High schools: Belchertown, Easthampton split dual track meet (PHOTOS)

Easthampton’s Josh DeSimone runs to a second place finish in the 2-mile Tuesday during their meet against Belchertown at Mountain View School in Easthampton.

Easthampton’s Josh DeSimone runs to a second place finish in the 2-mile Tuesday during their meet against Belchertown at Mountain View School in Easthampton. STAFF PHOTO/DAN LITTLE

Belchertown’s Fallon Clancy competes in the long jump for first place Tuesday during their meet against Easthampton at Mountain View School in Easthampton.

Belchertown’s Fallon Clancy competes in the long jump for first place Tuesday during their meet against Easthampton at Mountain View School in Easthampton. STAFF PHOTO/DAN LITTLE

Easthampton’s Arie Kuchyt competes to a third place finish in the long jump Tuesday during their meet against Belchertown at Mountain View School in Easthampton.

Easthampton’s Arie Kuchyt competes to a third place finish in the long jump Tuesday during their meet against Belchertown at Mountain View School in Easthampton. STAFF PHOTO/DAN LITTLE

Belchertown’s Cameron Ting runs to a first place finish in the hurdles Tuesday during their meet against Easthampton at Mountain View School in Easthampton.

Belchertown’s Cameron Ting runs to a first place finish in the hurdles Tuesday during their meet against Easthampton at Mountain View School in Easthampton. STAFF PHOTO/DAN LITTLE

Belchertown’s Fallon Clancy runs to a first place finish in the girls 100 meter dash Tuesday during their meet against Easthampton at Mountain View School in Easthampton.

Belchertown’s Fallon Clancy runs to a first place finish in the girls 100 meter dash Tuesday during their meet against Easthampton at Mountain View School in Easthampton. STAFF PHOTO/DAN LITTLE

Easthampton’s Chloe Nye competes in the hurdles Tuesday during their meet against Belchertown at Mountain View School in Easthampton.

Easthampton’s Chloe Nye competes in the hurdles Tuesday during their meet against Belchertown at Mountain View School in Easthampton. STAFF PHOTO/DAN LITTLE

Easthampton’s Morgan Wijnhoven competes in the long jump Tuesday during their meet against Belchertown at Mountain View School in Easthampton.

Easthampton’s Morgan Wijnhoven competes in the long jump Tuesday during their meet against Belchertown at Mountain View School in Easthampton. STAFF PHOTO/DAN LITTLE

Belchertown’s Mackenzie Burch competes in the long jump Tuesday during their meet against Easthampton at Mountain View School in Easthampton.

Belchertown’s Mackenzie Burch competes in the long jump Tuesday during their meet against Easthampton at Mountain View School in Easthampton. STAFF PHOTO/DAN LITTLE

Belchertown’s Mackenzie Burch competes in the long jump Tuesday during their meet against Easthampton at Mountain View School in Easthampton.

Belchertown’s Mackenzie Burch competes in the long jump Tuesday during their meet against Easthampton at Mountain View School in Easthampton. STAFF PHOTO/DAN LITTLE

Belchertown’s Mackenzie Burch competes in the long jump Tuesday during their meet against Easthampton at Mountain View School in Easthampton.

Belchertown’s Mackenzie Burch competes in the long jump Tuesday during their meet against Easthampton at Mountain View School in Easthampton. STAFF PHOTO/DAN LITTLE

Belchertown’s Cameron Ting competes in the high jump Tuesday during their meet against Easthampton at Mountain View School in Easthampton.

Belchertown’s Cameron Ting competes in the high jump Tuesday during their meet against Easthampton at Mountain View School in Easthampton. STAFF PHOTO/DAN LITTLE

Belchertown runners Tyler Benedetti, from left, Zach Mullen, Gavin Messier and Parker Crol compete in the 2-mile Tuesday during their meet against Easthampton at Mountain View School in Easthampton.

Belchertown runners Tyler Benedetti, from left, Zach Mullen, Gavin Messier and Parker Crol compete in the 2-mile Tuesday during their meet against Easthampton at Mountain View School in Easthampton. STAFF PHOTO/DAN LITTLE

Belchertown’s Cameron Ting competes in the high jump Tuesday during their meet against Easthampton at Mountain View School in Easthampton.

Belchertown’s Cameron Ting competes in the high jump Tuesday during their meet against Easthampton at Mountain View School in Easthampton. STAFF PHOTO/DAN LITTLE

Belchertown’s Gavin Messier runs to a first place finish in the 2-mile Tuesday during their meet against Easthampton at Mountain View School in Easthampton.

