Season-Ending Heartbreak: Belmont Baseball Falls in 10 to Braintree

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Photo: Belmont High Baseball 

Ugh!

It appeared that eight-seed Belmont High Baseball would finally do what no team could in the past two years; knock out two-time defending champions Braintree High School from the Super Eight baseball tournament.

Leading 4-1 entering the bottom of the ninth, Belmont took the field having just scored a pair of what appeared to be insurance runs and surviving a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the eighth and now were three outs away from the monumental upset.

But a one-out three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning by Braintree’s centerfielder Jackson Duffy off Belmont reliever/catcher Cal Christofori tied the score at 4. 

And a single off Belmont’s righthander Max Meier by third base/reliever Brennan Quigley brought home catcher Alex Kennedy in the bottom of the 10th saw Braintree walk off with a dramatic 5-4 victory at Brockton’s Campanelli Stadium Wednesday night, June 7.

Before the ninth inning, everything appeared to have fallen into place for the Marauders to upend the Division 1 powerhouse. Just as it had done in the first game of the double-elimination playoffs for the elite eight baseball teams in the state against number 1 ranked St. John’s of Shrewsbury, Belmont kept the game close into the late innings against the Wamps.

For the second straight game, Belmont’s junior southpaw Nate Espelin started and kept the Marauders in the game through five innings. Espelin got out of tight spots in the first – bases loaded with one out – and second innings with a pair of strikeouts in each frame.

Braintree finally caught up to Espelin in the third on a sacrifice fly to grab a 1-0 lead.

Braintree’s pitcher Jack Andrews needed some good fielding plays to keep the game scoreless for the Marauders.

Espelin left the game with one out in the fifth with a man on second, giving the ball to his fellow junior Meier so escaped a bases-loaded predicament in the sixth. Belmont’s best shot at scoring came in the top of the 7th with Meier and Ryan Noone on second and third with one out. But Andrews got a strikeout and a ground out to end the threat.

Tailing 1-0 in the top of the eighth inning, Belmont finally broke into the scoring column. Left fielder Connor Dacey singled, shortstop Steve Rizzuto sacrificed, and Christofori earned a walk. 

After cleanup batter first base Dennis Crowley drew a free pass, an exhausted Andrews left to be replaced by Quigley who got Meier to strikeout after 11 pitches.

Controversy soon erupted when pitch hitter Noah Riley was hit by a pitch, sending Dacey home. The Wamps players and coaches felt that Riley leaned into the pitch, but to no avail. Then an error by Braintree third base saw Christofori waltz in to give Belmont a 2-1 lead.

But Braintree nearly scored in the bottom of the inning as Meier hit two batters and walked the third. In came Christofori who struck out a pair and saw Kennedy hit a deep drive that sent right fielder Paul Ramsey to the wall for the third out. 

And when Crowley and Meier stroke back-to-back RBI singles in the top of the ninth, Belmont had a three-run lead, 4-1, ending the last of the 9th. 

But a dream season which saw Belmont come from behind to take its first Middlesex League title in more than a quarter century and be selected to participate in the top playoff tournament in the state came to an end sooner than anyone wanted it.

Belmont High Baseball Battles #1 St. John’s (S) Before Falling 3-1

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 Photo: Steve Rizzuto scoring Belmont’s lone run in a 3-1 defeat by number one St. John’s of Shrewsbury. 

The Boston Herald’s Danny Ventura‏, the region’s most prominent writer of high school sports, tweeted this week that it was “Too bad Belmont [Baseball] had to play the top-seed [St. John’s Shrewsbury in the first round of the MIAA Super Eight baseball playoffs], they should not have been the eighth seed in the first place.”
 
On Thursday, Belmont High Baseball proved Ventura correct when the Marauders kept the state’s consensus number 1 team in check for nearly the entire game, coming up just short in a 3-1 loss in the opening game of the elite eight tournament held in Shrewsbury, Thursday, June 1.
 
“It was a great game,” said Belmont’s Head Coach Jim Brown. “We knew it would be close; they had their D1 (Division 1 college prospect Ian Seymour), and we had our best [southpaw Nate Espelin] going. While [Espelin] was little shaky in the first inning, he settled down and [junior righthander Max Meier] closed out a strong game pitching.”
 
The nine-inning game (as opposed to the seven innings played during the regular high school season) was a tight affair. Espelin got the first two batters out in the first but three singles on top of a hit batsman resulted in two runs (RBIs to St. John’s’ Tom Mochella and Jack Fields) crossing the plate.
 
