Massachusetts

Seven high school sports takeaways from a Wednesday stocked with walk-off wins on the diamond – The Boston Globe

Published

1 year ago

April 24, 2025

Seven high school sports takeaways from a Wednesday stocked with walk-off wins on the diamond – The Boston Globe

Where to start? There was Ben Dowdall’s two-run double to give West Bridgewater a 2-1 win over Case, and Liv Moeckel’s two-run double that pushed Central Catholic to a 3-2 win over Chelmsford, Marblehead’s Tessa Francis joined the party, doubling in the ninth for a 2-0 win over Danvers.

Tommy O’Donnell rapped a walk-off hit for No. 4 BC High, which rallied from down 7-0 midway through the fifth inning to defeat No. 3 Taunton, 8-7. Needham’s Alex Rufo delivered a walk-off single to beat St. John’s Prep, 7-6, and Chase Lepore slapped the winner in Masconomet’s 8-7 victory against Lawrence.

On the lacrosse field, Masconomet’s Tony Giachinno had both the tying goal late in regulation and the overtime winner, finishing with five goals as the Chieftains sent Marblehead packing with an 11-10 win.

Apponequet senior Abby Bradley notched her 200th career goal during a five-goal, four-assist performance in a 19-0 win over Greater New Bedford.

King Philips senior Makenzie McDevitt did the same, scoring four times, including her 200th career goal, in a 17-10 win over Grafton. McDevitt is committed to Boston University.

Bridgewater-Raynham’s Emily Keefe joined the 300-point club with a 5-point (4 goals, assist) day for the Trojans, who defeated Oliver Ames, 16-9, in the Trojan Classic.

Bridgewater-Raynham Girls Varsity Lacrosse:
Bridgewater-Raynham 16 Oliver Ames 9
April 23, 2025. The Bridgewater-Raynham Girls Varsity Lacrosse team won the Trojan Classic Championship as Bridgewater-Raynham’s Emily Keefe had a monumental day in the win by getting her 300th… pic.twitter.com/hMbtg3ARZN
— West Bridgewater News (@WBNewsFacts) April 24, 2025

Breanna Fontes, Joseph Case — The senior carried a hot bat into a 25-0 win over West Bridgewater, homering and driving in seven runs.

Olivia Ormond, Belmont — The sophomore delivered 14 strikeouts in a 2-0 no-hitter of Lexington, while her older sister, Amelia, provided two hits and scored a run in support.

Akiira’Ley Vazquez, Greater New Bedford — The sophomore struck out 13 while recording her first varsity no-hitter, beating Fairhaven, 7-2.

Not content with one homer, Woburn’s Avery Simpson and Nobles’s Laney Mead both launched a pair of blasts on Wednesday, while Mead joined by teammate Alexa Georgantas, who also left the yard.

Dighton-Rehoboth’s Emma Horrocks and Kylie Smith went back-to-back in the fifth inning and Westport’s Lauryn Souza and Jayda Pequita both hammered blasts. The rest of the day’s round-trippers belonged to Braintree’s Luke Joyce, BC High’s Jack Darcy, Milton Academy’s Sadie Patel, Haverhill’s Ava Moscaritolo, and Pentucket’s Kam Bonneau.

5. Daily lacrosse leaderboard

Sierra King, King Philip, 8

Mikey Ferraro, Bishop Feehan, 6

Jake Staples, Haverhill, 6

Avery Valicenti, Archbishop Williams, 6

Kenny Wisniewski, Apponequet, 6

Abby Bradley, Apponequet, 5

Tony Giachinno, Masconomet, 5

Dexter Izzo, Bishop Feehan, 5

Cooper Masso, Bishop Feehan, 5

Ashley McLaren, Bridgewater-Raynham, 5

Caitlyn Naughton, Walpole, 5

Wisniewski, Apponequet, 12

Will Levrault, Apponequet, 11

Bradley, Apponequet, 9

Ferraro, Bishop Feehan, 9

Blake Masso, Bishop Feehan, 9

King, King Philip, 8

Cece Levrault, Apponequet, 8

Mason Thompson, King Philip, 8

Masso, Bishop Feehan, 7

McLaren, Bridgewater-Raynham, 7

Will Carey, Masconomet, 6

Emily Fleming, Archbishop Williams, 6

Izzo, Bishop Feehan, 6

6. Daily strikeout leaderboard

Gabe Zuber, Apponequet, 16

Maddie Grant, Georgetown, 15

Olivia Ormond, Belmont, 14

Tessa Francis, Marblehead, 13

Akiira’Ley Vazquez, Greater New Bedford, 13

Max Deroche, Braintree, 12

Edy LaTour, Dighton-Rehoboth, 11

Ellie Beigel, Rivers, 10

Jordan O’Malley, Salem, 10

Jag Garces, West Bridgewater, 9

Billy Gavin, Malden, 9

Sophia Hahn, Nobles, 9

Anthony Herbert, Bishop Fenwick, 9

Brayden Mercier, St. John’s (S), 9

Ava Moscaritolo, Haverhill, 9

Max Silvia, Peabody, 9

Zahgros Tanner, Newton North, 9

Reese Taylor, Apponequet, 9

Will Trach, Shawsheen, 9

McCoy Walsh, King Philip, 9

Malden Catholic graduate KC Ugwuakazi, who played three years at Stoughton, announced he will be transferring close to home, shifting from East Texas A&M to Merrimack. The 6-foot-9-inch sophomore, who also played one season at Cheshire Academy, averaged 5.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in 15 minutes per game in his second season with the Lions.

Duxbury senior righthanded pitcher Brady Wilson, who also plays catcher and outfield, announced his commitment to Wesleyan.

Several teams took advantage of the April vacation week to travel together. Mansfield baseball stopped by the White House on Wednesday, while several of the 2024-25 state champions got to step on the field at Fenway Park.

Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.

Source link

Massachusetts

Sayres: Pet sale ban would take Massachusetts backwards

Published

8 hours ago

May 1, 2026

Press Room

Sayres: Pet sale ban would take Massachusetts backwards

Senate Bill 3028, under consideration by legislators, would ban the sale of dogs and cats at pet stores, closing several family-owned businesses in Massachusetts. Proponents of the legislation say that these small businesses are a necessary sacrifice in the name of finding more homes for shelter animals and combating “puppy mills,” or irresponsible dog breeders.

But as a longtime shelter animal advocate who used to advocate for bills like S. 3028, I’ve learned that these pet-sale bans simply don’t help on either front.

In theory, it might seem logical: Ban pet stores from selling dogs, and people will go to shelters instead. But in reality, that’s not what happens at all.

Families go to pet stores precisely because they are looking for dogs that aren’t at the local shelter. They often have a specific breed of dog in mind. They may need a hypoallergenic dog that doesn’t shed, or a dog with predictable temperament or behavioral traits.

If they can’t get a dog from a local store, then they’ll look elsewhere – typically on the Internet.

Go on TikTok or Craigslist, and you’ll find no shortage of people hawking puppies. Where do these dogs come from? It’s anyone’s guess, but it’s likely that many are sourced from puppy mills.

Which is ironic. Proponents of S. 3028 say banning retail pet sales will fight puppy mills. In reality, it will help puppy mills.

California gives proof to this. A Los Angeles Times investigation following the state’s ban on pet stores selling dogs found that “a network of resellers — including ex-cons and schemers — replaced pet stores as middlemen.”

Nor has California’s ban on retail pet sales reduced animal shelter overcrowding. Shelters in Los Angeles and San Francisco are struggling to deal with crowding in animal shelters more than five years after the ban was passed.

As the former head of the national ASPCA, and a former executive director of the San Francisco SPCA, I always advocate that people adopt from shelters. But I also recognize that people want choices in where to get a dog. We should make sure that these avenues are well-regulated for animal and consumer protection.

And that’s why S. 3028 is counterproductive: It drives dogs and families away from pet stores, which are regulated brick-and-mortar local businesses, and into the black market where there are essentially no regulations to protect people and animals.

If Massachusetts goes down this road, it won’t stop with dogs and cats. Activists will lobby, as they have in Cambridge, for the entire Commonwealth to ban the sale of all pets at pet stores. Fish, hamsters, guinea pigs, you name it.

Where then will people get pets?

Some families will just drive to New Hampshire, as some Bay Staters already do for other goods. But others, particularly less-advantaged people without personal vehicles, will either have to turn to shady online marketplaces or perhaps not get a pet at all.

The human-animal bond is something that all people should be able to experience and cherish. We can make the process of getting a pet both convenient and well-regulated so that animals and consumers are protected. Banning pet sales under S. 3028 would take us backwards.

Ed Sayres is the former CEO of the ASPCA and former president of the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, whose career in animal welfare spans four decades.

Source link

Massachusetts

Gambler accuses Kalshi of 'unlawful conduct' in Massachusetts

Published

20 hours ago

April 30, 2026

Press Room

Gambler accuses Kalshi of 'unlawful conduct' in Massachusetts

Prediction market platform Kalshi is being accused of offering illegal betting to Massachusetts residents in a new lawsuit brought by a man who said he struggles with gambling addiction. The lawsuit is the latest escalation in a fight over the industry’s operations in the Bay State.

Source link

Massachusetts

Eastern Mass. boys’ lacrosse: Players of the Week for April 22-28 – The Boston Globe

Published

1 day ago

April 30, 2026

Press Room

Eastern Mass. boys’ lacrosse: Players of the Week for April 22-28 – The Boston Globe

Here are notable performances from boys’ lacrosse players competing in Eastern Mass. conferences/leagues in the past week.

Tomas Babine, Winthrop — The senior became a jack of all trades during a 13-2 victory over Malden Catholic on Monday, scoring a hat trick along with an assist, winning all three of his faceoff attempts, and jumping in net for the last five minutes to make two saves.

Mason Gadbois and Evan Roach, Danvers — Gadbois, a senior, scored four goals and delivered five assists in a 19-5 win over Peabody on Friday, after netting five goals and two assists in a 13-11 victory against Winthrop the day prior. Roach, a senior FOGO, went 22 for 26 on faceoffs with a goal and an assist against Peabody, and finished 19 of 27 from the X vs. Winthrop.

Cole Hogencamp, Mansfield — The Brown-bound junior began his week with two goals and three assists in a 16-4 win against Westwood on Thursday, followed by a six-goal performance to clinch the Chowda Cup title in an 11-9 win against Marshfield on Saturday. For good measure, he posted a hat trick to defeat Sharon, 16-5, on Monday.

Freddy Torcasio, Newton North — The senior, committed to Roger Williams, erupted for six goals and three assists during a 13-6 win over Waltham on Saturday, then fired in four more goals to beat Milton, 9-1, on Tuesday.

Greg Walsh, Westwood — The junior middie found the net four times and supplied two assists to fight off a comeback attempt and defeat Falmouth, 13-11, to earn third place in the Chowda Cup on Saturday. On Monday, he collected three goals and three assists in a 15-3 triumph over Ashland.

Connor Wicken, Reading — The Albany-bound junior attack reached 100 career points through a four-goal, one-assist performance to defeat Catholic Memorial, 17-7, on Thursday. He then provided an identical 5-point day during a tight 12-11 win over North Andover on Saturday, for a fifth-place finish in the Players Cup.

Cameron Pellegrino can be reached at cameron.Pelegrino@globe.com. Follow him on X @cam_pellegrino.

Source link