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Catholic Memorial three-sport athlete Kevin Bletzer became the seventh in-state recruit to pledge to Boston College football's 2014 class, giving a verbal commitment to the Eagles yesterday, Knights head coach Alex Campea confirmed to ESPNBoston.com.

The story was first reported by Brian Favat of BC Interruption.

Bletzer, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound Medfield resident, is the 16th overall pledge for new head coach Steve Addazio's 2014 recruiting class. Among the in-state talent, he joins Millis/Hopedale lineman Jon Baker, Doherty defensive back Isaac Yiadom, St. Sebastian's linebacker Connor Strachan, Roxbury Latin linebacker Kevin Cohee, Dexter lineman James Hendren, and Natick quarterback Troy Flutie.

The Eagles offered Bletezer over the weekend, following his performance at their camp, his first Division 1 FBS scholarship offer. A number of local Division 1 schools showed varying degrees of interest, including UMass, UConn, New Hampshire and Maine.

"I think you go through all the drills offensively and defensively, his athleticism is something that stands out," Campea said. "Then they work him out and see how competes -- you gotta have both ends of the spectrum. A lot of those guys out there are really good athletes, but the special ones are the ones who continue to compete at a high level. They want to be not just good, but great. Kevin works hard enough, his compete level and willingness to work hard is something that stood out for him."

In addition to football, Bletzer also captains the Knights' hockey and lacrosse teams. On the gridiron, he wears many hats for the Knights, who are coming off a 2-9 season but are expected to be much improved this fall. On defense Bletzer sees time at cornerback, safety and linebacker, though he will mostly stick to linebacker this upcoming season. Offensively, he lined up at wide receiver, tight end, running back, and even took some snaps from under center. He also returned punts on special teams.

For the Eagles, Bletzer generally projects as a linebacker. By ESPN's data, he has recorded 40 times in the 4.8 range, to go along with a 4.47 second 20-yard shuttle.

Below is some highlight film from his 2012 season:

LOWELL, Mass. -- ESPN Boston High Schools editor Brendan Hall and correspondent Andy Smith break down all of the action from yesterday's three MIAA Baseball State Championship games, from LeLacheur Park:

(Video by Greg Story)

WORCESTER, Mass. – For the second year in a row, the Milford Hawks are the Division 1 state champions and, also for the second year in row, it was a freshman that delivered the winning hit.

Jill Powers’ sixth-inning double plated Allie Piergustavo with the game’s lone run, as Milford (25-1) took home the trophy with a 1-0 win over Agawam (18-7) on Saturday night at Rockwood Field on the campus of Worcester State University.

Heading into the sixth inning, Milford had already managed six hits off of Brownies starter Allison Wheeler, but had left seven runners on base. With two outs, Piergustavo drew a walk to reach base for the third time in the game. Powers came up next and wasted no time, drilling the first pitch on a line to the fence in left center and head coach Brian Macchi did not hesitate to wave Piergustavo home from first.

Macchi noted that his freshman shortstop had made an adjustment ahead of that crucial at bat, which paid off with the game-winning hit.

“Jill Powers has worked hard all season and it was funny that the inning before we were talking about staying back and thinking about driving the ball up the middle,” Macchi said. “She did it at the right time and it’s the biggest hit of her life to this point.”

He added, “Tonight, the bottom of the lineup getting the job done with Jill Powers knocking in Allie Piergustavo, it’s just a great way to end it.”

In the 2012 final, catcher Taylor LeBrun had the walk-off base hit as a freshman and Powers matched those heroics this season, although she admitted after the game that she was a little confused at the excitement over her hit.

“I was just in shock after I hit it, I was like why is everyone cheering so loud,” said an ecstatic Powers. “I was just thinking about knocking that run in; I wasn’t thinking about what point in the game we were at.”

Agawam’s only offensive threat came in the top of the first. Faith Rheault, who also delivered a stirring rendition of the National Anthem prior to the game, lined a base hit to right and advanced to second on a passed ball. After the second strikeout of the inning, star catcher Reilly Weiners drew a walk, but Taylor Marcotte bounced back to the pitcher to end the rally.

Agawam would not get another base runner for the remainder of the game.

Milford senior pitcher Shannon Smith, who is the state’s all-time strikeout leader and headed to the University of Kentucky next season, added to her impressive performances this postseason with 13 strikeouts. Smith allowed only three runs all season and none in six tournament games, while eclipsing the 1,200-strikeout mark for her career.

In the top of the seventh, protecting a one-run lead, Smith struck out the three, four, and five hitters in the Agawam lineup. It was a fitting end to a remarkable career.

Smith talked about her mindset heading into the final inning of her career.

“I knew those hitters were going to be amped,” she said. “I knew they were going to be trying to hit a homerun…and I just wanted to keep pitching my game, make sure the team stayed level-headed and focused for three outs, and then start the celebrations.”

Smith added, “Winning one is great, winning two is even better, but finishing my entire high school career with a state championship win – that’s probably the best possible situation that you could ever have.”



Macchi praised Smith’s contributions to the program both on and off the field.

“Just to watch her work day in, day out for these four years – she wanted to cap it off with a win today,” he said. “It just cements her legacy in Milford High athletics and the game of softball in the state. She’s been an outstanding student-athlete to coach; it’s been an absolute honor to watch her play.”

The Hawks had several chances to take the lead earlier in the game. Milford had at least one base runner in scoring position in every inning but the first, but struggled to get the clutch hit that it needed.

In the second inning, Piergustavo crushed a double over the center fielder’s head, but Caroline Fairbanks, who went 2-for-3 in her final game, was thrown out at the plate on a very close call. In the fifth, the Hawks had runners at first and second with one out, but Wheeler wiggled out of the jam by getting Smith to fly out to right and Fairbanks to ground to short.

In the end, it was an unlikely contributor that broke the deadlock and gave Milford the one run it needed.

The five seniors on the team have each played since their freshmen seasons and have led Milford to three state championship games, back-to-back state titles, and an incredible 50-1 record over the past two years. Macchi reflected on the impact of that group and the fulfillment of its preseason goal.

