Sports

Local Roundup: Bellows Falls bests Poultney in five

Staff Report
WESTMINSTER, Vt. — The Poultney softball team fell to a strong Bellows Falls club 15-2 Tuesday afternoon.

The Terriers have gotten Bellows Falls excited about softball again, getting off to a 2-0 start and outscoring the opposition 44-6.

Grace Wilkinson went 4-for-4 for the Terriers, driving in two runs. Izzy Stoodley struck out eight and gave up two hits in five innings of work.

Poultney (2-2) has a rematch with undefeated West Rutland on Tuesday.

WOMEN’S LACROSSEKeene 15, Castleton 2

CASTLETON, Vt. — The Castleton University women’s lacrosse team slowed the Keene State offense for a majority of the first half, but Keene was able to crack the code, downing the Spartans 15-2 in Little East Conference action at Dave Wolk Stadium.

Castleton (1-11, 0-4 LEC) held the Owls (3-9, 2-2 LEC) to just three goals in the opening quarter, but Keene added five more in the second to begin to pull away.

Kimberly McCarthy scored both Spartan goals, while Raven Payne tied a career-high save total for the second time this season. Payne finished the night with 19 stops in addition to two caused turnovers.

McCarthy had four ground balls, three draw controls and three caused turnovers. Tien Connor had an assist for Castleton, while Lacey Greenamyre added three ground balls, three draw controls and two caused turnovers.

For Keene, Haile Ratajack racked up eight goals and an assist, while Burr and Burton Academy alumna Hannah Dworkin assisted on seven goals—all from the stick of Ratajack.

Dworkin was going up against her high school coach at BBA, Jamie Blake, the current Castleton women’s coach.

Chase Gengras had two goals and an assist for a three-point night. Ratajack also had seven ground balls and eight caused turnovers, followed by Mindy St. Marie with five caused turnovers and four ground balls. Haley Terva made four saves in the win in goal.

Castleton is back in action for its final home game of the season Saturday at 1 p.m. against Rhode Island College.

Earley honoredMIDDLEBURY, Vt. — Middlebury College women’s lacrosse’s Jane Earley, from North Falmouth, Massachusetts, was tabbed the NESCAC Player of the Week for the second time this season.

Earley led all players with seven points in an impressive 13-5 victory over #4 Colby, helping the Panthers extend their win streak to 38-consecutive victories and 20-straight triumphs on Kohn Field.

She tallied a career-high six goals to go along with one assist, as Middlebury snapped the Mules’ 10-game winning streak and handed Colby its first conference loss of the year. Earley leads the NESCAC in points (56) and goals (46). A few weeks back, Earley eclipsed the 100 career-points mark (141) and the 100 career-goals milestone (108).

Earley and the rest of the Panthers take over sole possession of the top spot in the conference standings. With the win on Saturday, the squad recorded Middlebury’s 65th-straight win for a women’s stick sport team, a streak dating back to February 2020.

Earley and the rest of the Panthers hit the road for their final two regular-season contests, traveling to 19th-ranked Amherst on Saturday for a 2 p.m. start.

Vasile tabbedBOSTON — University of Vermont women’s lacrosse midfielder Ava Vasile has been named America East Offensive Player of the Week, following a career-high six goals in Saturday’s win at New Hampshire. The conference announced its weekly awards on Monday afternoon.

Vasile’s six-goal outing came on four free-position tallies and a career-best nine shots on goal. The junior also added an assist to match a career-high seven points for the second consecutive game. Vasile also came down with seven draw controls in the 14-12 victory over the Wildcats.

The Milford, Massachusetts native has a team-high 56 points (42 goals, 14 assists) in 12 games played this season. Vasile ranks third in America East in goals per game (3.50) and points per game (4.67). The junior leads the league and ranks sixth in the country in free-position goals per game (1.25).

With the victory, the Catamounts clinched an America East Playoff berth for the second straight season. Vermont is one of only two teams in the league to clinch a spot in the postseason.

The Cats also became just the third team in program history to reach the 10-win mark in a single season.

Vasile and the Catamounts return to action on Wednesday (Apr. 20) when they visit Dartmouth in Hanover, N.H. The opening draw is set for 6 p.m. at Scully-Fahey Field and will broadcast live on ESPN+, as well as NESN+ for viewers in the region.

[email protected]

adam.aucoin @rutlandherald.com

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