BASEBALL

May 3: JUNIOR VARSITY vs. Avon Old Farms - JV Baseball fell in a fun, highlight-filled game today against Avon Old Farms. The Bears were ready to rake against high heat, but struggled a bit against the disarmingly slow pitching of Avon's starter, who was able to last six innings on the mound. One of the best of the day was a rope laced off the bat of Viggo Blomquist '17, which landed safely in center-right field. Other Bears who got in on the hit parade were: Jackson Brex '18, Jackson Chapin '20, Michael Fulling '19, and Alex Meehan '17 and Patrick Fulling '19 earning doubles. Luke Streett '17 started on the mound and lasted a strong four innings. One big positive of the day was committing only two errors throughout the game, achieving the goal of tightening up the defense. The Winged Beavers did end up scoring 9 runs, but they had to earn them by hitting their way on base with 11 hits to Berkshire's 6. There were many great defensive plays made throughout the game by Berkshire, including a terrific double play made in foul territory near first base which was turned by Tyler Swirbul '19 covering nearly 100 feet to retrieve the ball and a far-ranging catch in deep center-right by Jackson Chapin. Swirbul also pitched a solid inning on the mound in his pitching debut, which was incredibly helpful. Sang Ko '19 did excellent work in relief, pounding the zone for two strong innings. With positive contributions from everyone, it was a fun, spirited game.

GIRLS LACROSSE

May 1: VARSITY vs. Northfield Mount Hermon - With a two-hour drive and an unfortunate habit of starting somewhat flatfooted recently, the Bears were going to need to win the first five minutes of the game if we wanted to compete against a feisty NMH squad on their home turf. And we did! Our draw control team - Katie Hargrave '18, Chase Landis '18, Holley Riva '19, Erin Dillon '17 and Layla Tattersfield '18 secured Berkshire's momentum when winning the draw, and the junior midfielders in that group snagged all six goals in the first half; it was tied 6-6 with NMH at the end of the first. The Bears continued our momentum in the second half with five unanswered goals and huge plays from goalie Maggie Curran '17 and the defensive squad. At the thirteen-minute mark, NMH turned it up. They closed the 11-6 lead in less than five minutes with relentless effort. NMH #19 Lazore tied it up with 2:00 to go, burying her fifth goal of the game for the Hoggers. Heading into "sudden victory" overtime - two 3:00 minute periods - the two teams battled for a scoreless first period, but NMH buried a shot from inside the 8m with :40 seconds to go.

May 3: VARSITY vs. Hotchkiss - The performance on Wednesday was a great example of how far the team has come since the beginning of April. From controlling momentum by winning the draw, to executing sets and plays on offense, to tenacious team defense, the Bears continue to demonstrate the power of teamwork and an "all in" mentality. It was a low scoring first half, despite numerous attempts on both ends. Chase Landis '18 put Berkshire on the scoreboard first with an open net 8m shot, and Katie Hargrave '18 also buried one with a hard take from the top of the 8m with about seven minutes to go in the first half. It was Ione Barlett '17 who decided enough was enough and scored two goals in the last minute of the first half to give the Bears a 4-3 lead going into the second. Bartlett would go on to score two more in the second half, with an impressive 100% shot percentage on the day. Despite our aggressive and alert defense, led by Maggie Markgraf '17, Erin Dillon '17, Maddie Beitler '17, and goalie Maggie Curran '17, who totaled double digit ground balls as a unit, Hotchkiss scored off a crease roll with two minutes to go. The Bears continued to pressure hard and even had one last attempt on goal, but were unable to answer back.

TRACK & FIELD

May 3 - VARSITY vs. Taft