“I told them that they had a chance to leave a lasting impression and they did that today,” he noted. “They had a mission at the beginning of the season – mission accomplished. We are always going to be a group together…from this point on we’re going to be known as 2013 state champs and it sounds really good.”

WORCESTER, Mass. -- If you are Grafton softball head coach John Gemme, you always like your chances when you hand the ball to pitcher Kendal Roy.

The junior right-hander is one of the upstart premier pitchers in the state and, once again, she put those talents on display Saturday and, in the process, made believers out of Burlington.

Playing an instrumental role in helping the Indians win their first Division 2 state championship a year ago, Roy was back at Rockwood Field looking to raise another banner. After working her way out of some early trouble, Roy got into a groove which spelled doom for the Red Devils as she pitched the Indians to their second consecutive state crown with a 2-1 victory.

Roy grew more-dominate as the game progressed. She finished her day by allowing just four hits while striking out 11. Burlington senior pitcher Kelly McCarthy, also solid in defeat, surrendered eight hits, fanning five.

"You get the first one and you say that's unbelievable because a lot of things have to go right," Gemme said. "To get a second one is a lot harder. There is a lot more work involved. Today we needed to be aggressive at the plate. McCarthy was trying to get ahead of our hitters so we felt lets just jump on that first pitch if its a strike. If she throws a first pitch strike lets not wait and just get after it right away. I thought we did a good job of that today."

Grafton (24-2) entered this contest having played its state semifinal game the night before at Turners Falls High School, where it defeated Wahconah Regional. The bus ride from Grafton to Montague is approximately 90 minutes. But a lack of sleep didn't seem to bother the Indians too much.

"We knew there wasn't a game after this one so we just wanted to go out and leave everything on the field," Roy said. "We came in pumped up on adrenaline from Friday night's win and we took it into this one today so I wasn't feeling any pain. I think we have proven that we are a good team and Grafton softball has a very good organization."

Grafton got on the board in the second inning. After McCarthy had set down the first two batters with ease, she issued a walk Makayla Ritzie. The sophomore then stole second before coming home on senior Marissa Ruggiero's solid single up the middle.

One inning later, Grafton was back at it. Amanda Voellings, a sophomore, singled and advanced to second on Ali Page's SAC bunt. Tara Faford (5-for-6 in her last two games) reached on an infield single to put runners on the corners. Roy then smacked an RBI single to center giving the Indians a 2-0 advantage.

Burlington (22-4) will look back on this game knowing it had some early chances to score on Roy. Three times during the first four innings they stranded runners in scoring position -- twice at third. But Roy, showing tremendous poise, managed to tight rope out of danger and keep the Red Devils off the scoreboard.

In the sixth, Burlington was able to manufacture a run. April Adams opened by reaching on a Voellings error at second base. After stealing second, Adams took third on catcher Ali Page's throwing error. With one out, Haley Currie hit a SAC fly to right allowing Adams to tag up and score.

Suddenly the Red Devils had come to life having closed to within a run. But in the seventh, Roy reached back for a little something extra and retired Burlington in order and claim another state championship.

"I don't think we've had anyone strike us out 11 times before today," said Red Devils head coach Kristen Mahoney, whose club fell to Wahconah in the 2011 title tilt. "We weren't able to adjust to [Roy] quick enough. We had some extra base hits early but that timely hit just wasn't there for us today."

WORCESTER, Mass. -- After losing to Turners Falls in last year's Division 3 state semifinal round, Assabet Valley returned this season with one sole purpose. The bitterness of that one run loss the Indians a year ago remained with the Aztecs throughout the off-season and they would use it as ammunition coming into this year's campaign.

Following Saturday's 5-2 victory over St. Mary's of Lynn in the Division 3 finals at Rockwood Field, Assabet can now wipe the Turners Falls game away from its memory banks and replace it with the joy of claiming its first state championship.

The Aztecs (21-4) broke this game open with a four run third inning. Tied 1-1 at the time, Assabet began the decisive frame with Jocelyn Orangio beating out an infield single. Brittney Lutz then laid down a bunt to the left side. Spartan third baseman Kaleigh Finigan, after fielding the ball, attempted to throw out Orangio at second. The throw beat the sophomore but shortstop Molly Doyle was unable to handle the throw thus putting runners on first and second. Mogran Parmeter followed by lining a single off the glove of Doyle into left field, scoring Orangio to make it 2-1. After a Jen Casavant single loaded the bases, the Aztecs proceeded to bounce into two force outs at the plate.

With an opportunity to escape a serious jam with only one run allowed, St. Mary's pitcher Brooke L'Abbe walked Nicole Cormier to force in Assabet's third run. The Aztecs didn't stop there. They scored two more runs on Deanna Hnilica's infield single and ensuing throwing error by Finigan to grab a 5-1 lead.

"What a great year," Assabet head coach Mike O'Brien said. "Nobody thought we could do this or even win a district championship. We've won two district championships and now we've won a state so I'm very proud of these girls. Our goal was to keep them under two runs and we gave up two. We felt two runs or less we would have a real good chance to win this.

"They made a couple of mistakes and we capitalized. That's how we've won all year. After losing in the state semis last year this team fought all year knowing they wanted to get back there and even a bit further. We were able to get back to the state semis (beating Mount Everett in extra innings) and today was just the pinnacle of all of that."

The Aztecs got on the board first in their half of the second on back-to-back doubles by Casavant and Madison Parmeter. The Spartans (19-6) would tie it in the third. Alex Fisher singled, took second on a SAC bunt and scored after Aztec pitcher Madison Parmeter threw the ball into right field after fielding Victoria Viger's bunt.

Following the four-run inning bestowed upon by Assabet, L'Abbe, a senior, was lifted. The combination of sophomore Jordan D'Orsi and eighth-grader Mia Nowicki kept the Aztecs hit less the rest of the way. With D'Orsi and Nowicki doing their job, the St. Mary's offense failed in comparison as Parmeter (CG, 5 hits, 3 Ks) held the Spartans in check in their quest to jump back into this one.

"I was watching their feet and if they crowded the plate I would throw it inside on them," said Parmeter, a sophomore. I don't think a lot of batters expect that but I have a lot of spin on my pitches and was able to keep them off-balanced for much of this game."

