May 31 2012

Wheaton College Returns Home From D3 Baseball Championship

Wheaton’s Baseball team returned to the Norton campus on Thursday, and celebrated their second place finish with friends and family! (Photo Credit: Dan Libon for Noontime Sports)

By Dan Libon 

NORTON, MA – Even though Wheaton College’s baseball team didn’t win their first Div. III National Championship, they were still winners in the eyes of their fans.

Greeted by friends, family, and members of the Wheaton College community on Thursday, the Lyons received a hero’s welcome as they returned to campus with a police and fire escort.

The 15th Lyons baseball season concluded with a conference and regional crown, but not a World Series victory. Wheaton finished the tournament in second place for the second time in six seasons, as the Lyons lost to Marietta College in two back-to-back contests.

Eric Podbelski addresses fans on Thursday. (Photo Credit: Dan Libon)

President Ronald Crutcher greeted the young men with some wise words once they returned to their home diamond, as well as commended all of their various accomplishments on and off the diamond, too.

“I just want to say to the members of the Wheaton baseball team how proud we all are of the way you represented us,” stated Crutcher. “I know you’ve all worked incredibly hard this year to accomplish what you’ve accomplished. I also know that you’re disappointed that you didn’t win the national championship but I want you to know [that] I’m incredibly proud of the way you’ve supported yourself. I’m incredibly proud of the skills that you’ve gained working as a team under the great leadership of coach [Eric] Podbelski.”

Crutcher also claimed that he tried to watch the game on his phone during a meeting of the NEWMAC presidents, but got caught after he was unable to mute the volume.

Eric Podbelski, who has been Wheaton’s skipper for all 15 seasons, was grateful by the support of the town and college community.

“I was overwhelmed while we were in Mansfield, Connecticut, and then Wisconsin with the amount of support [via] emails, [and] texts that we got probably from many of you that are here, but many others connected to Wheaton somehow that really seem to grab on to what his team was doing,” exclaimed Podbelski.

The Lyons earned three consecutive wins against St. Thomas, SUNY Cortland and Webster before falling to Marietta twice in the championship round.

May 31 2012

Mass High School Lax: Framingham 7, Marshfield 6 2OT

By Brian Willwerth 

MARSHFIELD, MA – Wednesday afternoon’s boy’s lacrosse tournament game between Marshfield and Framingham had everything you could want: tension, great plays, great goaltending, and a flair for the dramatic.

It wasn’t until 27 remained on the clock in the second overtime that the Flyers defeated the Rams, 7-6.

This was a game in which Framingham never trailed.  The Flyers got three goals from Joe Igoe and two more from Mike Stearns. The duo tallied quick scores in the third quarter after Marshfield had cut the lead to one. But once Framingham got its three-goal lead in the third quarter, the rest of the scoring in regulation belonged to the home team. The Rams scored once in the third and twice more in the fourth to tie the game at six.

The overtime periods were filled with tense play – with players fighting for loose balls left and right.  The flyers goal in the closing seconds of the second OT period sends them to the next round, where they’ll face top-seeded Duxbury on Friday.

May 30 2012

Daily Noontime – May 30, 2012

Daniel Nava drove in three runs on Tuesday, as Boston defeated Detroit, 6-3! (Photo Credit: CTPost.com)

By NoontimeSports.com 

It’s “hump day,” which means this week is somewhat over, right? OK… OK… here are some headlines, news and stories from the city of champions.

* The Boston Red Sox earned their 25th win of the season on Tuesday, as they defeated the Detroit Tigers, 6-3. David Ortiz cranked his 11th home run and 18th double of the season, while Daniel Nava recorded three RBIs. Also, Daniel Bard picked up his fifth win on the bump by tossing 5.1 innings and yielding five hits and two earned runs. Bard also recorded four strikeouts before he was relieved in the sixth for Rich Hill.

* Boston has now won 12 games at Fenway Park this season, and will attempt to even their home record on Wednesday against the Tigers – Jon Lester faces Drew Smyly – first pitch is scheduled for 7:10PM.

* According to reports – Carl Crawford is two weeks away from throwing. The Sox outfielder has apparently tallied 60 swings of a tee, but is 10 days away from being able to test the arm, which he believes will be the “true test.”

* The New England Patriots announced on Tuesday that they released the 2007 first-round draft pick of the Indianapolis Colts, Anthony Gonzalez. The wide out, who was a free agent this past winter, has been hampered by injuries and hoped to revive his career in New England.

* Finally, the Boston Celtics will attempt to even their Eastern Conference Finals series with the Miami Heat on Wednesday — tip is scheduled for 8:30PM.

May 29 2012

Daily Noontime – May 29, 2012

Miami’s Dwyane Wade and LeBron stole the show in Game No. 1, as the Heat defeated the Boston Celtics, 93-79! (Photo Credit: WBUR.org)

By NoontimeSports.com 

Happy Tuesday to everyone, and welcome into this Tuesday edition of the Daily Noontime! Let’s kickstart the four-day work week with some headlines and news from the city of Boston, and state of Massachusetts.

* Miami held Boston to 15 points in the third quarter and 18 in the fourth, as the Heat defeated the Celtics in Game No. 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, 93-79. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade combined for 54 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and five blocks, while Kevin Garnett paced the Celtics with 23 points and 10 rebounds.

* Miami and Boston will return to the hardwood on Wednesday for Game No. 2 at 8:30pm. With Monday’s win, the Heat currently lead the series, 1-0.

* After Monday’s contest concluded – Ray Allen told the media that he’s battling with his inner self to work hard and overcome the bone spurs in his ankle. He told WEEI’s Paul Flannery, “There’s nothing really to talk about. It’s like a battle within myself that I have to try and win. You always talk, if it was the playoffs would you play? It’s the playoffs.”

