Sports
UMass athletics: Men’s swimming and diving team to join Missouri Valley Conference as affiliate member
By GARRETT COTE
AMHERST — Every UMass athletics program has finally found a home for next season.
Boys lacrosse: Hoosac Valley holds off Northampton 9-8 in battle of WMass heavyweights
By RYAN AMES
NORTHAMPTON – Down a goal with less than two minutes remaining in regulation, the Northampton boys lacrosse team got a break.
HS Roundup: Easthampton baseball continues late-season success in win over Amhe
By RYAN AMES and GARRETT COTE
EASTHAMPTON — It didn’t take long for the Easthampton baseball team’s bats to get rolling, as the Eagles put up 10 runs across the first two innings against Amherst on Monday afternoon at Nonotuck Park.
Amherst, Northampton players shining for Ultimate Frisbee Association’s Boston Glory
By GARRETT COTE
For so long, the cities of Amherst and Northampton have been ultimate Frisbee hot spots. Talent pours out of the area, starting at the youth level and reaching the collegiate world at UMass. If the fact that the Amherst Regional and Northampton High ultimate teams compete for state titles every year wasn’t enough to stamp the area’s success, having double-digit players in the professional Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) certainly is.
Victory Lap with Jessica Lapachinski: Breaking the silence
Sport is a powerful platform for driving social change. We have witnessed athletes stepping beyond the lines of the field to use their voices and influence to bring awareness to issues that truly matter. From calls for racial justice to advocacy for gender equality, the sports world has served as a podium for broader sociocultural conversations.
MIAA power ranking updates for Hampshire County teams
By GARRETT COTE
The MIAA released its most recent power rankings of the 2025 spring season on Friday morning, and several Hampshire County teams are slotted pretty high in their respective sports/divisions. The Hampshire Regional softball team is the lone local squad to earn a No. 1 ranking, as the Raiders check in as the top seed in Division 4 after appearing at No. 2 in the previous edition.
HS Roundup: Granby boys volleyball edges Athol in 5-setter
By RYAN AMES and GARRETT COTE
The Granby boys volleyball team pulled off another five-set match victory with a five-set win over Athol on Friday.
UMass lacrosse: Minutewomen ousted by Princeton in NCAA tourney opener, 19-10
By RYAN AMES
Catrina Tobin put together a magnificent performance in goal for the UMass women’s lacrosse team in its 19-10 loss to Princeton during the first round of the NCAA Division I Tournament on Friday in Baltimore, Maryland.
Western Mass. Mother’s Day Half Marathon reaches 15th edition on Sunday in Whately
By THOMAS JOHNSTON
The 15th running of the Western Mass. Mother’s Day Half Marathon in Whately will commence on Sunday, with a large field of runners expected to participate.
Mother’s Day extra eventful on the diamond for Hampshire Regional softball super-mom Becky Dubay
By GARRETT COTE
WESTHAMPTON — Becky Dubay could never pack lunches for her four daughters without hearing some sort of complaint. Whether it was her oldest daughter, Josie, her twins, Raegan and Ryanne, or her youngest, Kalin, each of them would always let their mom know if something about their lunch wasn’t right before she shipped them off to elementary school.
HS Roundup: Josh Misiaszek blasts walk-off, 3-run home run to give Belchertown baseball eighth straight win
By GARRETT COTEand JEFF LAJOIE
Winners of seven straight games entering Thursday, the Belchertown baseball team hadn’t been tested in a while. The Orioles’ last six games were all victories by at least six runs. But against a visiting Agawam team, Belchertown found itself in a 2-1 hole entering the bottom of the seventh inning.
HS Notebook: Amherst girls track could have program’s ‘best team ever’
By GARRETT COTE
AMHERST — Throughout the entire spring season, the Amherst Regional track and field programs have had to hit the road for all of their dual meets. The track at the high school doesn’t meet the standards to host competition, as runners are forced to avoid small cracks and holes in the surface.
UMass women's lacrosse gears up for Princeton in NCAA Tournament
By RYAN AMES
It’s a Sweet 16 for the UMass women’s lacrosse team. Well, actually, not exactly.
HS Softball: Late rally powers Hampshire past Turners Falls in battle of WMass heavyweights
By THOMAS JOHNSTON
TURNERS FALLS — A pair of Western Mass. softball powers met at Gary Mullins Field Wednesday night.
HS Roundup: Amherst track sweeps rival Northampton (PHOTOS)
By GARRETT COTE and RYAN AMES
NORTHAMPTON — It has been quite the spring season for the Amherst Regional girls track and field team, and Wednesday added to the Hurricanes’ undefeated campaign. Both the Amherst girls and boys defeated Northampton behind terrific performances both on the track and in the field. The Amherst girls won by a score of 103-33.
HS Softball: Franklin Tech holds off Hopkins Academy; Dion now one away from 400 Ks
By RYAN AMES
HADLEY – A near-milestone performance from Hopkins Academy pitcher Cassie Dion wasn’t enough as the Golden Hawks softball team fell to Franklin Tech, 4-2, on Wednesday. Dion needed eight strikeouts against the Eagles to become the first player in school history to reach 400 for her career, however the Hawks’ ace came up one short to sit at 399 career Ks following the defeat.
HS Softball: Belchertown hitting its stride, eyeing postseason
By RYAN AMES
The Orioles have taken flight.
HS Roundup: Agawam holds off Amherst boys lacrosse (PHOTOS)
By RYAN AMES and GARRETT COTE
AMHERST — For the second time this season, the Amherst Regional boys lacrosse team fell to Agawam, this time dropping a 16-10 decision on Tuesday.
Fit to Play with Jim Johnson: The dark side of sport
Bill Bradley, the great Knicks player and Rhodes Scholar, went up for a jump shot at the end of the game. As usual, it was good and put the Knicks up by eight points with almost no time on the clock. Rather than the usual cheer, Bradley heard some boos coming from the fans. Confused, after the game Bradley asked the trainer why some fans had booed him. The trainer told him that the spread on the game was projected at six points and that winning by eight had cost fans money.
HS Roundup: Granby boys volleyball falls to Sci-Tech
By RYAN AMES and GARRETT COTE
For the first time all season, the Granby boys volleyball team dropped consecutive matches as the Rams fell 3-1 to Sci-Tech on Monday evening. The first two sets were as close as it gets, but Granby couldn’t sustain its strong play for the entirety of the contest – losing 26-24, 24-26, 25-18, 25-19.
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