Sports
High schools: Jason Kim backstops Amherst boys lacrosse to impressive win over Northampton
By GARRETT COTE
AMHERST — With just under 10 seconds left in the game, the Northampton boys lacrosse team was finally able to clear its defensive zone and avoid a seventh consecutive Amherst goal as a defender sent the ball flying down field in the direction of...
Track & field: Hampshire County expected to fare well at Western Mass. Championships this weekend
By CONNOR PIGNATELLO
Hampshire County track athletes kick off the postseason this weekend with the Western Mass. outdoor track & field championships. Belchertown, Easthampton, Frontier, Hampshire Regional and South Hadley will compete at the Division 2 championships on...
Largest ultimate tournament in New England set for this weekend as Pioneer Valley Invitational returns to the Oxbow
By GARRETT COTE
NORTHAMPTON — It’s been a busy month for the local ultimate programs.Two weekends after the Amherst Invitational, the longest-running annual ultimate tournament in the country, the Pioneer Valley Invitational returns this weekend. The event, hosted by...
The Real Score: Will AI necessarily make sports better? Will AI make the sport experience better?
Artificial intelligence is experiencing a renaissance. Tools like ChatGPT and Copilot are becoming a daily part of conversations. AI’s history stretches back nearly as far as computers themselves, but the advent of generative AI has made it more...
UMass basketball: Minutemen assistant coach Brett Nelson leaving for job at NC State; to be replaced by Matt Figger
By GARRETT COTE
AMHERST — UMass men’s basketball assistant coach Brett Nelson has jumped ship to North Carolina State to accept another assistant role under Wolfpack head coach Kevin Keatts.North Carolina State is coming off one of the most impressive Cinderella runs...
High schools: Will Hogan tosses shutout as Hampshire Regional blanks Greenfield 2-0
Will Hogan shut down the Greenfield baseball lineup, helping Hampshire Regional cap its regular season in fine fashion on Wednesday.Hogan tossed all seven innings, striking out three and allowing just two hits and two walks as the Raiders notched a...
Boys lacrosse: Connor McDonell, Granby take down Smith Voc to capture first-ever league title (PHOTOS)
By GARRETT COTE
NORTHAMPTON — The Granby boys lacrosse team hadn’t played in a bigger game in program history than Wednesday afternoon’s contest with Smith Vocational, as the Rams were playing for their first-ever league title.One quarter into it, the Vikings looked...
UMass basketball: Putnam Science’s Amadou Doumbia commits to Minutemen
By GARRETT COTE
AMHERST — It looks as if the UMass men’s basketball team has rounded out its roster for the 2024-25 season.On Wednesday morning, high schooler Amadou Doumbia of Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut, announced on his social media pages that he would...
High schools: Easthampton softball rolls past West Springfield
After a tight game with West Springfield earlier this season, the Easthampton softball team cruised to victory in the rematch on Tuesday.The Eagles scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning and rolled from there, taking down the Terriers 14-2...
Baseball: Hopkins Academy ‘happy to be home’ as new ballfield christened against Pittsfield (PHOTOS)
By CONNOR PIGNATELLO
HADLEY – Hopkins Academy shortstop Chace Earle had been counting down the days until May 14.First of all, it’s his birthday. But it also served as the opening day of play at the Golden Hawks’ brand-new baseball field.“I’ve been waiting months to play...
Boys lacrosse: Amherst’s furious comeback falls just short in loss to West Side
By GARRETT COTE
AMHERST — They looked like an entirely different group in the second half, but the Amherst boys lacrosse team dug themselves too deep of a hole to overcome on Tuesday afternoon.The Hurricanes scored seven of the game’s final eight goals, including...
UMass football: Minutemen cancel 10 future games to make room for MAC schedule
By GARRETT COTE
AMHERST — With the UMass football team’s return to the Mid-American Conference (MAC), the Minutemen have canceled 10 future football games to make room for their built-in conference games – FBSchedules.com reported on Monday.Those games, four of which...
High schools: Belchertown baseball rallies past Chicopee
The Belchertown baseball team had nothing going for itself through five innings on Monday, as the Orioles trailed Chicopee 3-0 heading into the sixth. But in the top of that frame, Belchertown struck for five runs and never looked back – defeating the...
Local golf: Holyoke’s Chris Tallman paces pack at Longmeadow CC local qualifier, advances to U.S. Open final qualifying
For the second year in a row, Holyoke’s Chris Tallman found some magic at a Western Massachusetts golf course with advancement toward the U.S. Open on the line.Tallman fired a 6-under-par 64, earning medalist honors in a 2024 U.S. Open Local Qualifier...
Softball: Teagan Charles’ bases-clearing double helps Hampshire pull past Turners Falls for 7-0 win (PHOTOS)
By CONNOR PIGNATELLO
WESTHAMPTON — Hampshire Regional first baseman Teagan Charles cracked a bases-clearing double with two outs in the sixth inning to break open a 3-0 game, and the host Raiders cruised to a 7-0 independent win over Turners Falls on Monday afternoon.Last...
Boys lacrosse: Amherst’s Skyler Ferro records 200th career point in win over Pope Francis
By CONNOR PIGNATELLO
Amherst boys lacrosse attack Skyler Ferro tallied his 200th career point on Friday night in a 9-4 win over Pope Francis.He needed just two points to reach the milestone, and finished with five – two goals and three assists. On his 200th career point,...
Big turnout expected Sunday for 14th annual WMass Mother’s Day Half Marathon in Whately
By THOMAS JOHNSTON
It wasn’t easy for road races to recover following the pandemic. But when you have local support like the WMass Mother's Day Half Marathon in Whately, things can get right back to pre-COVID levels.The 14th running of the Mother’s Day Half Marathon...
UMass basketball: Minutemen to add another transfer in Murray State forward Malek Abdelgowad
By CONNOR PIGNATELLO
The UMass men’s basketball team added its third transfer of the week on Friday in former Murray State forward Malek Abdelgowad. He has one remaining season of eligibility.Abdelgowad stands 6-foot-10, 220 pounds and played 19 games off the bench for...
High schools: Sofia Holden, Amherst softball hold off late Belchertown rally in 5-3 victory (PHOTOS)
Amherst’s Sofia Holden locked it down in the circle on Friday against the Belchertown softball team. A day after recording her 600th career strikeout, Holden went the distance, struck out 11, scattered four hits and walked two while keeping the...
Northampton’s lacrosse mom: Melissa Power-Greene supporting Blue Devils on and off the field
By CONNOR PIGNATELLO
Melissa Power-Greene is surrounded by Northampton girls lacrosse. Her eldest daughter Kyla Power is the varsity coach, her husband Ousmane Power-Greene is the JV coach, and her youngest daughter Imanni Power-Greene is a sophomore star attack.Normally,...