In the seventh, St. Mary's attempted a comeback by scoring a solo run. Cassandra Lafauci doubled to left and came around to score on a throwing error by first baseman Casavant. But that would be the only rallying cry put forth by the Spartans as Parmeter recorded the final out giving Assabet the triumph.

"It's tough," said Spartans coach Colleen Newbury, who was looking to claim her team's third state title having won it in 2009 and 2010. "It is especially tough for our seniors who don't get to play another game. That team played great and made the plays where we didn't. They played great defense against us. We have some good kids coming back so I think it will be a bright future for us."

LOWELL, Mass. -- When a baseball game goes into extra innings, especially five extra innings, each team cares less and less about preserving an inning and becomes ultra focused on getting that one run it needs.

Such was the case Saturday in the Division 2 state final at LeLacheur Park. As the sun faded behind the bleachers and the stadium lights came on, Hingham’s Cody Clifford came to the plate with the bases loaded. On the eighth pitch of the at-bat, he sent a ball back up the middle, giving his team the hard fought 7-6 victory over Auburn.

The game almost did not see one extra inning, let alone five. The teams went into the seventh, and normally final inning, tied 5-5. Auburn (20-5) took a one-run lead in the top of the inning and seemed to sap all the momentum out of the game. That was, until Hingham (21-6) came back and answered with a run of its own in the bottom of the inning.

Luke Ferris singled to start the inning, and was promptly bunted over to second by Matt Glenzel. Steve White struck out, leaving the Harbormen down to their last out. Joe Leahy took a 2-0 pitch and belted it off the right field wall for a triple, which scored Ferris. In a somewhat gutsy call, Auburn coach Eric Swedberg decided to intentionally walk the next two hitters to load the bases. His gamble paid off when Austin Irvin flew out to third, ending the inning and sending the game into extras.

In the 12th, Even Flanagan and Irvin drew back-to-back one-out walks. John Carlson flew out to center to advance the runners up a base. Swedberg decided to intentionally walk David Hutchins, who was 2-for-6 until that, and load the bases. That brought up Clifford, who ended the game and sent his team and its fans home happy.

“My mind went blank,” said Clifford of the final hit. “I was looking at the right fielder. I thought he might throw it into the first baseman because I hit it out there pretty fast. I went straight into the base and touched the base.”

The Hingham players hit coach Frank Niles with the ceremonial Gatorade bath after the game, putting an end to the most successful season the team could ask for.

“This is a great way to go out senior year,” said Clifford. “It’s a great ending to my baseball career. It could not have ended any better. I’ll always remember this day from here on. It’s really surreal.”

Embrace the unusual: If there is one word to describe Saturday’s game, it is unconventional. Both teams removed their starting pitchers, and Auburn even put their pitchers back in the game. Tyler LaMonda started the game for the Rockets and was relieved by Mike Vaitkunas.

While conventional wisdom is that once a pitcher is done throwing, he will at the very least play a different position. Auburn chose to put LaMonda back in the game to throw the ninth inning. They then put Vaitkunas back on the mound for the tenth, and he threw the final three innings.

Hingham had an unorthodox decision of its own when it decided to allow Clifford to hit in the 12th. He was removed from the game in the fifth inning by Luke Ferris after striking out in his first two at-bats. Ferris was then pinch hit for in the eighth by William Boynton. Conventional baseball managing is that once you take your hitter out of the game, he does not return for the remainder. However, Niles decided to put his senior third baseman back in the game at its most critical time.

“Cody is a good hitter,” said the coach. “When we took Evan Flanagan out [he was pinch run for in the 12th] we had to make a splash. I clarified the rule first because Billy [Boynton] was DH’d for but we could’ve re-entered him back to second base. So we’re sitting back there, I didn’t want to do it earlier because if they didn’t allow me to put Boynton back in, I didn’t want to go there because I wouldn’t have my best defense on the field.”

“Cody’s a good hitter,” he emphasized. “He got a big hit against Plymouth North in the tournament. He’s a good hitter. He didn’t swing very well prior to the last swing, so I’m happy for him.”

Carlson pounds 'em: John Carlson relieved Evan Flanagan in the fifth inning, and pitched the final eight innings for Hingham. The left was particularly effective with his sharp-bending curveball, getting the Auburn hitters to swing above the ball. He finished with nine strikeouts, walked five, and allowed only one earned run in eight innings of relief.

“I knew I had to throw strikes up there,” he said after the game. “My curveball was working pretty good for me. I just didn’t walk too many guys, that was the key.”

There was no sign of anyone warming up in the Hingham bullpen at all during the extra frames, indicating that Niles was going to stick with Carlson as long as he could and as long as he remained in control of the Auburn hitters. Carlson said himself after the game he was willing to pitch as long as he had to until his team won the game and that his arm actually felt better as the innings wore on.

“He’s one of the toughest kids,” said Niles of Carlson. “He came in relief earlier in the tournament. He’s a can-do guy, he really thinks he can do it all the time and he’s a battler. He said, ‘I’ve got plenty Coach, I’ve got all you need.’ So it was a type of day where I didn’t know how many innings he had gone, I didn’t know how many pitches he had thrown, but it really didn’t matter.”

LOWELL, Mass. –- It has been quite a tournament for Bridgewater-Raynham ace Mike Bruemmel. The senior southpaw, fresh off a Sunday start where he helped lead the Trojans to a win over B.C. High, put on his best pitching performance of the year.

Bruemmel pitched a complete game two-hitter on Saturday afternoon, striking out 12 Nashoba batters to help bring Bridgewater-Raynham its’ first baseball state title in school history. Dominant from start to finish, B-R (20-3) knocked off the Central Mass. champ Nashoba (21-4), 4-0.

The lefthander, who is headed to Division 3 power Wheaton College in the fall, was at the top of his game after being forced to shut it down in the middle of the year for what B-R coach John Kearney called a minor arm injury.

When he returned from injury and back into the Trojans’ starting rotation, “He came right back and picked up right where he left off,” Kearney said.

