Sports Highlights 05.18.2015

For the seventh time in the past eight seasons, Westminster’s First Softball team was crowned Champion of the Class A Western New England Softball Conference. The girls won their final regular season game on Wednesday in a close 6-2 affair to improve to 14-1 and earn the No. 1 Seed in the Class A Western New England Tournament.
 

In the opening semifinal game, the Martlets hosted a strong Williston Northampton team who was on a roll after winning a play-in game against Loomis Chaffee the previous night. Brenna Monroe '17 pitched a three-hitter and Jade Marlowe '15 had two hits and two RBI to lead Westminster to a 5-1 victory. The game was a scoreless pitcher's duel until the third inning, when Catherine Crawley '16 walked, and both Gabby Brown '17 and Marlowe singled. In the fourth inning, Kaitlyn McCausland '16 drove in a run to give the Black and Gold a 2-0 advantage. In the fifth frame, Monroe, Marlowe and Emily Samar '18 each had base hits to extend the lead. Williston rallied in the top of the sixth and closed the gap to 3-1. Despite strong pitching by the Wildcats' Jordan Strum, Westminster added two runs in the bottom of the inning when Griffith and McCausland singled and Crawley drew a walk. Brown then hit a solid ground ball off the glove of a Williston fielder, scoring two more runs. Williston's leadoff batter walked to open the seventh inning. However, the runner attempted to steal second and Samar threw a strike to Ashlee White '18 to extinguish the rally. Monroe then closed the door by striking out the final two Wildcat batters. In a hard fought game, McCausland and Samar stood out defensively. Monroe also had eight strikeouts for the Martlets. With this win, the girls earned a spot in the championship game to be played the following day.
 

In a thrilling championship game on the Hill against Taft School, Marlowe drove in the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh and final inning to lead Westminster to a 4-3 victory. Playing in front of a large home crowd, Monroe pitched another gem and Samar had a strong game behind the plate against a very good Taft team. The contest was filled with drama, lead changes and many close plays. The Rhinos jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning, as Taft's Madie Leidt tripled and later scored. In the third inning, Taft put together two hits and extended the lead to 2-0. However, in the fourth inning, the Westminster bats came alive. Marlowe and Samar opened the frame with base hits and Ashlee White '18 drove in a run with a single. Mackenzie Griffith '17 then stepped to the plate and doubled to left field to score two runs. Backed by excellent pitching and flawless defense, the Black and Gold took a 3-2 lead into the seventh inning. Taft opened with back-to-back singles, and had runners on first and third with no outs. Marlowe then caught a sharply hit ground ball at third base and threw the Taft runner out as she tried to score. White got the second out with a nice play at shortstop, before a single by Taft's Mary Collette tied the game at 3-3. In the bottom of the seventh, Crawley had her third hit of the day and promptly stole second on a close play with dust flying. Brown then flied out to right field and Crawley tagged and slid safely into third base. Monroe walked, bringing Marlowe to the plate with two outs and runners on the corners. Marlowe then lined a single to right field to bring home Crawley in one of the most exciting finishes in Westminster Softball history! The team thanks everyone who attended the game and showed so much support on Sunday and throughout the season. It was an exciting, highly competitive contest between two excellent teams to cap an extraordinary season for the Martlets. Congratulations to First Softball’s players and coaches!
 

The boys won their only regular season game this week before taking on Westminster Alumni in the annual Alumni Game on Saturday afternoon.
 

On Wednesday, the ride and the defense came up big on to hold Northfield Mount Hermon to just two goals on the way to an 11-2 Martlet win. Stephen Tortora '15 earned the game ball with a nice bouncing goal low and away and six GBs in the game. Brian Smyth '16 led all scorers and Dylan Moser '15 was stingy in between the pipes. Adrian Enchill '17 created havoc at LSM to help squelch the Hoggers' offense. Anthony DiPlacido '15 went 3/3 at the FO and scored his first goal of the season. It was a solid win to get Westminster to 10-3 on the season.
 

