Sports
High schools: Northampton softball edged by Pioneer in offensive slugfest (PHOTOS)
A marathon of a matchup between the Northampton and Pioneer softball teams was eventually claimed by the Panthers – 63 runs later.Pioneer defeated the Blue Devils 34-29 on Thursday afternoon in Northfield in what was an offensive explosion.Haly...
UMass lacrosse: St. Joseph’s knocks out Minutemen 11-9 in A-10 semifinals
By CONNOR PIGNATELLO
AMHERST – The UMass men’s lacrosse team never fell behind by more than three goals, but never took the lead and fell 11-9 to No. 1 St. Joseph’s in the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament at Garber Field on Thursday.In their regular season meeting...
New Hopkins Academy athletic fields nearing completion
By CONNOR PIGNATELLO
HADLEY – The red shed off to the side of the Hopkins Academy softball field has seen some use. For decades, Golden Hawks baseball and softball pitchers used it as a backstop in pregame warmups. But now, with construction on a new athletic field...
Baseball: Offense continues to roll in Hampshire’s 18-7 win over Hopkins (PHOTOS)
By GARRETT COTE
WESTHAMPTON — During Wednesday’s batting practice session, Hampshire Regional sluggers Drew and Mikey Thompson didn’t bring their best swings, according to Raiders head coach Mark Baldwin.After their time was up, they insisted Baldwin let them get...
High schools: Big seventh inning lifts Smith Vocational baseball past Pathfinder
Knotted up 1-1 heading into the top of the seventh, the Smith Vocational baseball team erupted for five runs to break the game open and pull out a 6-1 win over Pathfinder on Wednesday afternoon.Patrick Millin struck out nine over all seven innings in...
Boys tennis: Sixth grader Lee Ferguson key cog in PVCICS’ win over Belchertown, undefeated start to the season (PHOTOS)
By CONNOR PIGNATELLO
BELCHERTOWN — Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School boys tennis coach Mike Locher has a Star Wars character assigned to each player on his team.After every match, he sends his players a game recap, along with a YouTube video of their Star...
South Hadley boys volleyball team making strides in first season as program
By GARRETT COTE
SOUTH HADLEY — Fighting toe-to-toe with Veritas Prep in the fourth set of its first varsity boys volleyball game in program history, South Hadley was on the brink of history.The Tigers did just enough to pull away and claim a 25-23 win in the frame,...
2024 Gazette Boys Swimmer of the Year: Luke Giguere, Belchertown
By GARRETT COTE
BELCHERTOWN — He didn’t think it would ever happen outside of a regular season dual meet, but Luke Giguere had just done something swimmers only dream of.The Belchertown senior put forth a heroic 46.62-second anchor leg in the 400-yard freestyle relay...
High schools: South Hadley baseball rallies past Monson for 8th straight victory
Trailing 5-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning, the South Hadley baseball team rallied to keep its winning streak alive on Tuesday.The Tigers scored three runs in the frame, and held on for a 6-5 victory – the club’s eight win in a row to put them at...
Girls lacrosse: Amherst stays undefeated, runs away from Granby for second win in as many days (PHOTOS)
By GARRETT COTE
GRANBY — A pair of Mylin Laliberte goals dug the Granby girls lacrosse team out of an early 2-0 hole in the first quarter and tied things up with Amherst about midway through the frame.Just one day removed from a tough 18-5 defeat at the hands of the...
Softball: Ella Schaeffer’s walk-off hit lifts South Hadley to 1-0 extra-inning win over Easthampton
By CONNOR PIGNATELLO
SOUTH HADLEY – Ella Schaeffer had already tossed nine innings of shutout ball, but when the South Hadley pitcher stepped to the plate against Easthampton in the bottom of the ninth inning with a runner on second base and one out, she still had some...
2024 Gazette Girls Swimmer of the Year: Ursula von Goeler, Northampton
By CONNOR PIGNATELLO
Ursula von Goeler likes making calculations.Her favorite subject is physics. She’s decided to major in it next year at Bowdoin College.But that love of matter and its behavior through space and time isn’t just limited to the classroom. It stretches...
MIAA power rankings: See where all the local teams are ranked
By GARRETT COTE
The MIAA released its second edition of the spring sports power rankings across the state on Tuesday. Out of all sports, Hampshire Regional softball holds the highest ranking in Hampshire County, checking in at No. 5 in Division 4. Hopkins leads all...
High schools: Smith Academy softball rallies past Holyoke
The Smith Academy softball team trailed 8-2 into the fifth inning before scoring 10 runs to snatch control and win 18-8 over Holyoke on Monday afternoon.All told, Smith posted 16 unanswered to capture the victory.Sophia Jagodzinski had two hits, two...
Baseball: Bailey Davis’ walk-off single lifts Easthampton past Holyoke 7-6
By CONNOR PIGNATELLO
EASTHAMPTON – The Easthampton baseball team is taking a trip to Burger King, and sophomore left fielder Bailey Davis’ usual order of chicken nuggets is going to taste extra special.It’s a tradition the Eagles have after every win, but this season has...
2024 Gazette Boys Basketball Player of the Year: Marcielo Aquino, Amherst
By CONNOR PIGNATELLO
At the end of the cul de sac on Gooseberry Lane, there’s a basketball hoop. It’s a refuge, a listener and a teacher.A few years back, the hoop’s adjustable lever broke during a storm. It’s held together with duct tape, but it’s sensitive. If the...
Softball: Greenfield rallies with big inning for 5-4 win over Hampshire (PHOTOS)
By GARRETT COTE
WESTHAMPTON — With a Hampshire Regional runner standing on second base and two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, eighth grader Kalin Dubay stepped to the plate – the Raiders trailing by one run.Dubay worked the count and fouled off several...
Connor Pignatello: Seeing Messi in person again sparked childhood memories
By CONNOR PIGNATELLO
FOXBOROUGH – When I was 8 years old, a Spanish friend of my dad gave me a present. It was a Lionel Messi FC Barcelona No. 10 jersey, with the club’s classic blue and red vertical stripes and the UNICEF sponsor across the front.That jersey was my most...
UMass football: Spring Game closes one chapter for Minutemen, 2024 season fast approaching
By GARRETT COTE AND CONNOR PIGNATELLO
AMHERST — For a coach who’s been in the business for as long as UMass football head coach Don Brown has, it’s hard to find something he hasn’t already seen.But during the Minutemen’s month of spring practice, they impressed the longtime coach with...
High schools: Furious fourth quarter rally falls just short for South Hadley boys lacrosse
By CONNOR PIGNATELLO
SOUTH HADLEY – The South Hadley boys lacrosse team scored five unanswered goals in the fourth quarter to get within striking distance of Agawam (5-3), but the Tigers (4-5) comeback fell short in a 10-6 Valley League home loss on Friday afternoon.Solid...
