Page 9 - Alumni Horae: Vol. 93, No. 4 Summer 2013

by Coach Davies Cabot
The boys varsity lacrosse game on Hunt
field was a seesaw battle between the 2014
varsity squad and close to 30 alumni, span-
ning from the 1970s to 2013.
The alumni got out to an early lead with
Max Krieg ’13, fresh off his first season
at Army, anchoring the midfield. Payne
Hadden ’12 returned to guide the attack
and Harry Nicholas ’12 (Colby) was his
usual imposing presence on defense and
long-stick middie.
The Crutchfield brothers, T.J. ’09 and
Connor ’13, also ran hard, using their rela-
tively young legs to make the current squad
work. Tucker Albright ’13 scored early and
did his best breakdance worm celebration.
James Barker ’09 used his formidable size
to win a number of face-offs. Lou Ott ’10
also got his name on the score sheet, and
Charley Perkins ’05 was fanatical in his
energy and enthusiasm for the game.
The game featured some classic father-
son battles on the field. Brett Clark ’14
squared off against his father, Rufus ’82,
who was sporting his Harvard wear. Jacob
Witt ’16 took on his father, Stu ’84, who
tried to drive and score from attack (to no
Boys Lacrosse: Alumni Win at the Wire
avail), and Jackson Gates ’14 made a few
runs at his dad, John ’84, in both halves,
hoping to earn family bragging rights in
front of his extended clan. The alumni
jumped out to a three-goal lead before
the 2014 team had a chance to warm up.
But, by halftime, the young guns had taken
a 6-5 advantage.
The second half was again a barn-burner
as each team worked to move the ball. It
was age versus experience as the alumni
closed to 7-6 with less than four minutes
to play. A great drive tied the game with
less than two minutes remaining, and the
alumni finished the final rush with a goal
to steal the 8-7 victory. Lots of fun for all
players and no injuries made for a wonder-
ful end to the season. Hats off to the coaches
of the alumni team, Cory McGrath ’09 and
Scott Harff ’09, for a nice victory.
Other participating alumni included Greg
Wheeler ’74, Tim Busler ’84, Chauncey
Dewey ’84, Eric Sorenson ’84, Kipp Syl-
vester ’84, Scott Bohan ’94, John Harden ’94,
Ben Bleiman ’99, Mark DeVito ’99, Willy
Kates ’99, Simon Perkins ’01, Eugene
Conn ’04, and Sandy McNaughton ’11.
Baseball: An Epic Battle
by Coach Parker Chase
With highlights that included a duel be-
tween a former Big Red pitcher and a
current standout at the plate, the Big Red
varsity baseball team edged a stalwart
alumni squad, 3-1, over the weekend.
The alumni team broke through for the
first run of a well-played game, when Bobby
Matthews ’89 led off with a hit and form-
mate Mike Ricard ’89 plated what would
be his team’s only run with some textbook
baseball, hitting a hard ground ball to the
right side to score Matthews from third
and move Dave Kolojay ’89 from second
to third with one out.
Unfortunately, though the alumni hit the
ball well, a series of untimely base-running
errors kept the former Paulies from break-
ing through for more runs.
Kolojay pitched several strong innings
before giving way to Andrew Peabody ’08.
Both hurlers showcased excellent control
and nasty secondary pitches, keeping the
varsity squad off balance.
Ben Walsh ’09 made a spectacular diving
catch in left field to take away a sure extra-
base hit, while John Cronin ’08 caught the
entire game in shorts. Cronin nearly threw
out a runner at third, displaying the quick
feet and strong arm that made him a stand-
out behind the plate for four years at SPS.
The highlight of the game was an epic
battle between Peabody and current varsity
catcher Cam Bando ’15. After Peabody
started Bando with a healthy dose of off-
speed pitches to pull ahead in the count,
0-2, he then challenged the Big Red’s
leading hitter with a sidearm fastball that
just missed the outside corner. Bando
fouled off several pitches to extend the
at-bat, then hit the ball to the deepest
part of the field, bouncing a double off
the fence in right center.
Other alumni participants included
Rob Dickey ’79, Brian Berlandi ’89, Chris
Pachios ’94, Mike Getz ’99, Peter Pachios ’99,
Dan Solomon ’08, Nick Kourides ’09, Alex
Gettens ’11, Kyle Dickey ’13, Matt Fisher
’13, Nate Wark ’13, and Greg Zaffino ’13.
WENDY CAHILL
MICHAEL MATROS
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