Sports Roundup: Baseball Clinches State Tournament Berth, Boys Lax Beats Nauset

This Whaler sports roundup includes an update on the baseball team following a blowout victory at home that clinched them a spot in the state tournament, the girls lacrosse team following a home win on senior day, the sailing team's senior day, the boys lacrosse team following a road victory over Nauset, the girls tennis team following their 11th win of the spring, and the softball team after a pair of close losses.

Baseball Shuts Out Rising Tide

The Whaler baseball team improved to 9-6 this season following a 16-0 victory over the Rising Tide Herons Tuesday afternoon and with just three games to go, have guaranteed themselves a record of .500 or better, which clinches them a spot in the MIAA Division 3 State Tournament.

10 Whaler hitters recorded hits in a game that was won early on following a nine run first inning and a seven run third inning for Nantucket. Colby Lucas led the Whalers with three hits and recorded a pair of runs batted in while crossing the plate twice on his own. Lucas also stole two bases.

Alex Horton, Ronald Del Rosario Gomez, and Andrew Lavin each had two hits. Gomez led the Whalers with three RBIs and Horton had a pair of extra base hits including a triple in his second at-bat in the first inning. Gomez got the Whalers on the scoreboard with a two RBI double to center field in the first inning.

Bodhi Buccino earned the start on the mound and was excellent. He pitched three innings and struck out six batters without allowing a hit. Carlos Polanco pitched one scoreless inning and Horton closed the game out by striking out the side in his lone inning of work.

Nantucket's nine wins assure them that for the first time since the spring of 2015, they will finish with a .500 or better record and it is their first postseason appearance in five seasons. 

The Whalers next game is scheduled for Friday, May 15th on the road against the Sturgis West Navigators at 4 p.m. Nantucket beat Sturgis West 12-2 at home on April 17th.

Below are some more photos from Tuesday's game taken by Chris Tran.

Girls Lax Beats Dennis-Yarmouth, Celebrates Senior Class

The girls lacrosse team was able to earn a home victory 10-7 against the Dennis-Yarmouth Dolphins Monday afternoon and honor their seniors in a postgame ceremony in front of their friends and family.

Nantucket, now 10-2 this season, was led by Grace Hanlon once again, who has emerged as one of the Whaler's most explosive offensive players this season. The track and cross country star's speed has caused problems for her opponents all season and on Monday, Hanlon scored three goals and notched two of the Whaler's three assists in the game.

Louisa Beni and Quinn Canty scored two goals each while Carley Ray, Madison Tormay, and Grace Schroeder each scored one goal. Ella Douglas made five saves in net.

The Whalers are currently ranked #9 in the MIAA Division 4 State Tournament Power Rankings and have four games remaining on their schedule. They are right back in action on Wednesday, May 13th on the road for a doubleheader. They will play the Monomoy Sharks at 2 p.m. and the Sturgis West Navigators at 4:30 p.m.

Below are some more photos from the senior recognition ceremony and the game on Monday by Chris Tran.

Photos: Sailing Wins Tri-Meet, Senior Day Photos From Last Week

The Whaler sailing team competed in a tri-meet Tuesday afternoon against Falmouth, St. John Paul II, and Bishop Stang High School at home and sailed away winning both of their races. Last week, the Whalers celebrated their seniors during a recognition ceremony and below are some photos from that ceremony taken by Chris Tran.

Boys Lax Beats Nauset, Strengthens Grip On Top Three Seed

The boys lacrosse team continued to build on what has been another excellent spring season with an 11-5 victory on the road against the Nauset Warriors Tuesday afternoon. Head coach Sam Aloisi described their matchup with the Warriors as a tough game where his boys held tough for the victory.

Nantucket was led by seniors Arann Hanlon and Nolen Mosscrop again in the scoring department. Hanlon scored four goals while Mosscrop scored three. Both players tallied an assist. Andrick Mooney finished with two goals while Noah Stringer and Marco La Chuisa scored one goal each. Jeremy Jenkinson had another double digit save performance in net with 11 stops.

The Whalers are now 13-2 this season and are currently the #2 seed in the MIAA Division 4 State Tournament Power Rankings, trailing only Cohasset - which has the 17th highest ranking in the state out of the 208 varsity programs.

Nantucket will face one of their toughest tests of the season when they welcome Shrewsbury High School to the island on Saturday, May 16th at 11:30 a.m. Shrewsbury is currently 11-4 and the #12 seed in the MIAA's Division 1 State Tournament Power Rankings.

Girls Tennis Beats Sturgis West

The girls tennis team improved to 11-4 following a 4-1 victory on the road against the Sturgis West Navigators Tuesday afternoon.

Assistant head coach Mark Gerardi said after the game that first singles player Viki Bozhkova, who won her match in straight sets 6-4, 6-1, was a pleasure to watch and Gerardi expressed an appreciation for her overall game as it continues to flourish.

"Another surgical performance by Viki hitting deep groundstrokes and approach shots and then coming to the net to finish most points with angled volleys or drop shots," he said.

The second singles player was Sara Dussault, who won her match in three sets. She won the first set 7-5, lost the second set 4-6, and won the third set 6-2.

"Sara pulled out another three set win," Gerardi said. "Looking a bit tired after dropping the second set, Sara reached down and went for her shots in the third set instead of playing the pushers game."

The doubles pairings had strong days with both earning victories. The first pairing was Presy Penkova and Emery Bouchard, who won their match in straight sets 6-1, 6-2. Gerardi said they played a mostly mistake free match while controlling points, the net, and using lobs to keep opponents guessing.

The second doubles pairing was Ashley De Oliviera and Dea Grozdanova. They won their match in straight sets 6-3, 7-5. Gerardi said they kept their opponents off balance and were more consistent on serves and returns.

Prior to Tuesday's match, the Whalers were ranked #19 in the latest MIAA Division 4 Power Rankings. With three games to go in their regular season, they'll try to squeeze into the top 16 and secure a home match with a strong end to what has been an excellent and consistent season. They travel to play the Sturgis East Storm on Friday, May 15th at 4 p.m.

Softball Loses Pair Of Games

The Whaler softball team lost a pair of games to begin their week including a road matchup with the Carver Crusaders Monday afternoon 7-5 and a home matchup with the Sturgis East Storm 16-12 on Tuesday. 

The Whalers are now 3-9 this season and have three games left this spring. Five of their nine losses have been by four or fewer runs - including three games that were lost by two or fewer runs. They will play their next game on Friday, May 15th on the road against the Mashpee Falcons at 4 p.m.

Below are some photos from Tuesday's game taken by Chris Tran.

SCHEDULE AHEAD:

Wednesday, May 13th:

The girls lacrosse team will be on the road for a doubleheader playing the Monomoy Sharks at 2 p.m. and the Sturgis West Navigators at 4:30 p.m.

The sailing team will be on the road for a regatta against the Monomoy Sharks at 3:30 p.m.

The boys tennis team will be on the road playing the St. John Paul II Lions at 4 p.m.


Thursday, May 14th:

The sailing team will be HOME for a regatta against the Sturgis East Storm at 4 p.m.

The girls lacrosse team will be HOME against the St. John Paul II Lions at 4:30 p.m.

For more photos and Whaler sports coverage, follow Nantucket Current Sports on Instagram here.

To view the latest MIAA Power Rankings for each spring sports team, click here.