Sports 06-30-2011

If a parent has any info/photo of their child participating in a sports or recreational activity (elementary school, high school, college, or otherwise), please E-Mail me at [email protected] and I will be sure to include the info/photo in a column.  I’d also love to hear about any honor roll students or scholar athletes, or just about any story which would recognize the accomplishments of past and present “Townies.”

Honor Roll call

Brendan Grace was named to the Dean’s List and Weston Hicks was named to the Chancellor’s List at UMass-Dartmouth…Philippa Stoddard, daughter of Elizabeth and Robert Stoddard, graduated from the Winsor School and will attend Yale University in the fall.  Philippa was co-president of the engineering and philosophy clubs and was a member of the varsity crew team.  She was also named a National Merit Scholarship semi-finalist and received honorable mention in the Madras Science Competition…Nikola Glogovac (International Affairs) and QinRui Pang (Civil Engineering) received their degrees from Northeastern University…Justin Bourguignon was named to the Dean’s List at Emerson College…Kristen Emond (Human Development) and Sarah Flink (Communications) received their degrees from Boston College…The following residents were among those who achieved Dean’s List status at UMass-Boston:  XiuLan Zhao, Caroline Burrows, Huong Strong, Tia Arroyo, Paige DeVingo, Kevin Travis, Yanli Zhu, Diane Durette, Marie Joseph, Vladimir Desir, Kwai Kan-Lo, John Kelly III, Lizbeth Ruiz, Caroline Burkard, Katie Ryan and Elizabeth McDonald…Jennifer Doherty was named to the Dean’s List at Framingham State.

Little League news

The Charlestown Little League District 9 All Star team is set to begin play on July 5.  With a talented roster filled with tournament experienced players, Charlestown looks to make some noise in their quest to reach Williamsport PA.  Please come out and cheer on our team and watch our local Little Leaguers display their skills.

Members of the 2011 All Star team include:  Hughie O’Donnell, Nolan Doherty, Sean Wrenn, Sahdat Arroyo, Israel Vega, Colin Sullivan, Alex Jacoby, Eddie Evers, Chris Tucker, Daniel Settipani, Nolan McLaughlin, Cameron DelValle, Jake Scanlon and Michael Ward.

TEAMSTERS 7, JENNY’S PIZZA 3

Standout pitcher Jake Scanlon (2 hits, 3 RBI’s) dominated with his bat and arm as two-time defending champion Teamsters Local 25 held off powerful Jenny’s Pizza by a score of 7-3 to force a winner-take-all title game.  Brennan Carrier (double, 2 walks, 3 runs), Patrick Kelly (2 walks, run) and Liam Kennedy (hit, RBI) also pitched in offensively.  For Jenny’s Pizza, Israel Vega (double) and Sahdat Arroyo notched the only hits while Mark Williamson, Sean Wrenn and Hughie O’Donnell played outstanding defense.

JENNY’S PIZZA 10, TEAMSTERS 3

In what turned out to be a highly entertaining back-and-forth affair complete with sensational defensive plays and clutch hitting, Jenny’s Pizza exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to capture the Major League championship.  Jenny’s Pizza fireballer Sahdat Arroyo, who notched 14 strikeouts and allowed only two hits in five-plus impressive innings, was engaged in a classic pitcher’s duel with Teamsters counterpart Michael Ward.  Ward matched Arroyo pitch for pitch and left after four-plus innings, reaching the maximum pitch count with the game tied 3-3.