But if the Pioneers were expecting to walk over the eight seed, they would end up disappointed as Espelin, and Belmont found its bearings and kept the game within two through the middle innings. 
 
While the Marauders did make contact with some hard hit balls as second base Steve Rizzuto – going 2-4 as he continues with the hot late season bat – got to  Seymour in the first for a single while leadoff batter left fielder Connor Dacey flew deep to right, Belmont would have to wait to get their next two hits; in the fourth, a senior catcher Cal Christofori single (that was whipped out on a double play) and the fifth on a two-out single from designated hitter Ryan Noone.

“We just didn’t get enough timely hits when we needed them. But we swung a good bat and played great defense,” said Brown, noting the play from senior center fielder Bryan Goodwin who expertly handled the wide open range of the field’s outfield as its nearly 400 feet to the deep center field fence.

Belmont finally took the measure of Seymour in the top of the 6th as Rizzuto scored from first on a monster one-out gap double to deep center field by Christofori (2-4 in the game) who is batting a spectacular .750 in his last five games, cutting the deficit to 2-1.

But the Pioneers rallied in the bottom frame, scoring on a single, a walk and then a one-out single from right fielder Bailey Mikule to give the home squad a two-run cushion and to end Espelin’s standout performance with three strikeouts while giving three earned runs on seven singles. Meier finished the game with two scoreless innings striking out four of the seven batters he faced.

Seymour (eight strikeouts, one earned run on five hits) got out of his final jam in the eighth as he struck out Christofori for the final out with Rizzuto on first.

Next up for Belmont is a losers bracket game vs. Braintree which has been pushed back from Monday to Thursday due to the rainy weather. The game is now scheduled at Campanelli Stadium in Brockton, home of the Brockton Rox of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League of New England, on Thursday, June 8 at 7 p.m. The stadium’s address is 700 Belmont St. (easy to remember).

Braintree is the two-time defending state champion that narrowly lost to Boston College High, 3-2, in its opening round game.

“Anyone you play in this tournament is going to be great. [Braintree] could have their number one pitcher come back so we get a scouting report on them and get ready,” said Brown.

Krafian Adds Hurdle Crown at All State; Perkins PRs in 400 for 2nd [VIDEO]

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Photo: Belmont’s Anoush Krafian out leans Plymouth North’s Madelyn Sessler to win the 100 meters hurdles state championship.

Back in February, Belmont High School’s track star Anoush Krafian was nipped at the line of the 55-meter hurdles in the Division 3 state championships, beaten by Hopkinton High’s Caitlyn Halloran by one-one hundredth of a second.

“I got beat on the lean,” said Krafian.

Fast forward to Saturday, June 3, at the Massachusetts All-State Championships at Bridgewater State University and once again, Krafian found herself involved in a race where the margin between winning and finishing second would be by the tightest difference.

 

But this time, it was Krafian who ran away with the victory.

In the most dynamic race of the meet, Krafian ran down defending champion Plymouth South senior Madelyn Sessler over the final three hurdles to capture the state title by, yes, one-one hundredth of a second, 14.64 seconds to 14.65.

“The second half of my race is always better than my first,” said Krafian. And it had to be as the Belmont trackster trailed Sessler by more than a step midway through the race. In the event that combines sprinter speed with the technical ability to smoothly clear ten hurdles, making up any deficit increases the likelihood of a loss of form that results in slamming into the hurdles.

But Krafian kept her cool and squeezed by Sessler for the narrowest of victories, ending a day where she twice smashed her own personal best (and school record) of 14.95 by nearly a third of a second, having run a PR of 14.87 in the qualifying round.

“I didn’t panic because I knew I could catch her,” she said. “I turned it on at the end.”

Krafian’s hurdle title was her second of the All-State meet, as she won the five-event pentathlon on Thursday.

Krafian’s time qualified to compete in the six-state 72nd Annual New England Interscholastic Outdoor Track & Field Championship this Saturday, June 10, at Norwell High School where she will be joined by her Belmont teammate Calvin Perkins. The junior took a half second off his personal best in the 400 meters dipping below 49 seconds to take second in 48.65 behind defending New England champion Rodney Agyare-May of Burncoat High of Worcester who strode home in 48.34.

The junior took a half second off his personal best in the 400 meters dipping below 49 seconds to take second in 48.65 behind defending New England champion Rodney Agyare-May of Burncoat High of Worcester who strode home in 48.34.