Belchertown’s Gavin Messier runs to a first place finish in the 2-mile Tuesday during their meet against Easthampton at Mountain View School in Easthampton. STAFF PHOTO/DAN LITTLE

Easthampton’s Nelson Gomez competes in the high jump for second place Tuesday during their meet against Belchertown at Mountain View School in Easthampton.

Easthampton’s Nelson Gomez competes in the high jump for second place Tuesday during their meet against Belchertown at Mountain View School in Easthampton. STAFF PHOTO/DAN LITTLE

Easthampton’s Nelson Gomez competes in the high jump for second place Tuesday during their meet against Belchertown at Mountain View School in Easthampton.

Easthampton’s Nelson Gomez competes in the high jump for second place Tuesday during their meet against Belchertown at Mountain View School in Easthampton. STAFF PHOTO/DAN LITTLE

Easthampton’s Nelson Gomez competes in the high jump for second place Tuesday during their meet against Belchertown at Mountain View School in Easthampton.

Easthampton’s Nelson Gomez competes in the high jump for second place Tuesday during their meet against Belchertown at Mountain View School in Easthampton. STAFF PHOTO/DAN LITTLE

Easthampton’s Guiseppe DeNucce-Simms competes in the high jump for first place Tuesday during their meet against Belchertown at Mountain View School in Easthampton.

Easthampton’s Guiseppe DeNucce-Simms competes in the high jump for first place Tuesday during their meet against Belchertown at Mountain View School in Easthampton. STAFF PHOTO/DAN LITTLE

By GARRETT COTE

Staff Reports

Published: 04-16-2024 9:20 PM

Modified: 04-17-2024 9:38 AM


EASTHAMPTON — The Easthampton and Belchertown track and field teams put a pause on their April vacations on a perfect Tuesday afternoon, as the two tangled for a dual meet at Mountain View School.

The two teams split dual meets, with the Eagles defeating the Orioles 67-60 on the boys side and the Belchertown girls capturing a 68-48 win over Easthampton.

It was a day filled with personal records for each squad, which both coaches were thrilled about given they were dealing with low numbers due to the school vacation.

“Both of our teams were short on numbers just because of the break,” Easthampton head coach Lisa Ritchie said. “So we didn’t really know what our lineup was gonna be, but the kids who competed today brought all the energy in the world. A lot of them were in events for the first or second time, and they just put all of their heart into the events they did today. We had so many personal records.”

Leading those personal records were Easthampton’s Nelson Gomez and Giuseppe DeNucce-Simms. Gomez, a junior, recorded four personal records en route to wins in the triple jump (38 feet, 2.5 inches) and long jump (18-9.25), while DeNucce-Simms, a senior, tallied three PRs as he emerged victorious in the high jump (5-8), shot put (40-2) and discus (108-5). The Eagles dominated field events on the boys’ side.

On the track, Belchertown’s mile runners impressed head coach Eric Nacsin. They’ve continued to put up great numbers in the race, and Tuesday was no different. Miles McNamara grabbed first in the mile (5 minutes, 17.2 seconds) as the Orioles had the top four mile finishers, while Gavin Messier earned first in the two mile (12:28.5).

“Our boys mile guys are doing very well adapting to strategy and doing well with each day, both practice and meets,” Nacsin said. “Having to deal with a meet where you might not be running against an opponent but a teammate is tough, but they’ve been doing a phenomenal job of that so far this season.”

Quinn Stoddard (59.7) grabbed first in the 400 meter run for Easthampton, and Belchertown’s Liam Howard crossed the line first in the 800 run (2:15.9). The Orioles’ Coleman Longley won the 100 meter dash (12.3) and the 20o meter dash (25.3) as well.

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For the girls, Easthampton’s Molly Marsh threw a 68-9 to grab first in the discus, Belchertown’s Alexa Karabetsos (first) jumped a 30-10.25 in the triple jump and Fallon Clancy’s long jump of 13-9 earned first place to highlight Tuesday’s field events.

Eagles sophomore Morgan Wijnhoven, who is in her first year competing, breezed through competition in the 200 meter dash with a time of 28.1 seconds, which impressed Ritchie and the rest of Easthampton’s coaching staff.

  Belchertown’s Kami Wlodyka turned in a time of 5:46 in the mile, comfortably good for first place, while Clancy won the 100 meter dash (13.4).

“It’s vacation, yet kids are still out here working hard, trying new events,” Nacsin said. “And anytime kids are doing that over a vacation is just above and beyond for me. I’m proud of how they worked today.”