Bruemmel had a no hitter going into the eighth inning before Nashoba senior captain Jack Sarnoski broke it up with a base hit to center field.

Kearney praised his pitcher for his command after the game.

“He mixes up his pitches. He’s got three or four different pitches, he throws them all with real good control and command," Kearney said. "He just mixes it up and he’s got a little bit of velocity, so you’re got to be aware of that as a hitter—he can throw it by ya. He was just on the whole game, the whole game!”

Joe Freiday, who went 2-for-4 and, per usual, was Bruemmel’s battery partner behind the plate, had one simple way to answer when asked what Bruemmel had going on the mound.

“Everything. He wasn’t missing spots. His curve ball was on, his change up was on, everything was down and out, and that’s what we need...Mikey was on today when we needed him most,” Freiday said.



Bruemmel helped get the Trojans’ offense started in the third inning, too, getting a base hit to drive in Corey Dinunno (2-for-4) to plate the game’s first run.

Tyler Carey, on a hit ball to shortstop that resulted in an error, brought Brian McSherry in to score in the fourth inning to extend the lead. Two batters later, sophomore Andrew Noviello drove Carey in on a double to left center. The aggressive plate approach against Nashoba ace Drew Foster, who coming into the game boasted a 0.97 ERA, was all part of B-R’s plan.

“Our offense, again, putting the pressure on them the whole game," Kearney said. "I know only putting four runs up may not seem like it, but we had pressure on them offensively...I thought the offense really stepped up against quality pitching. All three ingredients, great pitching, real good defense, and I thought the hitting was outstanding today."

They’ll be back: With 11 players returning to next year’s team, including Freiday, Carey, Dinunno, Noviello, and Eastern Mass. final hero Jack Connolly, the Trojans will have quite the core coming back for next year—most of whom have gained some serious big-game experience over the course of B-R’s title run where they won games over Attleboro, Braintree, Walpole, B.C. High, Billerica, and Nashoba.

For the time being though, Freiday -- who said after the game he has a scholarship offer from Maine, and will be visiting Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Coastal Carolina over the summer -- says they’re going to enjoy the moment, stressing the amount of excitement that has built up at Bridgewater-Raynham as the community rallied around the baseball team.

“They’re gonna love it, we had a huge crowd the last few games. They all wanna come, they all wanna see the team, and it hasn’t been like that for the last couple years. We picked it back up and we brought B-R baseball back…we’re forming a dynasty, I can feel it.”

LOWELL, Mass. -- This postseason has played out like a movie for Middleborough, with its share of drama, adversity, and triumph making it a story fit for the big screen.

So it was only fitting that the Division 3 state baseball final ended with a walk-off 4-3 victory.

Going into the seventh and final inning, it was tied 2-2. Hopedale’s Kevin Lynch singled to begin the inning and scored three batters later when Cole DeDonato grounded out to second.

Hopedale (21-4) took that momentum into the bottom of the inning, bringing in left-hander Ian Strom to close out the game. He walked two of the first three batters he faced, striking out the other. That brought up the top of the Middleborough (21-5) order, but Strom dispatched Paul Sances with a three-pitch strikeout for the second out of the inning.

Neil Perry walked, loading the bases for Kevin Huscher. The senior shortstop had one hit in three at-bats until that point. He sent a single back up the middle, scoring both runners in scoring position and putting an exclamation point on the team’s storybook season.

“To be honest, I was surprised to see (Strom) come out on the mound because he just pitched two days ago,” said Middleborough coach Bill Lawrence. “That’s what I talked to all of our batters about. We watched him warm up and he couldn’t throw a strike during his warm-ups.”

It is the team’s first state baseball championship since 1997.

“We won the same way in ’97, with two outs,” said Lawrence. “These kids have been resilient the whole year, I just didn’t want to come this far and have to turn around and go home as the runner-up. They don’t deserve that.”

Middleborough got on the board first in the bottom of the second when Cody Braga’s sacrifice fly plated Andrew Card. It tied the game in the sixth when Card’s triple off the right field wall scored Huscher.

Hopedale’s Dan Mantoni was effective on the mound, going six innings, allowing five hits striking out seven batters and walking four.

Flashing some leather: While Middleborough leadoff hitter Paul Sances went 0-for-4 at the plate, he helped his team in the field with two highlight catches in left field. Cole DeDonato singled with one out in the fifth, then stole second to get in scoring position. Strom, the next batter up, hit a low line drive to left that forced Sances to run in to play it. Knowing could not make the play on his feet, he dove, making the catch and saving a potential run from scoring.

The next batter, Dan Mantoni, hit a 3-0 pitch deep into the gap in left-center field. Sances sprinted to his left, again hoping to save a potential run from scoring. For the second time in the inning, he went horizontal and made the catch, this time ending the inning and any threat Hopedale had of scoring.

“This park is a little deceiving for us, we couldn’t figure out if he was playing too shallow, too left or right because of the angle we were at,” said Lawrence. “We just kept watching their outfielder and watch him when the ball was hit. So he had it hard, just on that aspect. Those two diving catches, that saved us.”

Close call: For a few seconds, Huscher was almost the goat of the game rather than the hero. He stepped up to the plate and went after the first pitch he saw, sending it deep down the right field line. As the ball hung in the air, he jogged down the first base line, willing the ball to drop or keep heading out of play.

With two outs and the bases loaded, no player wants to be the one to make the final out, especially in the state championship game. It appeared the right fielder had ran it down, until the ball dropped out of reach.

“I was thinking I hope that thing gets down because that would be a terrible way to lose with bases loaded,” he said. “I just wanted to do that one for my team.”

Huscher came back after the long strike and knocked the game winning single up the middle.

“On the first pitch, he threw me a fastball and I took kind of a crazy swing at it and luckily it hit the ground,” he said. “Second pitch I was thinking he was going to come back with something soft because I put a pretty good solid swing on it. He ended up coming back with a fastball and it’s pretty straight, not a lot of movement, and I just put it up the middle.

Honoring Braga: This Middleborough season was dedicated to former teacher and soccer coach Jim Braga, who was tragically killed in a car crash last March. In remembrance, the team sported patches on its jerseys with the initials JB.

