BOYS’ TENNIS
Beacon entered the season unsure of what to expect, according to Coach David Ryley, but the Bulldogs showed strength except for some early, close losses to larger schools such as Monroe-Woodbury and Middletown.
Beacon seniors Danny Barry and Scott Bunker were honored at Tuesday’s match.
A breakthrough occurred April 18, when the Bulldogs upset Section IX tennis power Newburgh Free Academy. Knotted at 3-3, the match came down to first doubles, where Scott Bunker and Charlie Klein prevailed in a hard-fought, three-set battle.
“That Newburgh win put us on the map,” said Ryley. “Teams started to pay a lot more attention to us after that.”
The Bulldogs rattled off four straight wins in league play, defeating Liberty/Monticello (7-0), Minisink Valley (6-1), Valley Central (5-2) and Washingtonville (4-3), the latter clinched on a three-set win at third singles from sophomore Beckett Anderson.
“Beckett did an excellent job of regrouping in the third set, and showed great resiliency even after needing six match points to close out the match,” Ryley said.
The boys fell to undefeated Cornwall and dropped a 4-3 match to Goshen.
On Tuesday (May 9), Beacon celebrated Senior Day with a 7-0 win over Minisink Valley. Before the match, Danny Barry and Bunker were honored. “Danny and Scott have been a great asset to the program during their careers,” the coach said. “They’re both great role models with their strong work ethic and unselfish attitude.”
Beacon (10-5) closed out its season on Thursday (May 11) against Lourdes. The team will send five players — Matthew Sandison, Frank Zezza, Barry, Bunker and Klein — to the Orange County tournament next week.
“I’m very proud of the season the boys have put together,” said Ryley. “They outperformed expectations, and it’s all due to hard work and team camaraderie.”
BASEBALL
Beacon continued to play well last week, picking up a 15-4 victory at Marlboro on May 6 and winning at Goshen, 6-2, on Tuesday (May 9) to bounce back from a 2-1 loss at Cornwall on May 5.
Against Goshen, Derrick Heaton threw six innings without allowing an earned run, striking out seven. Ryan Landisi pitched a clean seventh, and Liam Murphy, Jackson Atwell, Joey Vollaro and Heaton each drove in a run.
“Heaton was awesome,” said Coach Bob Atwell. “We had six different kids with hits, and the guys played well against a pitcher who shut us out two weeks ago.”
Julian Brown earned the victory against Marlboro with four innings of two-hit, shutout ball. Mikey Fontaine led the offense, going 3 for 5 with a pair of doubles and four RBIs. Vollaro was 2 for 2 with three walks and two RBIs, Heaton was 2 for 5 with a double and RBI and Ronnie Anzovino went 2 for 2 with a double and two RBIs.
Beacon (12-4) was scheduled to host Port Jervis on Thursday and Chester Academy today (May 12) at 7 p.m. at Heritage Financial Park (Dutchess Stadium), where it will honor its seniors, Vollaro, Brown and Mateo Alvarado, and the 1998 team, which won a regional title. The Bulldogs travel to Minisink Valley on Monday (May 15) before hosting Monroe-Woodbury at 4 p.m. on Wednesday in the final game before the playoffs.
Haldane and Putnam Valley ended their May 5 game in a 2-2 tie after 5½ innings because of rain. On the mound, Hunter Erickson allowed one earned run on three hits with six strikeouts. John Kisslinger and Jeremy Hall had RBIs.
On Tuesday (May 9), the Blue Devils fell, 11-5, at North Salem after leading 4-1.
“We shot ourselves in the foot with errors and let them run away with the game,” said Coach Simon Dudar. “We’ve been playing good baseball, despite our record over the last stretch of the season. We have some kinks to work out this week before the playoffs.”
No. 4 Haldane (7-10-1) will face No. 1 Leffell (9-5) in the first round in a best-of-three Section I, Class C series that starts at Leffell on Monday (May 15), comes to Cold Spring at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday and returns to Leffell on Saturday, if necessary.
GOLF
Sophomore Mackenzie Phillips tees up for the Beacon girls’ golf team, which finished its season Wednesday with a win over Lourdes.
The Beacon boys defeated Port Jervis, 233-278, on May 2 at the Southern Dutchess Country Club. Will Martin shot a 40, followed by Jack Philipbar (43) and Jamison Sheehy (45), as the Bulldogs recorded their best team score of the season.
On May 4, Beacon (237) defeated Burke Catholic of Goshen (265) and O’Neill (291) in a match at West Point. Martin and Philipbar each shot 42. After starting 0-4, Beacon has won six straight to improve to 6-4.
The Beacon girls defeated Lourdes in Poughkeepsie on Wednesday (May 10) by two strokes to finish 7-7 on the season. “It was a team effort as two newbies and two veteran players worked their way around the course,” said Coach JeanMarie Jacques.
SOFTBALL
Beacon defeated Burke Catholic, 11-1, on Monday (May 8) on Senior Night for its third win of the season. The Bulldogs hosted Cornwall on Thursday and travel to Lourdes today (May 12) and Monticello tomorrow before closing their season by hosting Wallkill at 4:30 p.m. on Monday (May 15).
The Putnam Valley/Haldane softball team defeated Westlake, 4-1, on Monday, with senior Mary Mikalsen picking up an RBI and sophomore Callie Sniffen bashing a two-run, sixth-inning homer. Two days earlier, the team defeated Croton, 10-4, with Sniffen going 2 for 3 with a three-run shot.
Putnam Valley/Haldane (13-5) is expected to receive the No. 6 seed in the Section 1, Class B tournament and face No. 11 Croton-Harmon.
GIRLS’ LACROSSE
Haldane had three wins last week to improve to 10-6.
On May 5, the Blue Devils defeated Dobbs Ferry, 15-12, at home. Mairead O’Hara had four goals, Kayla Ruggiero added a hat trick and Sami Thomas, Ellen O’Hara and Caroline Nelson each scored twice.
The next day, Haldane topped Keio, 18-4, at home, behind a balanced attack: Ruggiero and Anna-Catherine Nelson each had a hat trick, while Helen Nicholls, Carmela Cofini, Ellen O’Hara and Martha McBride each scored twice.
On Tuesday (May 9), the team defeated Tuckahoe, 13-8, at home behind Ruggiero’s six goals and three assists. Cofini and Thomas each had two goals and Caroline Nelson, Amanda Johanson and Ellen O’Hara each scored one. Lola Mahoney recorded six saves in net.
The Blue Devils are expected to receive the No. 7 seed in the Section I, Class D tournament that begins May 16 and host No. 10 Westlake.