Both teams are young, and have made it clear their goals are to improve as the season progresses to be peaking come the Western Mass. tournament later this spring.

“Just growth is what we’re trying to get out of this part of the season,” Nacsin said. “We want to fix mechanics and teach new things every day at practice in the jumps, sprints and throws. Those types of things need to happen. Overall, our game plan is to get into the top 10 at Western Mass., so we’ll see how that plays out.”

Easthampton is in the same boat, and with a plethora of new athletes, Ritchie is thrilled to see how they turn out as they get more comfortable with varsity track and field.

“We still have a lot of athletes still figuring out what events they’re best at,” Ritchie said. “We have an interesting make up of athletes. We have a core of juniors and seniors who returned, and then it’s a bunch of new athletes who are new to track and field. So they’re still learning and it’s exciting to think about the potential they have.”

Up next for Easthampton is a meet with Hampshire on April 24, while Belchertown hosts South Hadley on the same day.

Agawam 83, Amherst 57 – David Pinero-Jacome captured first place in the 1-mile with a time of 4:49 to pace the Hurricanes on Tuesday.

Baseball

Frontier 5, Hampshire 4 — Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Redhawks offense sprung to life on Tuesday.

Frontier scored four times in the inning, rallying past the Raiders for a 5-4 Suburban League West victory in South Deerfield.

Porter Hall and Wyatt Edes had two hits apiece to pace the Hawks, while Nico Fasulo and Jack Conlon added a hit and an RBI each. Tyler Cusson tossed all seven innings, striking out two and not walking a batter.

Hampshire’s Zach Phakos, Drew Thompson and Jacob Sicard all had two hits and an RBI. Will Hogan struck out five in 5 2/3 innings on the mound.

Ware 14, Granby 5 — Spencer LaBonte was 2-for-3 with two RBIs to pace the Rams in a loss to Ware on Tuesday.

Granby trailed just 3-2 into the top of the fourth inning before Ware put up a five-spot to snatch control. It was 8-5 in the sixth when the visitors again put up a crooked number, scoring six times to put things away.

Anthony Santiago roped three hits and drove in a run for Granby, while Gavin Moreno and Brennan Dwyer added a hit and an RBI each.

South Hadley 10, Palmer 0 (5) – John Viola continued a standout start to the season on the mound for the Tigers, tossing a five-inning shutout with three strikeouts on Tuesday. Viola allowed just one hit on the afternoon.

South Hadley used a six-run second inning to set the tone.

Jack Maziarz and Burke Belsky each had a hit and two RBIs for the Tigers, which improved to 3-2 with their third consecutive victory.

Mount Greylock 13, Amherst 8 — Trailing 5-2 in the third inning, the Hurricanes struck for four runs in the bottom of the frame to retake a 6-5 advantage. But Mount Greylock would score two in the fourth and never surrender its lead the rest of the way.

Elijah Rubinstein collected three hits in three at bats while driving in two runs, Spencer Waite tallied two RBI and Thatcher Rudnik plated two with a single as part of the four-run third in the Amherst loss.

Softball

Pittsfield 6, Hampshire 5 (8) — In a battle of expected heavyweights this spring, Amanda Pou’s walk-off single in the bottom of the eighth inning propelled the Generals to victory.

Hampshire trailed 3-1 before scoring twice in the top of the fifth inning, then took a 5-3 lead with two more in the sixth before Pittsfield tied it and forced extras.

Ryanne Dubay was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs to pace Hampshire, while Hailey Wodecki and Teagan Charles each had two hits. Dubay struck out five in a complete-game outing in the circle for the Raiders (4-1).

Granby 20, Smith Academy 6 (6) — Jordan Placzek struck out 11 in the circle and added two RBIs and three runs scored at the plate to help the Rams to a six-inning victory on Tuesday.

Eleanor Szlosek and Cassie Flaherty each scored three runs in the win for Granby, while Mabel Carillon scored twice and drove in a run. Meredith Bartosz touched home four times for the Rams, while Katie Grabherr (run, RBI), Grace Roy (run, two RBIs), Scarlett LaRose (run, two RBIs), Quinn Cook (run) and Kiki Gaj (run) all aided the offensive cause.

Smith Academy pitcher Nataly Slysz struck out three in the circle. Emilia Neves and Caitlin Graves each had a hit and scored a run, while Emma Moynihan and Emma Tisdell added a hit and an RBI apiece. Marissa Belina also had a hit and scored twice, and Anna Scagel added a run for the Falcons.