In the Alumni Game, Danny O'Connell '13 had three goals and four assists while Sam Dardani '14 went two and four for the Alumni squad, but it was not quite enough to edge the young Martlets in a spirited game on a beautiful afternoon. Jack O'Connell '15 split squads to play with brother Danny, who assisted on one, and scored twice for the alums, then once again for the Martlets. Ryan Seymour ‘15 led the First team, going four and one, while Jeffrey Guiliano '17 went had a solid game with two goals and two assists.
 

For the alumni, Kyle Eckerson, Colin Hartwig and Scott Duddy ably rounded out the roster while Evan Doodian '14, David Pringle '05, Matt Knight '14 and John Pappas '14 were GB machines between the lines. It was a great event on a great day, with plenty of competition to set the tone for a big one at Hotchkiss on Wednesday!
 

The Martlets won two of three games this week to improve to 10-5 on the season. On Thursday, an explosive offensive performance lifted the girls past Miss Porter’s by a final score of 14-7. The real story of the week, though, was the team’s incredible OT win over top-ranked Hotchkiss – a team that came into the game with only one loss on the season.
 

Under the lights of Hovey Field on Saturday night, the Martlets and Bearcats squared off in front of a supportive home crowd. Hotchkiss was the first to score, netting a goal on a very quick transition within the first minute, but Westminster answered back with a goal two minutes later by Susanna Baker '15. Emma Stevens '16 put the girls up a few minutes later, but Hotchkiss answered back to tie it the game again. That was the name of the game throughout the evening, as the teams traded goals and lead changes through full-time and two overtime periods.
 

Sarah Migliori '16 had the third and fourth goals, and Eliza Christman '15 had the fifth. Kendall Brown '17 had a gigantic ground ball in the midfield to swing the momentum in the Martlets' favor. The team defense was solid and persistent all night, forcing many turnovers. Meg Forelli '15, Olivia Bey '15, Micaela Quinn '17, Devin Selvala '16, Sarah Migliori, and of course, the amazing goalie, Katie Savage '15, played excellent lacrosse. Hotchkiss chipped away at a lead late in the first half, and Westminster took a 7-5 lead into halftime.
 

In the second half, Baker put Westminster on the board first at 17:30. A minute later, Stina Ladd '15 assisted a beautiful one-timer by Kendall Brown. Eliza Christman gave the Martlets a narrow 8-7 lead, and then Hotchkiss answered back again. Baker tied it at 7:36 with a beautiful feed by Migliori, but Hotchkiss took the lead with 2:35 left. The girls were gritty and tenacious, forcing yet another tie with just 54 seconds left on a goal from Emma Stevens to take the game to overtime.
 

During OT, the Martlets went up 11-10 with a goal by Christman, only to have Hotchkiss answer again. With 33 left in the first three minute half, Westminster went up 12-11. Baker put the team up 13-11 at 2:17 in the second of two three-minute OT periods, only to have Hotchkiss fight back again and score with :52 on the clock. But the fight was not over – with 20 seconds left, Susanna Baker put the final nail in the coffin to clinch the win for the Martlets.
 

Katie Savage had 10 saves for the day, while goal scorers included Susanna Baker (6), Eliza Christman (3), Emma Stevens (2) and Sarah Migliori (2).
 

It was an incredible night for the Martlets, who played their best and most complete game of the season. Per a pre-game wager made by Coach Neilsen and Coach Koval, both coaches had to dye their hair blue to celebrate the win!
 

On a day that felt like fall after a week of premature summer, the Martlets were well matched against Loomis. Most of the matches were competitive and some could have gone either way. Luckily for the Black and Gold, they earned the requisite five wins to secure the victory. In doubles, the #3 team of Mary Kille '18 and Natalie Wilson '18 continued to ride a wave of momentum from their great tournament performance the weekend before and had little trouble handling their opponents, winning 8-2. Down 1-2 after doubles, the Martlets needed a number of singles wins to defeat the Pelicans. Ginny Durfee ‘15 played well and secured the win at #1 6-3, 6-2. At #2, Julia Cooper ’15 played a marathon match, with all three sets ending in a tie-breaker. She lost the first tie-breaker, won the second, but lost the deciding super-tiebreaker. Cooper should be commended for her effort, both physically and mentally in the match. Wells Poler '16 at #3 and Katherine Ogden '16 at #4 played consistent, smart tennis to grab two more wins for the Black and Gold. Wilson lost at the #5 spot, so the match came down to Kille at #6, who lost a frustrating first set 6-2 but came back to win the second. In the super-tiebreaker, Kille fought off match point and ultimately put her opponent away. She was patient and did what she needed to in order to push the team to victory.
 

