Although it was a close match on Monday, the fifth-seeded Marblehead boys tennis team couldn’t get it done against a talented No. 12 Hopkinton side. The final favored the visitors, 3-2, in the Division 2 state tournament.
The Magicians’ wins came from first and second singles. Mika Garber beat Joe Krattenmaker 6-0, 6-3. Garber, who’s played first singles since he was a freshman, closed his Marblehead career with an emphatic victory. In second singles, Etan Farfel beat junior Rishit Shekhar 6-3, 6-3.
Despite the loss, head coach Elisabeth Foukal was proud of her team.
“I am so proud of how our boys competed and played with excellent sportsmanship; at one point the ball bounced on a dead spot and our first doubles team offered to replay the point,” Foukal said. “This is what tennis is all about.”
BOYS TENNIS
Marblehead 4
Reading 1
It was a happy Saturday for the fifth-seeded Magicians, however, who cruised by No. 28 Reading in D2 action. Garber and Farfel took care of their singles matches, followed by doubles wins from the duos of Jayden Janock-Leo Winocour and Austin Bacon-Ty Cooper.
St. John’s Prep 4
Belmont 1
Sunny and 72 degrees – not bad. Also not bad, Prep’s performance on Tuesday.
The top-ranked Eagles took care of No. 16 Belmont, 4-1, behind three singles wins from John DeAngelis, Jack Prokopis, and Luke Free, respectively. Add a doubles victory from Mark McDuffee and Alex Melville, and you’ve got yourself a Round of 8 matchup against No. 8 Acton-Boxborough (Thursday at 4 p.m.).
BASEBALL
Westwood 9
Marblehead 3
No. 24 Marblehead faced a tough task as No. 9 Westwood hosted the Saturday afternoon matchup in D2 action. The Magicians were tripled up, 9-3, bringing an end to their season.
Chris Cannuscio went 5.1 innings for Marblehead, striking out two. Cannuscio, Charlie Sachs, and Riley Schmitt registered Marblehead’s only hits, while Stefan Shepard added an RBI.
St. John’s Prep 5
Catholic Memorial 2
St. John’s Prep, welcome to the Round of 8.
In Tuesday’s Division 1 action, the No. 7 Eagles flew by No. 10 Catholic Memorial, 5-2, behind a versatile offensive attack. Aidan Driscoll and Jack Growney delivered with two hits and an RBI apiece. They were followed by Nicolas Lembo (RBI single), John Tighe (RBI single), Christian Rosa (single), Cam LaGrassa (single), and Gavin Gold (RBI sac-fly).
The Prep visits No. 2 Saint John’s this Thursday with first pitch slated for 4 p.m.
BOYS LACROSSE
Bridgewater-Raynham 11
Marblehead 10
No. 20 Marblehead entered Sunday’s matchup seven spots behind No. 13 Bridgewater-Raynham, but that didn’t stop the Magicians from making the game a good one. In the end, however, Marblehead’s season came to an end with an 11-10 heartbreaker in overtime despite a hat trick from Cam Waldman.
SOFTBALL
Marblehead 5
Nashoba 1
The No. 9 Marblehead softball team made its way to an enemy diamond for the first time in the Division 2 state tournament, defeating No. 8 Nashoba, 5-1, to keep its story going.
Tessa Francis (10 K, 1 R, 4 H) played well in the circle, helping her own cause with a second-inning home run and a single in the third.
The Magicians took a 1-0 lead in the opening inning. Luka Bornhorst walked and was sacrificed to second by Isabel Mortensen. From there, Hailey Schmitt brought Bornhorst home with a base hit.
After Francis’ shot, Marblehead racked up three more runs in the third to put the pressure on. Tessa Andriano and Ruby Calienes each connected on hits in the inning.
“Defensively, Andriano pulled off an unassisted double play,” said Marblehead coach Johnny Gold. “Schmitt was outstanding at shortstop, as was Bornhorst behind the plate, as well as great first base play by Lyla McGovern… last out by left fielder Sophia Hallisey on a running catch in foul territory.”
Gold’s Magicians visit top-ranked Silver Lake Regional at 4 p.m. on Friday.
GIRLS TENNIS
Marblehead 3
Melrose 2
In a “highly-competitive match,” as said by Marblehead coach Tracy Ackerman, her No. 15 Magicians escaped No. 18 Melrose on their home courts. Samara Dosch won her singles match, while the duos of Aoife Bresnahan-Lucia Levin and Lani Gilmore-Reese Friedman took care of the doubles department.
“All in all, it was a superb day of high school tennis,” Ackerman said. “We really appreciated all the friends and relatives who came out to cheer us on. I stressed all year the importance of having a first-round home match [and] having the community there to support us played a big role in our win.”
VOLLEYBALL
Acton-Boxborough 3
St. John’s Prep 0
It was a clean shutout for No. 15 Acton-Boxborough, which defended its home hardwood from No. 18 St. John’s Prep in D1 action (23-25, 18-25, 17-25). Cole Morrison had 19 digs for the Eagles, while Jayden Pelletier and Tighe Lusk hit .423 and .462, respectively.