Belchertown 15, Putnam 1 – Freshman Lila Roy tossed a no-hitter with 11 strikeouts to help the Orioles to their first win of the season on Tuesday.

Roy also went 2-for-3 with a double, triple and three runs scored for Belchertown (1-1).

Palmer 38, Holyoke 26 (6) – Offense was rampant in Palmer on Tuesday, but the Purple Knights were unable to keep pace in a six-inning loss.

Janiya Lagoy smacked five hits to pace Holyoke offensively, while Marialis Camacho roped four hits on the afternoon.Jessayra Maldonado and Jayshalee Santos  drove in four runs apiece.

Boys tennis

Frontier 3, Turners 2 — Robert Fuqua earned a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 2 singles while Frontier also took both doubles matches to earn a victory in South Deerfield Tuesday. 

Oliver Brown and Donovan Vichi walked away with a 6-0, 6-0 triumph in No. 1 doubles while Noah Nichols and Matt Sibley picked up a 6-0, 6-1 victory in No. 2 doubles for the Redhawks. 

East Longmeadow 3, Amherst 2 – The Hurricanes received wins at the top two singles spots but couldn't find another point in a tight loss to East Longmeadow.

Miles Jeffries scored a 6-1, 6-0 victory at first singles for Amherst, and teammate Elias Katsaros won a 6-2, 6-4 decision at No. 2.

Girls tennis

Westfield 3, Belchertown 2 — Ava Shea was a 6-0, 6-0 winner at No. 1 singles for the Orioles, which dropped a tight match to the Bombers on Tuesday.

The other point came at first doubles, where Belchertown’s Alena Karabetsos and Kasey Gibbons notched a decisive 6-2, 6-0 win.

Boys lacrosse

Lenox 17, St. Mary's 4 – Sean McCarthy scored twice for the Saints in a loss on Tuesday.

Chris Rowbotham and Owen O'Brien were the other goal scorers for St. Mary's, which co-ops with Hampshire Regional. Liam Ramos notched two assists.

Belchertown 15, McCann Tech 0 — Both sides of the ball showed up to play for the Orioles on Tuesday, as they not only scored 15 goals, but also completely shut out the Hornets.

Charlie Fijal (three goals, three assists), Nico St. George (three goals, one assist) and Rylan Queiros (three goals) all scored hat tricks for Belchertown in the win.

Girls lacrosse

West Springfield 19, Belchertown 5 — Paige Magner found the back of the net three times for the Orioles in a Tuesday loss to West Side.

Morghan Litz scored Belchertown’s other two goals, and Madysen LePage assisted on a pair of tallies.

Boys volleyball

Putnam 3, Belchertown 1 – Shea MacLean went for a team-high 11 kills, and Rainer Kristensen dished out 22 assists for the Orioles on Tuesday.

Set scores were 25-20, 25-23, 21-25, 25-17.

Noah Yankson had six kills and Zach Dragon added five for Belchertown, while Colin Mullin paced the defense with 11 digs.

Late Monday results

Boys volleyball

SICS 3, South Hadley 0 — The Tigers hung with the Bulldogs step-for-step throughout the first two sets but couldn’t scrape enough together for a win.

Beau Briere put down seven kills and added six digs, Christian Aponte added three kills and five digs while Junoon Giridhar chipped in a kill, nine assists, two aces and four digs.

Set scores were 25-23, 25-19, 25-10.

Track and field

South Hadley 67, Monson 31 (girls); South Hadley 115, Monson 19 (boys) — The Tigers enjoyed a strong day on the track on Monday. Maggie Crawford grabbed first place in the 400 hurdles (1:18.4), javelin (49-02) and 4x400 relay (5:24.2) with Maegan Pelletier, Devon Cote and Kiersten Carmody. Emma Levreault earned a trio of first-place finishes as well, excelling in the 800m (2:38.4), discus (69-01) and shot put (25-11.25).

Abby Gelinas had herself a day as well, taking first in the 100m (13.0), 200m (28.1), long (15-11.5) and triple (32-05.5) jumps.

On the boys side, Nathan Hutchinson showed out in the long distance events. He won the the two mile (10:53.3), 800m (2:13.7) and joined Jameson Webber, Matt Gillis and Ari Alatalo for a first-place finish in the 4x400 relay (3:49.00).

Gillis also took first in the 400m (55.3), high jump (5-04) and triple jump (36-10.5), while Micah Litovich won the 100m (11.8), 200m (25.6), discus (77.9) and shot put (27-07.25) in a strong effort on Monday. Webber added a win in the 110 high hurdles (16.2) and 400 hurdles (1:02.7).