The Martlets had a fine day on Saturday afternoon at the New England Tournament. The boys place sixth overall in a meet highlighted by the excellent effort of David Carter ’15, who broke the Westminster record in the men’s Triple Jump. Katherine Eckerson ’17 also broke a school record in the women’s Triple Jump – a record that she’d set just the week prior – to lead the girls’ team to a ninth place finish.
 

Under blustery conditions at Hop Meadow Country Club on Wednesday afternoon, the First Golf team came away with victories over strong opponents from Deerfield and Williston-Northampton. The final scores were Westminster (202), Deerfield (211), and Williston-Northampton (212). Addison Cilmi '16 led the way for Westminster with an impressive score of 35 (-1) to earn the match medalist honors. Other Westminster scores included Rylan Williams '16 (37), Taggart Corriveau '16 (40), George Crawford '15 (44), Brett Roenick '16 (46) and Ted Sirbaugh '16 (46). The team concluded its regular season with a spectacular 18-2 record.
 

On Saturday afternoon, Westminster’s Seconds Golf team hosted Avon Old Farms in an attempt to complete its second consecutive undefeated season. Fortunately, the Martlets avoided a nail-biter by playing some very solid golf and posting an excellent team score of 202 to Avon's 236. Teddy Sirbaugh '16, shooting a fine (+2) 38, was crowned the match medalist. Other Westminster scores included MacKenzie Hawkes '15 (40); Wonjune Kang '16 (42); Brett Roenick '16; Jack Griffith '17 (52); and George Crawford '15 (41). This capped another outstanding season for this undefeated team, shooting a season match average of (210), firing under the (210) mark in 9 matches and under (200) in one match. The coaches want to especially thank the four Sixth Formers (George Brown, George Crawford, MacKenzie Hawkes and Bryson Tomcik) who participated in Second Team matches this year and, in some cases, over a four year span. Your fine play, character, sportsmanship and dedication to the golf program was much appreciated. You all will be greatly missed next year. A special shout-out to MacKenzie, the lone female Martlet, who often did the match introductions and who handled the peculiarities of adolescent boys since her Third Form year with impressive Grit and Grace. Well done, Second Team Golfers!
 

Now riding an eight-game winning streak, Second Girls’ Lacrosse won three games this week by impressive margins to move its record to an excellent 12-2.
 

The Martlets got off to a hot start on Wednesday, scoring their first goal 30 seconds into their game against Loomis when Cynnie White '17 netted a nice feed from Gaby Salgar '18. This set the tone for the rest of the afternoon, in which Westminster defeated the Pelicans 13-3. Eight unanswered goals at the end of the first half gave the girls a 9-2 lead at intermission. Fraser Allen '17 (two goals, one assist) and Emma Merlin '16 (three goals) were the sparkplugs of the offense, and Lilly Holmes '18 demonstrated sterling defensive play with her timely slides that pushed the Loomis' attackers wide of the Martlet net.
 

The following day, the girls faced a speedy team of "Fighting Daisies" from Miss Porter's. The Martlets found themselves on their heels for the first seven minutes of the game, but the tough defensive play of Katherine Berry '16, Katie Deveaux '16, Lexi Organ '16, Morgan Peirce '17 and Kate Breed '15 repelled most of Porter's scoring chances. The scoring duo of Lily von Stade '17 and Emma Merlin worked in tandem to put the Martlets on the board first. Fraser Allen netted the second goal unassisted as she faked the Porter's netminder while driving to goal. Also scoring for the Martlets were Georgia Morley '15, Anne Bitterli '16, Emily Burstein ‘17, Dora Mitchel '17, Abby Newman '16 and McKenna Burelle '17 to push the team to a 14-3 win.
 