The two-time defending champion Teamsters got on the board first when Brennan Carrier, who reached on an error and advanced to third on a Patrick Kelly single, scored on a passed ball.  Jenny’s Pizza tied the game in the bottom of the second inning on a Jacob Leavitt RBI double that scored Mark Williamson, who had reached on a fielder’s choice.  Teamsters third baseman Liam Kennedy minimized any further damage by making a spectacular backhanded stab of a hard smash and getting a force-out at second base.  Jenny’s Pizza took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third inning behind a clutch RBI single by slugger Sean Wrenn.  Teamsters catcher Jake Scanlon displayed great hustle by throwing out two runners at home plate on passed balls to snuff out the rally.  In the top of the fourth, Scanlon cracked his 10th home run of the season, with Ward on base via a walk, to give Teamsters a 3-2 lead.  Not to be outdone, Jenny’s Pizza standout first-baseman Hughie O’Donnell blasted a homer to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth.  In the bottom of the fifth inning, Jenny’s Pizza took advantage of a pitching change to break the game wide open.  Leavitt, left-fielder Aidan Kelly and second baseman Matt Lakus worked bases-loaded RBI walks to give Jenny’s some breathing room; setting the stage for shortstop Nolan Doherty, who iced the game with a bases clearing double.

Congratulations to coaches Paul Wrenn, Joseph Doherty and John Williamson of Jenny’s Pizza; and to Teamsters coach Tom Ward.  Job well done also goes out to ace hurler Sahdat Arroyo (6-1) who notched the most wins this season, and to Jake Scanlon, one of the most feared hitters in the league who led the Major League with 10 home runs.

Favorite moments in sports (Volume 4)

PATTY SUPREY – Who was the greatest “Townie” female athlete ever?  That’s a tough one.  There are several candidates but Patty is usually one of the first names brought up; deservedly so.  She established a legacy at Charlestown High School by becoming the first female basketball player in the City of Boston to surpass 1,000 points.  Patty was also inducted into the UMass-Boston Hall of Fame as both a basketball and softball player.

COREY GALLAGHER – Another “hoop” trailblazer, Corey reached superstar status at Matignon High School before embarking on a prolific career at Bentley College.  In addition to scoring 931 points for the Lady Falcons, her name can be found among the statistical leaders in every offensive and defensive category.  During her years under legendary coach Barbara Stevens, Corey’s squad gained national recognition as one of the elite teams in Division II.

JACQUELINE SINDORIS – I can also add the names of Danielle Kelley, Nicole Woods, Rose Sullivan and Bridgette Collier to the list, but for my money Jacqueline is one of Charlestown’s most exciting hockey players.  Over the last few years I have watched her compete in the Boston Cable TV Mayor’s Cup tournaments.  Jacqueline’s extraordinary quickness and instinctive vision inevitably earn her “Star of the Game” recognition.

ALICE KELLY HOULIHAN – A classic example of hard work gets rewarded.  Noted for her exemplary academic achievement, Alice played high school varsity basketball and track all four years and was an important member of two State Tournament teams.  A relentless rebounder and inside scoring threat, she was also the first-ever female Scholar Athlete in Pope John XXIII history.

MEGAN MURRAY and ERIN BLAIKIE – It couldn’t have been easy competing for playing time on one of the best boys hockey teams in the state, as Matignon High School certainly was.  Imagine then, wearing Megan and Erin’s skates for just one practice.  Not only did these fearless and heroic girls persevere to make important contributions to their team’s success, they set an “iron will” standard for others to follow.

JACKIE GENTIS – I’m not a soccer expert and am still learning many of the nuances of this fast-emerging sport, however, Jackie is the best “Townie” youth soccer player I have ever seen.  Despite being constantly double and triple-teamed, she has an amazing ability to outsmart her opponents and position herself for either a pinpoint pass to an open teammate or a laser-beam shot past a befuddled goaltender.  Jackie, who is only 11 years-old, is already the career scoring leader in the Charlestown Youth Soccer program with 41 goals.

NICOLE MATSON – Pretty cool that Nicole can look up in the high school gymnasium of her home town and see her name on a banner hanging from the rafters.  Though known locally as a “hoop legend” and community “do-gooder,” few people realize that she stills holds the Division III women’s basketball record for most three pointers made in a game, hitting all eight of her attempts while playing for Emerson College.

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