Local sports roundup

Northborough/Southborough - Armed with a baker's dozen of promising freshmen players and a quartet of veteran sophomores, the Algonquin Regional High School (ARHS) junior varsity softball team sailed into previously uncharted waters this spring.

The 2009 Algonquin Regional High School junior varsity softball team includes (front, l to r) Kyla Wester, Athena Polymeros, Emily Polanowicz, Alex Hart, (middle, l to r) Taylor Henry, Abby Solis, Molly Petrone, Amanda Irvine, (back, l to r) coach Lisa Strom, Kelsey Harvey, Taylor Page, Allie Pietro, Channing Moreland, Cassie Riley, Olivia Mariano, Courtney Bacon, Sydney McKinley, Robyn McInnis, Kate Gillespie and Olivia Woodland. PHOTO/SUBMITTED The Tomahawks finished the season, 16-2, and captured the ultra-competitive Mid-Wach A with an 11-1 record, besting the likes of perennial powerhouses Shrewsbury, Milford, Leominster and Fitchburg in the process.

"This was as successful a season as I ever remember Algonquin softball having, varsity or junior varsity," said Lisa Strom, coach of the junior varsity squad. "I've been involved with the team as a coach in some capacity for the last 12 years and I played here, too, and in all that time I never remember us winning more than seven games in a season."

The talented freshmen crop is led by pitcher Abby Solis and catcher Taylor Henry, who both serve as co-captains, but also includes fellow pitcher Cassie Riley, shortstop Alex Hart, center-fielder Channing Moreland, and left-fielder Taylor Page, as well as Kyla Wester, Athena Polymeros, Emily Polanowicz, Amanda Irvine, Allie Pietro, Robyn McInnis and Kate Gillespie.

"This is a group of freshmen that have played together for a long time," Strom said. "Softball is their first sport and they have played in youth leagues together, in town together, in summer league together. They're the type of kids who take the sport seriously and are seeking instruction and trying to get better on a year-round basis."

The sophomore foursome who provided much-needed leadership to the team this past season included Molly Petrone, Olivia Mariano, Courtney Bacon and Sydney McKinley.

Solis led the Tomahawks from both the pitching circle and in the batter's box. Solis was 9-0 when toeing the rubber, with several of those victo- ries being complete-game wins. When not pitching she played second base and between the two positions found time to compile a .619 batting average for the season, which was best on the team.

Hitting was one of many strengths of the team this season as more than half of Strom's players finished with batting averages better than .500.

While mixing and matching and experimentation is usually a staple of a junior varsity team, Strom stuck to a set lineup for much of the season, her top two hitters being either Hart or Moreland, with her next three being Henry, Solis and Page. The bottom half of the order, both defensively and at the plate, was where the majority of changes were made.

Strom said worrying about players gaining experience as opposed to winning as much as possible - often a slippery slope at the junior varsity level - was not something she worried about.

"Ultimately you're trying to get players ready for varsity, but part of preparing them for varsity is teaching them how to win games," Strom said. "We were fortunate this year that we had a lot of opportunities to do that in a lot of diff erent ways - big wins, one-run wins, comefrom behind wins. I think as the girls go forward and get in situations like those later in their careers, they'll think back to how they won these games and it will help them, in turn, win those games."

Shrewsbury native plays for Babson College

Babson College sophomore and Shrewsbury resident Kristy Benoit has completed her second season as a member of the Babson varsity women's lacrosse team. A graduate of Shrewsbury High School, Benoit played in 13 games this spring with four starts. She tallied three goals and three assists for six points and caused nine turnovers. Benoit earned New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) All- Academic Honors for her performance in the classroom.

As a team, Babson went 15-3, won its third straight NEWMAC Championship, and made its third consecutive trip to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Other highlights for the Beavers included a 19-7 win over Farmingdale State in the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament home game, a record 13-game winning streak, and another sweep of the NEWMAC, which extended Babson's conference win streak to 24 games over three seasons.