His grandson, Cody, plays on the Middleborough baseball team and batted eighth in Saturday’s state championship game. As the game came down to the wire and the last inning unfolded, the team and its coaching staff looked for a little help from above when it needed it the most.

“I just had a feeling,” said Lawrence. “I just kept (looking up at the sky). I said, ‘C’mon Jimmy, get us through here,’ and sure enough it did.”

As the ball fell in foul territory just before the game-winning hit, one was left wondering if there was something special going on at Lalacheur.

“We’ve been pretty much unbeatable lately,” said Huscher. “I’d say definitely we had a few angels with us. Mr. Braga was an awesome guy and I think he would be very proud of the team and the things we accomplished.”

WORCESTER, Mass. – It was a perfect finish in more ways than one.

Tied 6-6 heading into the fourth quarter of Friday’s Division 2 state championship boys’ lacrosse game, West sectional champion Longmeadow had to hunker down against Eastern Mass. champion Medfield. The Lancers, who’d beaten the Warriors by 15 goals during the teams’ regular season meeting, knew they were going to see a different Medfield team and had gotten exactly what they expected – a tight game.

That’s when Keegan Dudeck made a lasting impression.

Already netting a hat trick in the first half alone, the Lancers senior midfielder started the fourth quarter with back-to-back goals, setting in motion a string of three straight Longmeadow goals in its 10-7 victory over Medfield at Foley Stadium.

The Lancers finish the season with a perfect 25-0 record while delivering their first state title since the 2008 season.

“Whey that they weren’t going to make it a 16-1 game again,” Dudeck said, recalling the Lancers’ drubbing of the Warriors in May. “Before the game, we told the team not to be too overconfident and make sure that weren’t not too cocky because this team was going to come out and they wanted it as bad as we wanted it.”

Truer to the capabilities of both sides, the teams spent the better part of three quarters exchanging the lead or tied. It wasn’t until Dudeck’s fifth goal of the game, scored at 8:38 of the fourth, that either team established a lead of more than one goal. Soon after Drew Kelleher provided the Lancers with a three-goal lead and they wouldn’t look back.

“If teams go on a three- or four-goal run on us, we’re usually able to punch back, but we weren’t able to, Warriors head coach John Isaf said. “We thought we were right where we wanted to be entering the fourth quarter. We’ve always pulled out games in the fourth quarter this year. That was the plan, it just didn’t happen.”

Putting a painful loss in the back mirror, Medfield (22-4) jumped out to a lead 1:43 into play with senior captain Andrew Melvin (1 G, 1 A) hitting the cutting Tyler Hagan. And while the Warriors put forward a much-improved offensive showing the second time around, including two-goal games from Matt Crowell and Thomas Sears, the Lancers’ finishing touch proved too much.

Despite being held without a goal in the third quarter, the Lancers rode the momentum gained by Dudeck’s early fourth-quarter strikes.

It was simply a performance fitting of one of the state’s top talents this year.

“He’s been fighting through an injury for the last two, three weeks,” Lancers head coach Ryan Liebel said. “He’s fought through it. He tries to get open, he’s our hardest worker and one of the best players on our team. When it came down to it, he was able to get that ball and put it in the net.”

“Dudeck was phenomenal off-ball. He was moving, he was cutting, he was shifty.”

In short, he did a little bit of everything that meant a whole lot.

RETURN TO THE BIG STAGE
The Western Mass. powerhouse turned in its first championship in five year under the direction of a first-year head coach. Liebel, a Longmeadow alumnus who previously coached at Belchertown, is no stranger to the program.

But perhaps things came together quicker than anyone could have anticipated. With only four seniors on the roster this year, the Lancers had to rely on consistent contributions from its underclassmen.

“They stepped up huge for us today,” said senior Kevin Barry, who led the Lancers in goals during the regular season, “especially our midfielders, they’re young. Our attacks are freshmen and juniors and they played amazing.”

While Friday marks the crowning achievement for Barry, Dudeck and their fellow graduates Eric Barsalou and Noah Gurzenski, don’t write off the Lancers bid at a repeat performance in 2014.

A LESSER VICTORY
While Medfield ultimately struck out on the title bid, the Eastern champions went down swinging.

After Friday night’s game, Isaf recalled the somber ride from Longmeadow back home on May 12, his team trying to come to terms with what had just unfolded.

“I think everybody had to reflect and decide what we were going to about it,” he said.

The resolve was clear. Following the 15-goal loss to Longmeadow, Medfield finished the regular season with four straight wins, including one against Division 1 power St. John’s Prep. Entering Friday’s action and including the postseason, the Warriors had built a nine-game winning streak, falling just one quarter shy of their ultimate goal.

That’s a point that wasn’t lost on their coach.

“From that point forward, we played our best lacrosse of the season,” Isaf said. “And tonight, we wanted to show them that wasn’t us back in May. I’m really proud of this team how they rallied and rebounded from that.”

 

MONTAGUE, Mass. -- To get to this point, it goes without question that a little luck is needed.

For Agawam, on Friday night, the Brownies received their fair share and then some after pulling out a thrilling 2-1 victory over Marlborough in the Division 1 state semifinal played at Turners Falls High School.

With only three hits to its credit, Agawam won this tilt on the strength of its defense, its cool customer of a pitcher (freshman Allison Wheeler) and a lack of execution by the Panthers.

The Brownies (18-6) is back in the finals for the first time since 1995 when they lost to Bishop Fenwick. They will face Milford on Saturday at 7 p.m. from Rockwood Field in Worcester. Agawam and Milford are no strangers to one another. In last year's state semifinal, the Hawks dominated the Brownies, 13-0.

"Our defense got us here and our defense won this game," said Agawam head coach Kathy Georgina. "Allison [Wheeler] pitched great again. We are ready for Milford. This time we aren't walking in blind like last year. We know Shannon Smith is an excellent pitcher. We know what she can do and we know what we can do."

Against Marlborough, Agawam dodged a number of bullets to survive. The Panthers (17-7) finished the game having left eight runners on base, including seven in scoring position.

Trailing 2-1, Marlborough squandered a golden opportunity to tie or take the lead in the fourth.