“Maybe next year,” said Perkins. “It was a good race.” 

At the New Englands Krafian will compete against meet favorite senior Bridget Charavalle of Danbury, Conn. (who has committed to run for Boston University) who ran a season’s best 14.23 at the Connecticut state championships over the weekend. Perkins will again be up against Agyare-May along with favorite Manchester, Conn. junior Jevin Frett who has a personal best of 48.08.

Belmont relay quartets came to the All-State meet to battle in the passing zones and crowded starts with the Girls’ 4×400 crossed the line in 9th in 4 minutes 4.39 seconds; the Girls’ 4×800 in 23rd in 10:00.20; the Boys’ 4×800 in 8:14.78 for (once again) 23rd and the Boys’ 4×400 in 3:27.26 for 13th.

BHS PAC’s ‘Chicago’ Nominated for Best High School Production

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Photo: One of the best show’s this year; BHS PAC’s “Chicago”

Belmont High’s Performing Arts Company’s production of the musical “Chicago” has been nominated as one of the top show produced by a high school this year.

Wednesday, May 31, the Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild announced nominations for its annual Musical Theater Awards and Chicago was nominated in several categories including:

  • Best Lighting Design and Execution
  • Best Stage Management
  • Best Student Orchestra
  • Best Dance Ensemble
  • Best Specialty Ensemble: The Featured Dancers
  • Best Featured Actress: Miriam Cubstead at Hunyak
  • Best Overall Production

“A huge congratulation goes first and foremost to the entire student cast and crew of the show,” said Ezra Flam, the high school’s Theater Specialist, and “Chicago”‘s Producer/Director

“As the Best Overall Production nomination indicates, every element of our show was strong, not just those that were nominated. It’s a testament to the hard work of all of our students who put so much of their time, energy and passion into the show,” he said.

Forty-eight high schools across the state submitted productions for consideration this year.  Each production was seen by three adjudicators who scored the shows in some categories.  In each category, the five or six highest scoring productions/individuals were nominated for their work, and five shows were selected by a panel as nominees for “Best Overall Production.”

Flam also congratulated and thanked the adults “whose contributions to the show and worked with the PAC is an essential part of what we do” including Allie Lutkevich, Vocal Director;  JennyLifson, Choreographer; Paul Ketchen, Pit Band Director; Chris Fournier, Lighting Designer;  Anna Moss, Scenic Designer; Ian O’Malley, Technical Director; and Lila West, costume designer.

“More than the public recognition, I am proud of the show and of the work of the Performing Arts Company as a whole.  I am lucky to work every day with a wonderful group of students and colleagues,” said Flam.

The MET Award Ceremony will be held June 24 at the Cutler Majestic Theater in Boston. All the nominees are recognized, with an award presented to the top scoring school in each category.

Sweet! Krafian Crowned State Champion Winning All-State Pentathlon

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Photo: Anoush Krafian.

Her first name means “sweet” in Armenian and in the state finals of the multi-event pentathlon held Thursday, June 1, Belmont High junior track star Anoush Krafian strung together a quintet of top-flight results that produced the sweetest of outcomes, a Massachusetts state championship.

At Bridgewater State University, the long-time standout track performer – she still co-holds the state middle school high jump record – beat her rivals and destroying the previous five-event top mark set last year by a whopping 215 points as she posted 3,243 points. Fellow Junior Natalie Marshall of Newton North (3,195 points) and Tewksbury High Senior Lauren Polimeno (3,184) finished second and third while the defending champion, Hopkinton junior Caitlyn Halloran, came in fourth.

Krafian’s total is the fifth-best mark set by a high school athlete in the US so far this outdoor season.

The 11th-grader was leading the competition after four events with the championship on the line with Krafian facing her most challenging event, the 800 meters. Tewksbury’s Polimeno and Halloran of Hopkinton (who defeated Krafian in the Division 3 championships last week) were expected to complete the race in about 2 minutes and 20 seconds, more than 18 seconds in front of the Belmont track star’s best time of 2:38.37 set last week, a gap that could have seen Krafian fall from first to third – or worse.

But Krafian came through spectacularly, setting a new personal record by eight seconds, 2:30.07, negating Polimeno (2:19.96) and Halloran (2:20.60) own best times over the distance. 

In addition to the 800, Krafian also achieved her best marks in the shot put (26 feet 5.5-inches), and high jumped over five feet (5-feet, 3.25 inches) while long jumping 16 feet, 5.75 inches.

