Lakes Region Sports Roundup, June 5

High School Lacrosse:

Laconia girls return to finals

The 4th seeded Laconia Sachems came alive Saturday night and defeated rival Derryfield, 19-12, setting up a championship match with Hopkinton tonight at Manchester Memorial High School. 

The Cougars scored the first two goals in easy fashion and it looked like Laconia would be in for a tough night. Coach Bob Howe said before the game was happy the game was in Laconia. “We wanted to get them on our big field. I think we have an advantage with more space.”  The Sachems stayed poised and came back with 2 goals within 2 minutes to tie things up.  It was a back and forth first half with goals aplenty.  Laconia took a 10-8 lead into the break but Coach Howe said the lead could have been larger. “We won 14 of the 19 draws and had most of the possession. We made some mistakes that caused turnovers and they capitalized when they had the ball.”  The 2^nd half started just as the first had, with the Cougars getting the first 2, tying the game in the first 4:27.  Then Laconia woke up and Skylar Tautkus, Sydney Stevens and Becca Howe just took over. It also helped that 2 of the Cougars best players  received their 2^nd yellow cards midway through the half.  That meant not only did they have to sit for the rest of the game, but Derryfield was a player down, with 13 minutes to play.  The Sachems pounced with 6 straight goals to seal the game. Coach Howe on his first finals appearance as a head coach: “It feels great!” as he expelled a deep breath following the game. “This was a rebuilding year for us with a new goalie, but we have a solid core group.  We worked hard to get to the finals and look forward to the challenge.”  Becca Howe netted 7 goals, Tautkus 6 and Sydney Stevens 4 with Olivia Strong leading Derryfield with 4.  The difference in the game was draw control as the Sachems won 19 of 32.  It won’t be an easy finals match as #2 Hopkinton awaits.  The Sachems look to avenge the regular season loss to the Hawks in a game that can be heard on WEMJ starting at around 6:45pm tonight!

Laconia boys roll to semis

The Laconia boys lacrosse team punched their ticket to the semifinals with a hard-fought 11-4 win over the Conval Cougars at at Bank of NH Stadium on Friday night. The Sachems came out with high intensity in the first quarter but had nothing to show for it, as Pat LaRoche turned aside all 10 shots he faced.  Coach Andy Paronto felt the frustration. “We didn’t see him in the first game but watched him on film. He is an excellent goalie, but we told our guys to stay focused and continue to work hard.” Laconia broke through with 8:19 remaining in the 2^nd quarter when Ryan Chaisson faked a shot to collapse the defense and found Jake Steele alone next to the crease for a one-timer that hit home.  It was a back and forth quarter with Drew muzzy getting the final goal on a sweet scoop off a textbook draw control by Caleb Roy. Muzzy raced down the right side and beat LaRoche on the short side. Laconia held a 3-2 lead at the half and, considering they had beaten this team 15-4 earlier in the season, it might have been a surprise to most in the stands, but not to Paronto. “We knew we were in for a fight.  These guys were in the final 4 last year and we came in with a chip on our shoulder and we were up for it.”  The second half opened with a flurry as Laconia extended their halftime lead to 3 on a pair of goals by Cole Reid and Parker Minor.  Whenever ConVal scored, the Sachems  answered. The draw control, ground balls and limited mistakes worked in Laconia’s favor as they owned the 4^th quarter. The offensive barrage wore down the Cougar defense and Laconia scored 4 unanswered goals while the defense was limiting time in the offensive zone for their opponents. LaRoche was stellar, turning aside 21 of 32 shots while his counterpart, Steve Towers, was not tested as much (mostly because of the defenders in front of him) but still stopped 11 of 15 shots. Coach Paronto was quick to praise his defense. “Drew, Noah Shastany, Jordan Brown and Garrett Whitney played awesome today but our midfielders were the difference. They caused turnovers and made things difficult for them to get anything started offensively.”  Ryan Chaisson led the Sachems with 3 goals, Reid and Steele added a pair while Muzzy, Minor, Riley Roy and Bailey Moore chipped in a goal apiece. Next up is a match Wednesday at 5 p.m. on Jim Fitzgerald field in the semi-finals against, Monadnock, the team that knocked them out last year. 

High School Baseball

No. 1 Gilford stunned in quarterfinals

Top-seeded Gilford was rested and ready, but Bishop Brady came to play in front of a packed house in Gilford. The 8^th seeded Giants outhit, outplayed and outscored the Golden Eagles and started Gilford’s summer vacation earlier than expected, winning 10-7 with some late inning runs.  Brady coach Skip Foy said his boys played well. “It was a complete team effort with great defense and timely hitting.” While Brady moves to the semifinals, Gilford coach Eric Duquette reflected on the season: “It hurts now, but 15-2, and #1 seed is quite an accomplishment. We played hard till the end and battled.  I’m very proud of this young group. Best of luck to our only senior, Tyler McKinney, who will be sorely missed.”  Considering the state of the program last year, Duquette, his staff and the boys made light-speed improvement and should be proud.