With two runners on, Victoria Petrie lined a Wheeler fastball to right for a single. Lead runner Jessica Acosta, who was on second base, was waved around third. But right fielder Mary Kate Reidy threw missile to catcher Rielly Wieners. Just a few feet from home plate, Acosta stopped dead in her tracks and retreated back to third.

"We didn't get flustered," Georgina said. "Allison [Wheeler] showed tremendous maturity out there. That out we got [in the fourth] was a huge break for us.

Meanwhile, trailing runner Jen Bombard had already touched third at that point and went a few feet towards home. But once the senior saw Acosta coming back, Bombard spun around and headed back to second. Acosta barely got back to third safely with Wieners chasing her, but umpires ruled Bombard out because she never stepped back on third in her attempts to return to second base. Now with runners on the corners and two out, Wheeler struck out Erin Coughlin to end the inning.

In the seventh, Marlborough threatened again. Victoria Falco opened by singling to right. A steal and wild pitch moved the junior to third with two out, representing the tying run. But Wheeler got Erin Coughlin to ground out to end the game.

The Panthers jumped on Wheeler for a run in the first after Wieners threw the ball into center field trying to nail Bombard, who was stealing. Marissa Flynn, who reached on an error to start the game, scored easily.

The Brownies, after having trouble with Marlborough pitcher Molly McGuire early, finally got to the hard-throwing senior in the third. A Panther error and a Paige Circosta single put runners at the corners. Wieners then atoned for her earlier mistake by ripping an RBI single to left to tie things at 1-1. Taylor Marcotte followed with a ground ball to second. Flynn, Marlborough's second baseman, tried to go the easy route and throw out pinch-runner Jess Lingenburg streaking toward second. But Flynn's throw was off the mark and went into the outfield allowing Circosta to score the go-ahead run.

"We were able to get out of some tight jams because Allison hit her spots when she needed to," Wieners said. "She missed a couple of times but she really battled through it. Her mental toughness got us through this game. It's all about heart and our ability to manufacture runs when we needed to and do what it takes to get it done."

Marlboro, which finished with nine hits, will come away from this affair knowing the chances it left on the base paths, especially in the fourth and seventh innings. The Panthers also saw another chance to add runs snuffed out in the second. Again with runners on second and third and two out, Flynn smashed a hard grounder just to the right of second base. But Marcotte, Agawam's second baseman, dove to snare the ball and managed to throw out Flynn from her backside by a half step.

"Overall I thought we hit the ball well but just didn't get the clutch hits tonight," said Marlborough head coach Kyle Westcott. "We got a lot of runners on but didn't score when we needed to. It was an unbelievable season. No Marlboro softball team had ever won a district championship prior to this year. It was an amazing group and I'm proud of all of them."

MONTAGUE, Mass. -- Despite coming into Friday's Division 2 state semifinal as defending state champions, Grafton knew it had its work cutout for them against a team just as lethal.

Wahconah Regional, the 2011 state champs, entered this contest bolstered by a 21 game win streak. The Warriors were the hottest team remaining in the tournament and was looking for a return trip to the finals. But the Indians were able to jump on Wahconah pitcher Becca Grunow for a pair of first inning runs and held on for a 4-2 triumph.

Grafton (23-2) will look to make it back-to-back titles when it meets Burlington in the final on Saturday, beginning at 4 p.m. at Rockwood Field.

Senior Tara Faford was the catalyst in this one for the Indians. The University of Bridgeport third baseman went 3-for-3 at the plate with two RBI.

"I went up to plate trying to feel as comfortable as I could," Faford said. "I just tried to go with whatever pitch [Grunow] gave me. I didn't know to much about her so I just went with it."

Grafton took the early 2-0 lead thanks to a throwing error by Warriors catcher Brianna Herforth that allowed one run to cross followed by a run-score single from Faford. The Indians would add a solo run in the third . Ali Page (2 hits) singled and moved to second on a SAC bunt. Faford stepped into the batter's box and blasted a double to center.

But Wahconah (21-3) showed some life in its half of the fourth. With two runners on and two out, Chloe Warren, a freshman, came through with a clutch two-run single to center to cut the deficit to 3-2.

But the Warriors would get no closer thanks to the pitching of junior Kendal Roy (CG, 8 hits, 8 Ks), who didn't allow another Wahconah batter to reach second base for the remainder of this outing.

"I didn't think we played very well defensively today," said Warriors coach Dustin Belcher. "Defense has been our anchor all year but today we made some crucial errors at some critical times. It was one of those days where nothing was going our way and Grafton got timely hits when they needed them."

Grafton added a little insurance in the fifth. Faford singled to right and took second on the play after right fielder Rachel Brennan bobbled the ball. Roy then lined a single up the middle plating Faford.

"Wahconah swings the bats," Indians coach John Gemme said. "When we jumped ahead 2-0 early I thought we would score a few more but we stranded a lot of people today (8 total). For two years now these girls stay nice and relaxed and don't let things bother them and somehow find ways to come out on top."

WORCESTER, Mass. -- Junior Isabella O'Connor admits that coach Meredith Frank challenged her mental toughness a bit in her first official tryout as the Cougars' head coach.

After two 1,000 meter runs and a pair of 300 meter dashes, O'Connor had reached the point where one's shot went. Meredith had credited mother and five-time Westwood state champion coach at Meredith for her ability to physically push players and it was this same resilience she was instilling with her players when she stepped in as the head coach.

In the finale of a challenging postseason run three years later, O'Connor showed no signs of letting her shot slip as she buried four goals and assisted one to push Notre Dame girls' lacrosse (24-2) to the programs' first Division 1 state title with a 13-10 defeat of Western Mass champs Longmeadow (22-2-0) at Foley Stadium in Worcester last night.

“(The conditioning) really kills your mental toughness,” said O'Connor. “That is really when everyone’s shooting goes. You have to focus, see the net and take that extra second when you are tired.”

The Cougars are the first squad besides Framingham and formerly two-time champs Westwood to win state title since the Lancers did it nine years ago.

A Dominant Tiebreaker: Tied 4-4 with seven minutes remaining in the first half, Notre Dame made a six goal run to pull away.