Krafian started the day in her best event, the 100-meter hurdles, finishing first in 15.04 second, obliterating the old mark by nearly a full second while garnering 836 points, the highest individual event total by any athlete on Thursday.

Krafian will be seeking more state championships this weekend. On Saturday, she will return to Bridgewater to compete in the individual long jump and the 100 hurdles where she is a co-favorite with senior Madelyn Sessler of Plymouth South and Kristen Hohenstein of Chelmsford. 

BHS Principal Pens Explanation Of Friday’s Student Protest

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Photo: Principal Dr. Dan Richards with Barbara Joseph. BHS student organizer.

[Editor’s note: Below is a letter sent to students, parents and staff from Belmont High School Principal Dr. Dan Richards concerning the protest rally and march by students on Friday, May 29.]

Dear Belmont Students, Parents, Guardians, Faculty, and Staff,

I am writing to inform you and provide clarity about the student march on Friday, May 26, 2017 around the pond at Belmont High School.

At 7:00am on May 26, one of our students brought to my attention that a racial comment was posted the night before on Snapchat by a student who does not attend Belmont High School. The post was discovered by a Belmont High School student who forwarded it to our school’s Black in Belmont student group, which mainly consists of African-American/Black students.

I then met with students representing Black in Belmont to gain a better understanding of the situation. They explained the details of the incident and shared with me the Snapchat post. Throughout the course of the discussion, the students shared their feelings about the incident and the need to continue the conversation with the school administration and other staff members to help process the situation and discuss how best to respond to it.

Throughout the better part of the day, the Belmont High School administrative team and a group of teachers met with students to process the incident and to strategize short and long-term proactive solutions. Together, we agreed that a clear message of solidarity was needed. The message should clearly show unity and that derogatory messages and/or behavior of this nature are not tolerated by the Belmont High School community. After much discussion, a voluntary student, faculty, staff, and community march around the pond was planned for that afternoon.

At 1:30 pm, members of the student body, faculty, staff, representatives of Belmont Against Racism and the Belmont Police Department gathered at the front of the school to hear an inspirational speech by a student member of the Black in Belmont group. The group walked in peaceful solidarity around the pond chanting slogans of unity. The march concluded at approximately 2:00 pm back at the school.

I am proud of our faculty, staff, community members, and especially our students who chose to react to a hateful and hurtful situation in a peaceful and productive manner. Their decision to come together and support our African-American/Black students by marching together with one voice, is a symbol of our strength, values, and steadfast commitment to equality. 

I am continuously impressed with the maturity, emotional strength, and positive spirit with which our students respond to such incidents which can only serve to undermine the inclusive culture at Belmont High School. We remain committed to the important work that lies ahead of us to ensure that everyone is a welcomed, respected, and valued member of the Belmont High School community.

Daniel E. Richards

Principal

Belmont Students Protest Racial Slur On Social Media [Video]

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Photo: Campaigners marching around Clay Pit Pond

A racial slur on a Snapchat account by a Belmont High School student that was forwarded by a third party to fellow students resulted in a protest rally and march around Clay Pit Pond at the high school Friday afternoon, May 26, which saw nearly 90 percent of the student body and many teachers and staff take part.

Organized by a group of students led by junior Barbara Joseph, the action according to Joseph and the school administration was directed at the overall climate of racial discourse occuring locally and nationally.

“We are not looking to have the [student] to be punished. He’s affected by society on what he did,” said Joseph. “We are here to say that this is a bigger issue than just one [social media] post. It’s about changing our [view] on what is acceptable.” 

Belmont High Principal Dr. Dan Richards said he met with a group of students early Friday to discuss their concerns and help devise both a short and long term actions that would both bring awareness of issues of race that is effecting students to the greater school community. The march would be the first step in bringing forward a dialouge on the issues, said Richards.

“I support what these students are doing 100 percent because its a message that we need to discuss,” said Richards.

 

Belmont Baseball Host Reading Wed. With Winner Taking League Pennant

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Photo: Belmont Marauders

It’s all on the line as Belmont High Baseball hosts Reading Memorial High this afternoon, Wednesday, May 24, in what is a one-game, winner takes all contest that will determine the champions of the Middlesex League Liberty Division.

