Sports

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...

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...

Softball: Hampshire rallies from early deficit, slugs past Easthampton 10-4 (PHOTOS)

By GARRETT COTE

WESTHAMPTON — Coming into Friday afternoon’s softball game between the Hampshire and Easthampton softball teams, something had to give.Eagles ace Rosie Follet had been almost unsolvable in the circle through their six games, while the Raiders’...

2024 Gazette Girls Basketball Player of the Year: Ava Azzaro, Northampton

By GARRETT COTE

NORTHAMPTON — Staring a six-point deficit square in the face in the fourth quarter of the MIAA Division 2 girls basketball quarterfinals, Northampton senior captain Ava Azzaro wasn’t ready to call it quits on her high school career.The No. 7 Blue...

High schools: Ava Shea, Belchertown girls tennis get past South Hadley (PHOTOS)

Ava Shea continued her dominant season at No. 1 singles, helping the Belchertown girls tennis team to a 4-1 victory over South Hadley during independent action on Thursday at Mount Holyoke College.Shea notched a 6-0, 6-0 win over South...

Baseball: Chace Earle shuts down Easthampton in Hopkins Academy’s 13-0 win

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

EASTHAMPTON – Hopkins Academy sophomore Chace Earle tossed the longest outing of his career and the Golden Hawks blanked Easthampton 13-0 in a Suburban League West baseball contest on a sunny Thursday afternoon.Hopkins (3-2) scored eight runs in the...