Sports
Boys volleyball: Granby cruises to 3-0 sweep over Athol (PHOTOS)
By CONNOR PIGNATELLO
GRANBY – Michael Swanigan and Braeden Gallagher had just taken the volleyball net down from another win Wednesday night, but they weren’t ready to pack up the balls just yet.The two went off to the side of the gym and began hitting at each other,...
High schools: Frontier softball holds off Mount Greylock
The Frontier softball team led 9-2 into the fifth inning before Mount Greylock rallied and made things interesting on Wednesday.The visiting Mounties pulled within 9-7 in the sixth before Frontier tacked on a pair of insurance runs and held on for a...
Baseball: Hampshire, South Hadley to ‘get a little taste of what it’s like to be a pro’ at Dunkin’ Park
By GARRETT COTE
On Thursday afternoon, the Hampshire Regional and South Hadley baseball programs will be taking the field against one another for the 25th consecutive year. The two teams are used to battling it out, but the quarter-century edition is special.The...
Belchertown Twirlers capture first place at Northeast Regional Championships
The Belchertown Twirlers competed at the Northeast Regional Championships at Holyoke Community College over the weekend. After finishing in first place at the Massachusetts State Championships back on March 23, Belchertown’s team of seven earned a bid...
UMass basketball: Minutemen nab another transfer in Arizona State forward Akil Watson
By CONNOR PIGNATELLO
Just 24 hours ago, the UMass men’s basketball team hadn’t brought in a single transfer to replace the players who departed the program in the offseason. Now, after Wednesday’s signing of forward Akil Watson from Arizona State, the Minutemen have added...
UMass basketball: Bryant forward Daniel Rivera to be Minutemen’s first transfer of the offseason
By CONNOR PIGNATELLO
Just days after UMass forward Matt Cross announced his transfer to SMU – one of five players to transfer away from the program this offseason – the Minutemen finally added their first piece to the 2024 roster on Tuesday night.Bryant’s Daniel Rivera...
High schools: Ana Growhoski records 100th career hit in Easthampton softball’s win over East Longmeadow
Ana Growhoski tallied her 100th career hit as part of an eight-run first inning that helped the Easthampton softball team to a 9-7 victory over East Longmeadow on the road on Tuesday afternoon.Growhoski went 3-for-5 on the day with three runs and an...
Softball: Willow Hicks, Angela Magyar power Gateway past Amherst 8-1
By CONNOR PIGNATELLO
AMHERST – Gateway second baseman Willow Hicks connected on an 0-2 pitch and drove it deep to left field.She never saw the ball but figured Amherst left fielder Maggie Collins was going to catch it. Instead, the ball flew over Collins’ head and Hicks...
Boys volleyball: Carey twins help power Frontier past Belchertown in straight sets (PHOTOS)
By GARRETT COTE
BELCHERTOWN — Throughout the entire offseason, Frontier senior Aleks Carey worked tirelessly to improve as a middle hitter so he could come back and dominate his position.When the season started, it became evident Carey was one of the best passers on...
Baseball: Smith Academy edged by Logan Moore, Mohawk Trail in 1-0 loss (PHOTOS)
By THOMAS JOHNSTON
BUCKLAND — With the way Mohawk Trail ace Logan Moore was pitching on Tuesday against Smith Academy, the Warrior offense didn’t need to do much at the plate to come away with a victory. Moore had a no-hitter going into the sixth inning, not giving the...
Swayman stops 38 shots, Bruins roll past Panthers 5-1 for 1-0 series lead
By TIM REYNOLDS
Swayman stops 38 shots, Bruins roll past Panthers 5-1 for 1-0 series leadEds: UPDATES: Updates Media.SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Jeremy Swayman stopped 38 shots, Brandon Carlo scored a goal just a few hours after his wife gave birth to their son and the...
High schools: Belchertown lacrosse seniors Paige Magner and Maddy LePage celebrate milestones
Belchertown girls lacrosse senior captains Paige Magner and Maddy LePage combined for 19 points and both celebrated career milestones in a 19-10 home win over Wahconah on Monday.Magner scored seven times and celebrated her 100th career goal. She also...
Track & field: Northampton, Amherst split final dual meets of the season (PHOTOS)
By GARRETT COTE
NORTHAMPTON — Regardless of the sport, it always means more when Northampton and Amherst meet up for the ‘Battle of the Bridge.’The two schools were busy again on Monday afternoon, as the Blue Devils and Hurricanes’ track and field teams met in the...
Girls lacrosse: Northampton rallies from 5-goal deficit to knock off Amherst 12-11
By CONNOR PIGNATELLO
AMHERST – The Northampton girls lacrosse team hadn’t been in a game like this all year. They hadn’t faced Amherst in three seasons.But despite two separate five-goal deficits early in the second half, the Blue Devils came all the way back to beat the...
Amherst Invitational: Northampton girls ultimate capture tournament title in impressive fashion
By GARRETT COTE
AMHERST — It was a weekend that will forever be remembered in the Northampton High School girls varsity ultimate program, as the Blue Devils made history via a dominant tournament showing.Northampton entered this past weekend’s Amherst Invitational at...
Local briefs: Northampton Post 28 American Legion tryouts this weekend
The Northampton American Legion baseball team (19U) will be holding tryouts on Sunday, May 12 from 10 a.m. until noon, and then again on Sunday, May 26 from 9-11 a.m.Tryouts will be held at Arcanum Field in Florence. For more information email Mike...
UMass basketball: Minutemen officially in 2024 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase with Providence, Boston College and Temple
By GARRETT COTE
The news is officially official: the UMass men’s basketball program will be part of the four-team field in the 2024 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase, the Hall announced on Monday.Joining the Minutemen is two other prestigious New England...
Fit to Play with Jim Johnson: Why Pickleball?
Some suggest that pickleball is a fad but I believe it is here to stay. After all, some reports indicate that 36 million people played pickleball last year compared to around 24 million tennis players. Parks departments are inundated with requests to...
UMass lacrosse: Minutewomen edged by Richmond 14-13 in Atlantic 10 women’s title game
For the second year in a row, the Richmond women’s lacrosse team had UMass’ number in the Atlantic 10 championship game.Alexis Morton scored the game-winning goal for the Spiders with 3 minutes, 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to lift No. 2...
UMass basketball: Matt Cross announces he’s transferring to SMU for final year of eligibility
By GARRETT COTE
AMHERST — The decision every UMass men’s basketball fan has been waiting for was finally made late Saturday night.Minutemen star and First Team All-Atlantic 10 forward Matt Cross – the backbone of UMass’ team for the past two seasons – has committed...