Freshman Charlotte Allard looked to be leaping to the outside of the net when she bowed down back towards the crease and ripped a 5-4 score top corner to begin the streak at 6:56 in the first.

Sophomore Keeley MacAfee twice beat her defender across the front of the net to score ten-yard efforts and prompt a run of three tallies in 2:38. Lenaghan managed to plant a foot and spin back towards the crease on a backdoor pass from O'Connor for the 10-4 goal with 22:22 left in the game.

“We wanted to slow the ball down a little bit (and) see if we could maintain a little bit more possession,” said Frank. “To make sure when we did have the ball we were taking really good care of it.”

Transitional Trouble: Longmeadow lead only once when it had a 2-1 advantage at 19:10 in the first half.

Alexa Cambi took a pass up top from fellow junior Kristina Schafer and rotated around a pick to score the unassisted tally.
Schafer (five goals) slid with the ball under a pick and right in front of the net for the 4-4 evening score at 8:23 in the first half.

“Their pressure really hurt us towards the end of the first half,” said Longmeadow coach Steve Dudeck. “We needed to collapse on them because they are such great dodgers. A few transition scores really got them going early in the second half.”

Longmeadow could only muster runs of two goals or less.

An unassisted score by Schafer and an assist from Caroline Kusiak to fellow junior Caroline McKenna cut the margin to 13-10 with 2:41 left in the game.

The Crease Roll: A strong and power driven attacker when isolated with the ball O'Connor's go to move has been the crease roll. The move which often involves a pair of quick spin moves in opposite directions leaving O'Connor wide open in front of net, lead to two goals for the junior.

“There are so many people that dodge from the top that I never got the chance to,” said O'Connor. “I decided to take it around the crease and I guess my footwork was fast enough. Even if someone knows you can get around them.”

The Frank Legacy Grows: Meredith Frank won two state titles under her mother at Westwood, while winning the NCAA Women's Lacrosse championships in each of her four years at Northwestern. The Cougars' skipper beat her mother for the first time in three tries with a 10-7 road win in the South sectionals.

Tears stilled Meredith's eyes as she accepted her first title as a head coach.

“When I took the program over I always thought it was something we could accomplish, but I think you can accomplish it till you have a group that really buys in,” said Frank. “If you remember that it is fun to win and to play in big games like this then hopefully some of the nerves go away. (Westwood) pushed us to get to this level.”

Joe Mantoni sat anxiously at his house in Northbridge last weekend, watching the stream of the Major League Baseball Draft on MLB Network. After 17 rounds in the books, he got bored.

Sure enough, soon after he left to go play pick-up basketball with some of his friends, he got a call from his father the Cincinnati Reds had drafted the former Hopedale star in the 18th round of the draft, with the 555th pick.

Mantoni, who served as Merrimack College’s designated hitter and closing pitcher this past season, led the team with 36 RBI; on the mound, he had a 1.61 ERA in 28 innings pitched.

“It’s a surreal moment honestly,” Mantoni said. “I had a feeling I’d get picked, I just didn’t know when. It happened earlier than I thought.”

The next day, Mantoni looked on at Tivnan Field as his younger brother Dan, a senior, pitched a complete game three-hitter to lead the Blue Raiders to the Central Mass. Division 3 championship. Dan took care of business in the batter’s box too, hitting a two-run double to break a 1-1 tie in the sixth inning. The win over Oxford came about a year after Hopedale lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to the Pirates in last year’s district final.

“We had a good sixth inning, Danny had a key hit,” Hopedale head coach Joe Small said. “My guys wanted to play them, we saw brackets and they were on the other side, they said we’d like to play [Oxford] if we we’re lucky enough to get there. Another good game, luckily.”

After the game, the coach quickly refocused his team on the goals that they had set.

“He was excited, he said he couldn’t be prouder of us in the way we battled. He also said don’t be satisfied, we’re still playing...typical Coach Small,” Mantoni laughed. “He was on to the next game already.”

Days later, Blue Raiders’ co-ace Ian Strom, a potential all-state candidate who is headed to play baseball at Division 1 UMass-Lowell, pitched a complete game against Western Mass. champ Frontier Regional, to give Hopedale a berth in the state championship game.

To add a little more sentiment to the equation, this season will be Small’s last year at the helm for the Blue Raiders. Small, a 1970 graduate of Hopedale High School, has been Hopedale’s coach for 24 years. Current and former players, including the Mantoni’s, say Small’s fire and energy on the bench has taught them motivation and discipline.

“So many different ways he’s helped us: him pushing us harder -- he’s as much a competitor as anybody on the team. He wanted to win that game just as much as anybody. It showed. The guy really wants to win, it did add some extra motivation,” says Dan.

Small praised Joe after getting taken by the Reds, adamant that Mantoni’s weight-room dedication was the reason for his impressive improvement at Merrimack.

“His body has changed...he got on a weight program--he’s a hard worker,” Small said. “He’s not going to wanna’ talk about it, though.”

Dan seconded his coach’s comment: “Joe’s too humble to really toot the horn about it.”

Joe says his dedication to working out explains why his fastball has jumped into the low-90’s.

“[Lifting] was a huge part, over my four years at college I got stronger every year, I gained good weight every year,” Joe said. “My fastball velocity kept rising each year. I knew that was a huge part of my reason for getting picked: I spent a lot of time in the weight room.”

Joe left on Monday, making his way to Arizona for training before he gets called to the Reds’ rookie ball affiliate in Billings, Mont. some time this summer. In reflecting on his brother’s journey from a Division 3 high school, to Division 2 college, to Cincinnati Reds draft pick—Dan says he hopes young local players take not of Joe’s hard work and dedication.

“He’s always been someone I look up to, admired, respected because of the way he plays the game. He works harder than anybody I’ve ever met. The work paid off for him and I’m happy, I try to follow his footsteps. It lets me push a little bit harder, every step of the game, that I can be like him someday. Him being there, he reached a dream that every kid playing Little League has.”

Dan continued, “I hope people, those who have seen him play and younger kids, can model his work ethic. You don’t see it happen that much...people can see this kid from Hopedale who went to a D2 college and got drafted. He got the opportunity, and took advantage of it. I look at him as a role model, and I hope other kids around here do too.”