Belmont shocked by Newport

The No. 3 Belmont Red Raiders lost a close one to 11^th-seeded Newport, 3-2, in quarterfinal action. The Red Raiders got out with an early lead 2-0 into the fifth when the Tigers pounced with a pair to tie it up before winning it with a late run in the 6^th. Brett Lima pitched well going the distance and pounded the strike zone.  His line: 7 IP, 5 H, 5 K’s, 4 BB and 2 earned runs. He was also 2-3 with an RBI while freshman Nate (not Brett) Sottak went 2-3 with a stolen base. Griffin Embree was 1-3  with a run scored and stolen base and Matt Pluskis had a triple and an RBI. Belmont outhit Newport 6-5 but committed 3 errors and couldn’t come through when it mattered, said Coach Matt LeBlanc. “We didn’t swing the bats very well but give credit to Newport. They played very well and made some very good plays in the field.” The Red Raiders finish a great season at 15-4 and a quarterfinal appearance.

Panthers fall in quarters

The season comes to an end for the No. 6 Panthers with a 7-1 loss to No. 3 Wilton-Lyndeborough in the quarterfinals. It was a well-pitched game on both sides and tied through the first three 1-1. Wilton scored a run in the 1st and MA tied it in the 3rd. The Panthers made a pair of miscues in the 3rd inning accounting for 2 unearned runs and giving the Warriors a 3-1 lead that would prove to be the difference. Trevor Greene pitched 5 1/3 innings walking no batters while striking out two. Colby Kessler came on in the 6th inning and retired his only 2 batters. Wilton outhit the Panthers 10-7, with Logan Gundersen going 2-4, Michael Tolman was 2-3, Jon Bryant was 2-4 with an RBI and Reese Swedberg went 1-3 and scored the only run.  “We had chances throughout the game but stranded 10 runners on base.” said Coach Todd Clifford. "We knew we had to match them by throwing strikes, playing clean defensively and getting clutch hits. But in the end a couple of miscues, combined with missed opportunities to score runs, decided the game." The Panthers end a successful season with a 12-6 record and a trip to the quarterfinals.

High School Softball

Belmont – The Red Raiders, seeded seventh, stunned the second-seeded Campbell Cougars with a solid 3-0 shutout to advance to the semifinals. Julianna Estremera was masterful, holding the Cougars to just 4 hits while striking out 7 and not allowing a walk. Offensively, Lizzie Fleming had 3 runs scored, Jordan Lavallee was 2-4, Raven Gates, Jordan Sargent, Estermera and Chantel Martin all collected a hit. Belmont scored a run in the first after Becca Fleming walked and Estremera reached on an error. Estremera  and Flemming executed a risky double steal with Fleming scoring and Estremera safe at second. Lizzie Felming scored in the third after two ringing singles followed by Estremera and Lavallee. The fourth inning started similarly with Sargent smacking a single to left. A Cougar error allowed Sargent to end up on third.  She trotted home on another single by Martin. Coach Bill Clary looks back on the last two and likes what he sees.  “I’m very happy with the offensive output the last two games against very good defensive teams.  We need to keep the bats and defense going for Mascenic." Belmont plays the Vikings at Plymouth State University on Wednesday at 5 p.m.

Gilford falls to top seed

A satisfying season came to a close for the Gilford Golden Eagles, who lost for the third time this year to undefeated and top-seeded White Mountains, 10-3.  Gilford got on the scoreboard in the top of the 1st with some small-ball. Randi Byars walked, advanced to second on a Jillian Lachapelle sacrifice bunt and scored on a Kasey Moore single. White Mountains got on the board with two runs on 3 hits in the 2^nd and came up big in the 3rd, scoring 6 runs on 4 singles, 1 double, 1 triple and 1 sac bunt. Both Colby Butterfield and Ella Harris pitched in that inning but could not contain the White Mountain offense. The Eagles scored 2 more runs in the top of the 5th when Randi Byars got on with a single and Jillian Lachapelle launched a missile over the right field fence. The Spartans had some power of their own, clocking a homer in the 4th and another one in the 6^th to break it open. Randi Byars, Jillian Lachapelle  (homerun, 2 RBIs), Kasey Moore (1 RBI), Karly Sanborn (1 stolen base) and Maggie McNeil each had a hit for Gilford. The Lady Eagles finish their season with a 12-6 record and should be proud of how they performed. 

Franklin High School notes

From AD Dan Sylvester - The FHS Boosters Club will be sponsoring the Franklin High School spring sports banquet on Friday, June 8.  There will be an ice cream social starting at 6:00pm in the FHS cafeteria.  For any questions please contact Dan at dsylvester@sau18.org.

FHS Female Athlete Of The Week is freshman Hannah Fife-Huckins of the softball team. She stepped into a full time varsity role as a freshman and gave 100 percent commitment and effort for the entire season.  We would also like to recognize Paulina Huckins of the Franklin Middle School who claimed the shot put championship of the Lakes Region at last week’s Small School Championship Meet hosted by Inter-Lakes. 

The Road Ahead:

Laconia High girls and boys lacrosse, Belmont softball semifinals and a Special Olympics recap of the Summer Games.

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Keith Murray is the host of Lakes Region voice of Sports on 107.3FM WEMJ Saturday and Sunday Mornings at 9am and can be heard on WEEI 101.5FM with daily local sports updates. Reach Keith by email: Sports@1015WEEI.com