Local Roundup: Hopkinton Upends Lebanon

Lebanon — The Hopkinton High girls lacrosse team scored the first seven goals on the way to a 17-6 win over Lebanon on Tuesday in the Raiders’ home opener.

Lebanon (0-2) received three goals in a standout performance from midfielder Izzy Peress, who is in only her second season of playing lacrosse.

The sophomore was clearly the hosts’ best player, powering to the net on offense and hustling back on defense to get a stick in shooters’ faces or in their passing lanes.

“Once Izzy gets the first goal or wins the first draw, it builds for her,” said Lebanon coach Sara Ecker, whose team trailed at halftime, 14-3, and sat out five starters for the first half because of missed practices during spring vacation last week. “The question for her now is when she doesn’t do those things, how can she still elevate her game?”

Hannah Bunten, Jessie Hastings and Katie Berthasavage also scored for the Raiders, who lost starting goaltender Elizabeth Jones to an injured thumb at halftime. Jones made five saves, while Emma Thibodeau’s only save in relief was an outstanding denial of a Hopkinton shooter on the doorstep during the final minute of play.

Lebanon visits Bow (2-1) on Friday and will need to significantly improve its defense if it’s to be competitive. Hopkinton (4-1) beat Bow by two goals earlier this season.

— Tris Wykes

Boys Lacrosse

Hopkinton 19, Lebanon 6

Hopkinton, n.h. — The Raiders fell to 0-2 in rainy conditions on the road.

Nate Damren scored twice and Nate Chickering had one goal for the Raiders, according to Lebanon coach Rob Fett.

Caiden Skakalsi and Gareth Davis split time in net for Lebanon, which visits Stevens on Friday.

Baseball

Windsor 4, Otter Valley 3

Brandon, Vt. — The Yellowjackets (4-1) avenged a previous loss to the Otters.

The Jacks received a strong pitching performance from Seth Balch, who allowed five hits with no walks and eight strikeouts in a complete game.

Adam Stapleton delivered a two-strike, two-out hit in the fifth inning to score Balch (hit by pitch) and Duncan Frazer (walk) to make it 4-0.

“It was a playoff-type game,” Windsor coach Jamie Richardson said. “We had (last week’s 12-1 home loss to the Otters) on our minds, because we know we’re a better team than that. I thought our guys showed that today.”

Windsor hosts Burr & Burton on Thursday.

Thetford 8, Northfield 2

Northfield, Vt. — The Panthers prevailed in their season opener.

Ryan Pepe (2-for-3) had a two-RBI double, Connor Brown went 2-for-4 with a triple and Seth Boyce smacked a three-run double for Thetford.

Brown pitched the first 5⅔ innings, striking out seven and walking two while giving up two hits and both Marauder runs (one earned).

Dan Wells struck out one with two walks over the final 1⅓.

The Panthers visit Harwood on Thursday before their home opener on Saturday morning against Windsor.

Williamstown 16 Whitcomb-Rochester 0 (5)

Williamstown, Vt. — Zac Rhoades went for 2-for-3 for the Mountaineers’ lone hits in a season-opening loss to the Blue Devils.

Starting pitcher Isaac Hodgdon allowed 10 runs on six hits in an inning of work for Whitchester, which hosts Chelsea in Rochester on Thursday.

Green Mountain 8 Woodstock 5 (5)

Chester, Vt. — The Wasps fell to 0-2 in a game shortened due to rain.

Kyle Weirether (run), and Alex Blaiklock (double) each had a hit and Owen Tarleton had two walks and two steals for the Wasps.

Tarleton (nine hits, no walks, four strikeouts) pitched all five innings for Woodstock.

The Wasps host Randolph on Thursday.

Softball

Oxbow 7, Lyndon 5

Lyndonville, Vt. — The Olympians improved to 2-0 in their first road game of the year. Madison Fornwalt went 4-for-4 with three RBIs, Alex Giesing hit 3-for-3 with a solo home run and pitcher Mary Bourgeois was 2-for-4 with a double and RBI.

Bourgeois gave up seven hits, walked two and struck out five in a complete game.

Oxbow visits Randolph today.

Woodstock 28, Windsor 6 (5)

Woodstock — The Wasps prevailed in a cold, wet game ending after five due to the mercy rule.

Loretta Blakeney (two doubles) had four RBIs on as many hits and Lizzie Peck (two RBIs) and Maddie Schulz each tagged a double amid two hits apiece for Woodstock.

Olivia Rockwood had a triple and a double and Carah Rugg doubled for the Yellowjackets.

Maddie Moore struck out five in the abbreviated complete game for Woodstock, which hosts Twin Valley on Saturday.

Whitcomb-Rochester 16 Williamstown 1 (6)

Williamstown, Vt. — The Mountaineers improved to 2-0 with the decisive road win.

Hayley Mears went 3-for-3 with four RBIs and a double, and Avery Palmer (triple, four runs) and Samantha Barcomb (double, three runs) each had two hits for Whit-chester.

Eighth-grader Chelsea Trask went 1-for-2 with a three-RBI hit, while pitcher Laura Vaillancourt struck out 11 with two walks for the Mountaineers.

Whitcomb-Rochester visits Cabot on Thursday.

Thetford 12Northfield 11 (8)

Northfield, Vt. — Senior Taylor Hollis struck out five in the complete game and had two steals to set up the winning run in extra innings as the Panthers won their season opener.

Harlee Gray finished with four RBIs for Thetford, delivering a three-run triple before her two-out hit scored Hollis in the top of the eighth. Hollis singled before stealing both second and third base.

“Other than that, it wasn’t a pretty game,” Thetford coach Mike Pomeroy said. “There were a lot of errors.”

The Panthers visit Harwood on Thursday and host Windsor on Saturday in their home opener.

U-32 15, Hartford 12

East Montpelier, Vt. — The Hurricanes fell in their season opener in a game moved to U-32 from White River Junction due to wet field conditions.

Hartford held a 6-1 lead early.

Kylee Beaucage had a three-run home run and an RBI double, and freshman Kendyl Boisvert had two RBIs on a pair of hits for Hartford.

Canes pitcher Rachel Loseby struck out three in a complete game, receiving some strong defense from junior left fielder Samantha Walz, who had two assists, throwing out Raiders at third base and home plate.

College Skiing

Dartmouth’s DwyerDraws National Honor

Hanover — The United States Collegiate Ski Coaches Association selected Dartmouth women’s alpine ski coach John Dwyer its national alpine coach of the year on Tuesday.

Dwyer guided the Big Green through a dominant winter campaign on the slopes in Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association carnivals this year. Dartmouth won five of the six EISA events, including the conference championship. The Big Green’s Foreste Peterson won three giant slaloms, teammate Alexa Dlouhy claimed two slaloms and Dartmouth women produced 13 podium finishes, including Peterson in the NCAA championship slalom at Cannon Mountain in March.

Dartmouth finished the winter season by placing fourth at the NCAAs, its best finish in five years.