MIAA softball: Offense erupts as No. 1 Hampshire rolls into Div. 4 Final Four via 10-1 win over Frontier (PHOTOS)

By RYAN AMES

WESTHAMPTON – The No. 1 Hampshire Regional softball team’s senior duo of CC Thayer and Teagan Charles combined for five of the Raiders’ nine hits in their 10-1 win over No. 8 Frontier Regional in the MIAA Division 4 state tournament Round of 8 on Sunday afternoon.

MIAA girls tennis: Amherst swept by Hingham in Div. 2 quarterfinals

The Amherst girls tennis team’s breakthrough season finally reached its conclusion on Sunday.

Amherst girls’ 4x400 relay team cruises to title at MIAA Meet of Champions

By RYAN AMES

Day 2 of the MIAA Track & Field Meet of Champions was pushed 24 hours to Sunday due to inclement weather, yet Amherst Regional still managed multiple medals in the meet at Fitchburg State University.

UMass hockey: Minutemen announced 3 incoming recruits including Longmeadow’s Coleson Hanrahan

By RYAN AMES

The first batch of UMass hockey recruits were announced this past week as three names are confirmed to be joining the Minutemen for the 2025-26 season.

NECBL: Valley Blue Sox have solid mix of local, national talent as 2025 season gets underway

By RYAN AMES

A new era has arrived for the 2025 New England Collegiate Baseball League’s Valley Blue Sox as first-year head coach Endy Morales has come back to his roots to manage the team he starred for from 2016-2019. The Holyoke product picked up his first victory of the season on Tuesday in the team’s 1-0 shutout against the back-to-back NECBL champion Newport Gulls at Mackenzie Stadium.

MIAA Tennis: Katie Gromacki, Amherst girls travel to No. 4 Hingham in D2 quarterfinals

By GARRETT COTE

Only one team has been able to beat the Amherst Regional girls tennis team all season, as the Hurricanes have ripped through their fellow western Massachusetts opponents and their first two state tournament foes en route to an MIAA Division 2 state quarterfinal appearance.

Northampton’s Jack Carpenter selected as USA Lacrosse Academic All-American after standout senior season

By GARRETT COTE

NORTHAMPTON — Jack Carpenter did everything he could in the offseason to put himself in the best position to have a big senior year as captain of the Northampton boys lacrosse team.

On The Run with John Stifler: Running form is unique to all

I think my running looks better than it did a year ago. I’m still getting slower, but apparently my form is improving.

Maggie Crawford, Logan Alfandari highlight local medalists at Day 1 of MIAA Meet of Champions

By RYAN AMES

FITCHBURG – Seven was the lucky number for two Hampshire County outdoor track and field athletes as South Hadley’s Maggie Crawford and Amherst’s Logan Alfandari each earned medalist honors on Day 1 of the MIAA Meet of Champions at Fitchburg State University on Thursday.

Div. 4 softball: Raine Wonsey, Frontier blank South Hadley 5-0 in Round of 16 (PHOTOS)

By GARRETT COTE

SOUTH DEERFIELD — For the third time in just over two weeks, the Frontier and South Hadley softball teams squared off – this edition coming in the MIAA Division 4 Round of 16 with a trip to the quarterfinals on the line on Wednesday afternoon.

MIAA tourneys: Narragansett halts Hopkins Academy softball in Round of 16

By RYAN AMES and GARRETT COTE

HADLEY — Mia Manca had her fingerprints all over No. 9 Narragansett’s 6-2 win over No. 8 Hopkins Academy during the MIAA Division 5 state tournament Round of 16 on Wednesday.

FanDuel bans bettor over heckling incident with Olympic champion sprinter Gabby Thomas

By PAT GRAHAM

A sports bettor who heckled Olympic champion sprinter and Williston Northampton alum Gabby Thomas during a Grand Slam Track event in Philadelphia over the weekend has been banned by the betting site FanDuel Sportsbook.

Fresh off program’s first state title, Amherst girls lead local contingent at MIAA Meet of Champions

By RYAN AMES

The Hampshire County contingent of outdoor track and field athletes will lace them up at the MIAA Meet of Champions at Fitchburg State University, beginning Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m., then finishing off on Saturday with Day 2 of competition.

NECBL: Gregory Shaw, Valley Blue Sox edge Newport 1-0 for season-opening win

By RYAN AMES

HOLYOKE – The Valley Blue Sox kicked off their 2025 New England Collegiate Baseball League season in the win column after downing the Newport Gulls, 1-0, at Mackenzie Stadium on Tuesday night.

MIAA tourneys: Frontier baseball fends off pesky Old Colony, moves on to Div. 4 Round of 16

By THOMAS JOHNSTON, RYAN AMES and GARRETT COTE

SOUTH DEERFIELD — The Old Colony baseball team refused to go away against Frontier in the MIAA Division 4 Round of 32 on Monday. 

Div. 5 baseball: Shorthanded Hopkins Academy ends season with 5-0 loss to Monson in Round of 32 (PHOTOS)

By RYAN AMES

HADLEY — Without two of its top four batters, the Hopkins baseball team couldn’t crack a run in its 5-0 loss to Monson in the Round of 32 during the Division 5 MIAA State Tournament on Monday.

Local briefs: Amherst Regional captures state middle school ultimate frisbee championship

The Amherst Regional middle school ultimate frisbee team placed first in the Middle School State Tournament in Devens on Sunday and are the new state champions.

Fit to Play with Jim Johnson: The lure of sport gambling

I made my first sports bet when I was in college. I was getting a haircut and the barber handed me a betting sheet for the week’s college football games. I sat down, filled it out, gave him $5 and left. The next day I learned that I had won – easy money. I showed up early the next week, got the new sheet and placed a bigger bet. I lost all my money. The pain from losing that money overwhelmed the joy of winning. I never placed another bet, intrinsically knowing that I wasn’t as good as I thought.

Div. 4 Track & Field: Amherst girls cement place in history, capture first-ever state title

By GARRETT COTE

NORTH ANDOVER — It only took a handful of regular season dual meets for Amherst Regional track and field coach Chris Gould to realize just how special his ‘Canes girls team could be in 2025. After blowing out teams throughout the spring, including rival Northampton in early May, Gould tabbed this Amherst girls squad as the program’s “best team ever.”

Div. 6 Track & Field: Frontier’s Ben Cachiguango takes home another state title

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

MEDFORD — Frontier’s Ben Cachiguango and Mahar’s Mitchell Krasco have been battling it out on the track throughout their high school careers.