Today’s dramatic finale to the 2017 league season saw Belmont receive a huge break on Tuesday, May 23, from a squad scrambling for its playoff life. Needing to win its remaining games to earn a playoff berth, the below .500 Winchester High Sachems nipped Reading, 4-3, to drop the Rockets’ record to 15-3 and 12-3 in league play.

Belmont was standing at 12-3 in the league as they defeated non-league Arlington Catholic, 5-0, on Tuesday, behind senior reliever Zach Colleran’s first career start. The righty spun a masterful performance on the mound, mixing his fastball with a changeup to go six shutout innings, giving up a pair of hits and earning three Ks. 

“I knew I wasn’t going to blow anyone away so I threw pitches that they couldn’t make solid contact,” said Colleran, who earned the win. Junior starter Max Meier got an inning of work in pitching a 1, 2, 3 7th.  

Colleran was helped by outstanding plays in the field including from shortstop Steve Rizzuto who dove to snag a grounder heading up the middle, throwing out the runner by half-a-step at first to end the sixth. 

Belmont cobbled together 3 runs in the second with Colleran helping himself with a RBI single followed by a sacrifice from first base Dennis Crowley and a RBI knock by senior catcher and captain Cal Christofori. 

Crowley scored in the 4th after ripping a double into right, stole third and scored on a fielder’s choice from Colleran. 

Junior pinch hitter Andrew Mazzone took a first pitch fastball 322 feet over the right field fence to add the final run of the game in the fifth. 

Wednesday’s game (start time 3:45 p.m.) at “The Grant” in Belmont will see not just attempt to grab its first league pennant in more than a decade against the defending champion but also giving the Marauders the opportunity to avenge a 1-0 extra inning loss earlier this month to the Rockets.

Belmont will throw its ace, junior Nate Espelin (5-1), to start. Espelin is coming off a 15 strikeout effort against Lexington and will face the team that defeated him this season. 

Red, Bright and Cool: Belmont High’s PreProm Promenade 2017 [270 Photos]

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Photo: Red twirl.

Stunning prints, flowing gowns and lots of red. Traditional ties vs. the bow variety, muted-color suits and high-polished dress shoes. 

But also tights over a suit coat, jackets of all patterns and texture, and casual footwear. 

The annual Promenade that preceded the Belmont High School Senior/Junior Prom on Friday, May 19, was once again a spectacle of fancy dress wear that ranged from the classic – the black tux and Empress cut party gown – to the slightly daring (high-cut dresses) and those who took an original track on what to wear that evening.

Each couple, group or individual who crossed the Belmont High School auditorium’s stage was greeted with applause from the packed house as the students headed to Principal Dan Richards who assumed his traditional station at the stairs to assist anyone needing a hand.

[Editor: Sorry if I missed anyone in the photos. If you would like a jpg of one of the shots from this past Friday, just send an email to editor@belmontonian.com]

Belmont Girls’ Rugby Will Play in First-Ever State Championship Game

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Photo: Belmont’s Girls’ Rugby Head Coach Kate McCabe.

It’s official: the Belmont High School Girls’ Rugby squad play for the first-ever High School state title after going undefeated through rugby’s inaugural season as a varsity sport in Massachusetts.

The 3-0-1 Marauders will take on Algonquin Regional High School (2-1-1) in the next two weeks at a neutral site, according to Jim Davis, Belmont’s athletic director who sits on the sport’s governing board for the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association which oversees high school athletics.

“The girls’ set the goals at the beginning of the season,” said Belmont’s Head Coach Kate McCabe, who started the squad three years ago with a handful of girls, many who are still playing.  

“[The coaches] asked them what they wanted to do and they said we better make state championship. And they came out for each game ready to play,” said McCabe, who is a social studies teacher at the school.

Belmont and Algonquin – which won the state championship as a club side in 2014 and 2015 – drew 12-12 at Harris Field (in front of more than 100 spectators) in early May before Belmont scored four tries in the second half against the host T-Hawks to win 20-5 last week.

Belmont twice defeated the only other team to put out a varsity squad, Lincoln-Sudbury, 35-0 and 10-5.

McCabe, who started for four years at Boston University and was on the Boston Women’s Rugby Club before entering coaching, said she’s not just proud of her team for making the state final, “I’m also really proud for women’s rugby. It’s the first year under the MIAA … for both boys and girls and to see so many people come out to support us is very impressive.”

“We say at the end of practice and games, it’s not perfect, we make mistakes. We just asked them to come out and play rugby, and play for each other which they have every time they took the pitch,” said McCabe.