The Martlets were well prepared for a fast-paced game against Hotchkiss on Saturday, defeating the Bearcats 11-5. Abby Newman gave Lily von Stade a quick feed on a great cut for the first goal of the game just 30 seconds in. Newman struck again two minutes later and then von Stade netted another, assisted by Cynnie White '17, to give the Martlets a 3-0 lead in the first five minutes of the game. The Bearcats scored their first goal on the next possession, but Westminster then held the Bearcats scoreless for the final 10 minutes of the half as they built up a 7-1 score by halftime. Seven different Martlets notched goals in the win, including Newman, von Stade, White, Bitterli, Allen, Merlin and Morley. Goaltender Alyssa DiMaria ’15 had the play of the week, an incredible kick save that drew appreciative cheers from her teammates. Di Maria had a standout week in net, giving up only 11 goals against formidable opponents.
 

The Martlets continued their run of strong play this week, winning on Wednesday and Saturday by a total margin of 28-1.
 

The boys took on defeated the Wyverns of Kingswood Oxford on Wednesday 14-1. Joe Patrina '18 pitched five strong innings, giving up just one run, and the defense behind him was brilliant. Sam Leopold '18 and Paul McNamara '18 teamed up for a major league 6-3 throw-out on a well-hit ball to short. On the offensive side, the Martlets were on fire. It was the streaking team's best game all year, and a testament to the hard work they've put in all season to improve in all aspects of the game.
 

This improvement continued in the team’s next game, a Saturday afternoon contest against Kent. Behind seven strong innings of pitching by Josh Cosentino '18 and deep doubles by Dylan Murphy '17 and Fred Seo '17, the team had another big win, taking down the Lions 14-0.
 

Westminster’s Thirds Tennis team faced Williston Northampton on Saturday afternoon. WNS came to play on a day that grew increasingly hot and sunny as the matches wore on, but the Martlets were able to pull out a 4-2 victory. The girls were excited for their last match of the season, and brought some special things for the three Sixth Formers. Playing #1 and #2 singles, Mia Poling '18 and Bo Jumrustanasan '15 faced opponents who served well and kept the ball in play with consistent placement of shots, eventually losing their matches despite some good rallies. Playing #3 singles was Yilun Zheng '17, whose match was very close all the way through. Yilun's backhands looked very good today in addition to her serves, and she eventually pulled out a win 8-6. All three doubles teams were successful. Playing #1, Phebe Huth '15 and Hannah Buckley '18 won decisively. The next doubles team to finish was #3 CC Lynch '15 and Mariah Davis '16, playing for the first time together. They communicated well and were fun to watch. The last game to finish, which meant that every player was on their court watching, were the #2 doubles team of Elizabeth Brewer '17 and Cindy Jeong '17. The two pulled out a an 8-6 win in what proved to be a very close match.
 

The Thirds Girls' Lacrosse team played Avon High School's freshman squad on Wednesday afternoon. Though the Martlets seemed off on arrival and started slow, the girls found their focus to take the 9-6 road win. Westminster controlled the played and was able to consistently retain possession off the draw. At halftime, the team was ahead 3-2 and Nadia Lee '18 was playing an excellent game in goal. The Martlets pulled ahead 8-4 with ten minutes left were feeling confident with their play, but after an Avon time-out, Avon rallied, scoring two quick goals. Though Westminster continued to gain possession off the draw, the team had a hard time holding on to the ball, allowing Avon to stay in the game. The Black and Gold scored one more goal and held on to the lead until the clock ran out to clinch the victory.
 

The Martlets jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead halfway through the first quarter and rode the momentum to a 5-1 halftime lead and, ultimately, a 9-3 victory over Loomis Chaffee. The boys scored three seconds into the second half off a man-up play, and then were able to distance themselves in the third quarter, scoring three goals. It was a awesome afternoon for lacrosse, as both the temperature and field were perfect. Game balls went to Jeremy Cutler '17, who moved from attack to midfield and scored three nice goals. The other game ball went to "The Sherriff" Merlin Ennis '17, who held Loomis top gun to only one goal. His play was a game changer.