Dan -- who will play college baseball next year at UMass-Boston and says he will play “wherever the coach wants me to be," -- will have the opportunity tomorrow to play for the Division 3 state championship against Middleborough. The win would mark the first of Small’s career as coach at the annual D3 power. Putting the 328 career wins and countless district championships aside, the veteran coach says there are but a few things he hopes that current and former players take from his tenure as coach.

“The key to this whole coaching stuff is discipline," he said. "I let them play ball, kids nowadays they don’t play enough ball -- it’s all drills. I learned in practice, sometimes you do some drills and then we play—we scrimmage a lot. If there’s one thing I want them to learn from me, is I don’t want them to think losing is fun. It’s not okay.”

The Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association (MBCA) will be holding its annual Senior and Junior Select All-Star games following Saturday's MIAA state championships.

On Sunday, the Junior Select All-Stars game will be held at 2 p.m. at Bentley University's DeFelice Field, while the Western vs. Central Mass. Senior All-Star Game will be held at 4 p.m. at South Hadley High School. Monday, the MBCA's Eastern Mass. (North vs. South) Senior All-Star Game will be held at 6 p.m. at Fraser Field in Lynn.

The following weekend, some of the state's best from the 2013 and 2014 classes will square off with Connecticut's finest in the New England Challenge Championship, at Tufts University.

Courtesy of MBCA Executive Secretary/Treasurer Steve Freker, here is the schedule of games, and the rosters for the Eastern Mass. games:

MASS. BASEBALL COACHES ALL-STAR GAMES

Sunday, June 16
MBCA Junior Select State All-Star Game
at Robert DeFelice Field, Bentley University, 2 p.m.
***
MBCA Western Mass. Vs. Central Mass. Senior All-Star Game
at South Hadley High School, 4 p.m.
***

Monday, June 17
MBCA Eastern Mass. (North vs.South) Senior All-Star Game
at Fraser Field, Lynn, MA. 6 p.m.

Saturday, June 22
New England Challenge Championship
MBCA Mass. State Senior All-Stars vs. Connecticut Senior All-Stars
at Huskins Field, Tufts University, Medford, MA, 11 a.m.
***
MBCA Mass. State Junior All-Stars vs. Connecticut Junior All-Stars
@ Huskins Field Tufts University, Medford, MA, 2 p.m.

***

EASTERN MASS. SENIOR ALL-STAR GAME

North
P: Speros Varinos (Masconomet), Andrew Wells (Whittier), Nick Powers (Malden)
C: Andrew Cann (Stoneham), Matt Rabbito (Chelmsford)
IF: Max Frawley (Billerica), Dan Connors (Danvers), Craig Maxfield (Lowell Catholic), Nick Bruno (Lynnfield), Nick Bragole (St. John's Prep), Ryan McAuliffe (North Reading)
OF: Alex Toomey (Beverly), Malcolm Nachmanoff (Boston Latin), A.J. Couto (Danvers), Jeremy Roberts (Malden Catholic)
Coaches: Joe Boland (Whittier), Matt Stone (Lowell Catholic)

South
P: Zach Walker (Medway), Alex Person (Xaverian), Tom McDonald (BC High), Cody Medairos (Bridgewater-Raynham)
C: Ian Chaney (Bishop Connolly), Jake Friar (Westport)
IF: David Murphy (Plymouth North), David MacKinnon (Oliver Ames), Tucker Bouchard (Silver Lake), Evan Flanagan (Hingham), Eddie Bowler (Hingham)
OF: Spencer McCaffrey (Dennis-Yarmouth), Tyler Glavin (Bridgewater-Raynham), Ryan Baldwin (Fairhaven), Jake Fishman (Sharon), Tom Landry (BC High)
Coaches: Frank Niles, Vin Hillyer, Nick DeVito (Hingham)

***

EASTERN MASS. JUNIOR SELECT TEAM VS. WEST/CENTRAL MASS. JUNIOR SELECT TEAM

Eastern Mass. (North and South)
Brodie Dyer (Malden), Jordan Roper (Lynnfield), Brendan Shea (Belmont), Keith Linnane (North Reading), Brian Christian (Plymouth North), Noah Zavolas (Acton-Boxboro), Rob Gambale (Billerica), Tyler Carey (Bridgewater-Raynham), Derek O’Brien (West Bridgewater), Colby Maiola (North Reading), Ryan Covelle (Medford), Owen Bautze (Lincoln-Sudbury), Ricky Smith (Xaverian), Andrew Jaehnig (BC High), Ken Drew (Plymouth North), Kevin Cuneo(Beverly), Joe Freiday (Bridgewater-Raynham), Justin Snyder (St. John’s Prep), Gavin Bradbury (Millis)
Coaches: Keith Verra (Millis), Pat Driscoll (Malden Catholic) and Steve Healy (BC High)

Western/Central Mass.
Nick Lambert (East Longmeadow), Philip Pickering (Minnechaug), Alex Carusotto (Taconic Regional), Owen Gibbons (Wachusett), Seth Leslie (Narragansett Reg.), Jack Henningson (Algonquin Reg.), Pat Cadden (Hudson), Nick Bates (Oxford), Andrew Noonan (Springfield Cathedral), John Militano (Nashoba Reg.), Isan Diaz (Springfield Central), Matt Braman (Hoosac Regional), Matt Irzyk (Westfield), Nick Campana (Nashoba Reg.), DJ Scavone (Auburn), Joe Warner (Northampton), Scott Manea (St. John’s-S), Nick Kennedy (Longmeadow), Alex Lafayette (Ludlow), Ryan Grande (Pittsfield)
Coaches: Mike Donato (Springfield Central), Bob Rivard (Hoosac Regional)

Chat with us all day Saturday from the Massachusetts state baseball finals at LeLacheur Park in Lowell. Here's the schedule:

* 10 a.m. - D3: Middleboro vs. Hopedale
* 1 p.m. - D1: Bridgewater-Raynham vs. Nashoba
* 4 p.m. - D2: Auburn vs. Hingham