: Blue Devils remain red-hot

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The Leominster High boys lacrosse team picked up its third straight win on Monday, cruising to a 14-0 blanking of Hudson.

John DeOliveira and Kyle Moyen combined for the shutout as the Blue Devils improved to 5-9.

Gio Arman led the way with four goals and three assists, while Dom Carr chipped in with three markers and two helpers. Braden Martin (three assists), Mike Halstead (two assists) and Will Parker each scored single goals.

The Blue Devils also saw Gray Dallaire, Sean Cotton, Chase Kranz and Kayden Byington net their first varsity goals in the win.

A stout defensive effort was led by Luke Grebinar, Riley Morrison, Gio DiMarzio, Connor Delgreco, Nico Lapolla, Jon Alpizar, Kegan Amarasinghe and Anthony Muller.

Assabet 11, Monty Tech 1: Aidan LeBlanc scored Monty Tech’s lone goal.

Girls lacrosse

Assabet 17, Monty Tech 16: The loss drops the Bulldogs to 4-9.

Baseball

Fitchburg 14, St. Bernard’s 3: Steven Escano went 2-for-3 and drove in three, scoring twice for the Red Raiders (8-8), while James Geehan and Tyler Brassard each had a pair of RBI. Nyle Sim and Albert Ascenio each crossed the plate three times in the win.

Kyle Bergeron, Angelo Barry and CJ Pelissier drove in runs for the Bernardians (4-10).

Oakmont 12, Quabbin 2: The win lifts the Spartans to 14-2.

North Middlesex 2, Marlboro 1: The Patriots (4-7) scored in the seventh to pull even with the Panthers and then scored in the bottom of the eighth to walk off with the win. Jackson Hendley plated a run in the win and Brady Reardon and Caden Kehoe each scored runs.

Ashton Donia went the distance in the victory, striking out 10 and walking four in eight innings. He allowed one earned run on six hits.

Littleton 6, Lunenburg 1: Dylan Adamson had a team-high three hits for the Blue Knights (4-8).

Leominster 4, AMSA 1: The Blue Devils improve to 13-1.

Jake Richard was 1-for-2 with three stolen bases and two runs scored, while Jared Viola notched an RBI.

Tony Salvatelli had an RBI and scored a run and Mark Garner made his first varsity pitching appearance, allowing no runs and striking out three in a pair of innings.

Softball

Oakmont 9, Quabbin 5: Alison Hazel went 2-for-4 with a home run, driving in three and scoring twice for the Spartans (8-9). Hazel picked up the win, allowing just one earned run in four innings of relief, striking out three.

Olivia Souers was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI, scoring three times. She also pitched three clean innings, allowing no hits and striking out five to go with a pair of walks.

Jen Buszkiewicz went 1-for-4 with an RBI in the victory.

Littleton 11, Lunenburg 9: Ava Koziol blasted a grand slam in defeat for the Blue Knights (6-8).

Volleyball

South Lancaster 3, Ayer-Shirley 1: Set scores were 25-19, 25-11, 21-25 and 25-20.

Freshman outside hitter Lukas Biddle had nine kills for Ayer-Shirley (3-9), while junior middle hitter and setter David Batchelor had eight assists and six kills.

Boys tennis

Shepherd Hill 3, Nashoba 2: Victor Xu won in second singles for the Wolves (11-4) and Philip Baykov came through with a third singles victory.

Girls tennis

Nashoba 4, Shepherd Hill 1: Davita Honig, Maryam Mulyono and J.J. Bravo swept the singles matches for the Wolves (9-7), while Audrey Russell and Emily Skaar picked up a win in second doubles.

Groton-Dunstable 3, Leominster 2: Alaina Garcia won in third singles for the Blue Devils (10-6), while the first doubles tandem of Gina Iacoboni and Victoria Miele was also victorious.

Excitement growing for Fitchburg tennis program

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FITCHBURG — There’s a newfound sense of excitement surrounding the Fitchburg High School girls tennis program.

As the Red Raiders wind down their 2023 regular season, head coach Kelly O’Connor loves what she’s been seeing from her young squad.

“The girls are working really hard and it’s been a lot of fun working with and being around them,” said O’Connor during her team’s home match against North Middlesex Regional on Friday afternoon. “Our numbers are up from last year and we are trying to continue to build the team.”

O’Connor, who also coaches the school’s field hockey program during the fall season, is in her second year as the Red Raiders girls tennis head coach. The 1995 North Middlesex graduate was filled with excitement after the team’s 4-1 victory over her alma mater, improving Fitchburg’s record to 4-6.

The victory over the Patriots avenged a 3-2 loss to the same North Middlesex squad at the Hawthorne Brook Middle School in Townsend three days earlier.

“When I was hired prior to last season, I was told we had a very young and inexperienced team and with my work schedule I couldn’t get here until later in the afternoon,” said O’Connor. “We wanted to try and get girls excited and want to come out and play tennis here. Last year, we didn’t play a varsity schedule. We worked on skill development and conditioning. I said this year we wanted to play a varsity schedule. These girls are hungry and they want to work.”

The 2023 edition of the Red Raiders features 23 athletes, 11 on the varsity roster. Nine of the 11 are returning players from a year ago.

“(Fitchburg athletic director Craig Antocci) came down to a practice recently and said to me that he saw a lot of happy tennis players,” said O’Connor. “Winning is great but watching these girls grow and improve and really enjoy the sport is what I care about. It’s what is most important to me.”

On Friday afternoon, Fitchburg sophomore Gaby Liotta represented the Red Raiders in the third singles match and picked up a 6-4, 6-0 victory.

“This experience has been very positive, all the players and coaches have been uplifting. It’s a safe and fun environment to learn and practice,” said Liotta, whose older sister Isabella is a senior captain on the team. “From a team aspect, we all work together and help each other to become better players. My two years as a part of this team and program have been really enjoyable.”

The Fitchburg varsity roster also includes Alyssa Medley, Denisa Pissea, Khanchana Nanthavongsa, Chiali Moua, Jenny Cao, Xonyia Vang, Brittany Estrada, Envy Lor and captain Luz Gomez.

The Red Raiders end their regular season on Wednesday afternoon when they head to the Lake Park Tennis Courts in Worcester to take on Worcester North.