* The Boston Red Sox concluded their Memorial Day Weekend with a 7-4 victory against the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park. Felix Doubront earned his fifth win of the season on the bump, while Jarrod Saltalamacchia finished the contest 2-4 with two runs, a home run and an RBI.

* Boston is now 24-24, and will attempt to earn their 25th win of the season and 12th at home on Tuesday against Detroit – Daniel Bard opposes Justin Verlander – first pitch is scheduled for 7:10PM.

* Prior to Monday’s contests — the Red Sox continued their 100th Anniversary of Fenway Park by recognizing Trot Nixon. The original dirt dog sported his No. 7 home white jersey, and tossed the out the ceremonial first pitch.

May 28 2012

PHOTOS: Men’s Lax Final Four At Gillette Stadium

By NoontimeSports.com 

The final weekend of men’s lacrosse season concluded on Monday at Gillette Stadium, as Loyola University defeated the University of Maryland, 9-3. The win marked the Greyhounds first National Championship in school history. 

Below are some pictures from the weekend’s final four matches, as well as the championship.

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May 25 2012

Wheaton Earns First College Baseball World Series Victory Against Webster

By NoontimeSports.com 

The Wheaton College baseball team earned its first win in the 2012 College Baseball World Series on Friday, as they defeated Webster University, 3-2. Senior Hal Landers finished the contest with two hits and one run, while junior Sean Ryan and freshman Apolinar De la Cruz each recorded one RBI.

The Lyons will continue their quest toward their first National Championship on Saturday at 5:30PM against either SUNY Cortland or Kean University.

For highlights from Friday’s contests — CLICK HERE

May 25 2012

NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Memorial Day Weekend Championship Information

By NoontimeSports.com 

The 2012 NCAA Lacrosse Championship weekend is set to commence tomorrow, (Saturday, May 26) with two Div. I semi-final contests. At 2:30PM Loyola will face-off against Notre Dame, and at 5PM Duke will tangle with Maryland. The winner of both matches will advance to Monday’s championship, which is scheduled for 1PM.

On Sunday, May 27, the Div. II (Dowling vs. Limestone) and Div. III (SUNY Cortland vs. Salisbury) championships will be played.

For more information on this weekend’s events, such as parking maps and train schedules — make sure to check out Gillette Stadium’s lacrosse page by CLICKING HERE.

May 25 2012

Daily Noontime – May 25, 2012

Jon Lester will be on the bump Friday for the Boston Red Sox! (Photo Credit: Chowdaheadz.com)

By NoontimeSports.com 

Happy Friday to everyone, and welcome into the final Daily Noontime of the week! Let’s kick-off Memorial Day Weekend with some news and headlines!

* The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays will begin their three-game series on Friday at Fenway Park – Jon Lester opposes Alex Cobb – first pitch is scheduled for 7:10PM.

* According to various reports – Bobby Valentine strongly believes that if the Sox continue to play the way they’ve played the past 20 games, they’ll win the championship. Boston is 18-12 since blowing a nine run lead to the New York Yankees on April 21, which is the third best record in the American League behind Baltimore (20-10) and Tampa Bay (19-11).  If the Sox continue on this particular path, they’d finish their current campaign with 93 wins.

* The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers will conclude their Eastern Conference semi-final series on Saturday at 8PM at the TD Garden. Boston has won three of five meetings against Philadelphia in the seventh game dating back to 1965.

* Sources confirmed on Thursday that Avery Bradley will need shoulder surgery to repair “small tears that have compromised the structure of his ailing left shoulder.”

May 24 2012

Catching Up With Massachusetts Div. III Sports (LINKS)

By NoontimeSports.com

Memorial Day weekend is vastly approaching, which means a majority of the college sports teams in Massachusetts have either concluded their seasons or in the process of wrapping up their spring campaigns. Some schools concluded their year with National Championships, while others fell short.

Here are a few links from the Div. III college sports scene in Massachusetts.   

* The Williams College women’s tennis team earned its fifth consecutive championship on Wednesday against University of Chicago in Cary, North Carolina. Three Ephs seniors, (Kristin Alotta, Caroline Capute and Taylor French) concluded their careers with their fourth consecutive championships.

* Three members of the Amherst College men’s lacrosse team earned USILA and NEILA honors. Sophomore Devin Acton and junior Danny Gold were named to the NEILA Div. III 2nd Team, while senior Evan Redwood earned his third-straight USILA All-American honorable mention.

* Wheaton College freshman Apollinar De la Cruz was named the D3baseball.com’s National Rookie of the Year on Wednesday, and was also placed on the Honorable Mention Team.

* Babson College senior Joe Young capped off his final golf season with the Beavers by being named the 2012 PING Div. III All-Northeast Region Team.

* Nichols College sophomore Tyler Shute was named on Wednesday to the second annual Worcester Area Baseball All-Star Team.

* Williams College junior Bryan Chow was named the winner of the NCAA Elite 89 Award in the men’s tennis championship.

May 24 2012

Daily Noontime – May 24, 2012

Once again, Boston failed to earn an important road win on Wednesday in Philadelphia! (Photo Credit: Boston Herald)

By NoontimeSports.com 

Happy Thursday to everyone, and welcome into yet another outstanding edition of the Daily Noontime! Let’s kickstart the second to last workweek day with some news and headlines.

* Philadelphia outscored Boston, 49-39 during the final two frames, as the 76ers claimed Game No. 6, 82-75. Boston and Philadelphia will conclude their series on Saturday at the TD Garden.

* In the sixth game — Kevin Garnett tallied 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Paul Pierce poured in 24 points and 10 rebounds. Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo each registered nine points, and combined for seven turnovers in the loss.

* After Wednesday’s game concluded, Philadelphia head coach Doug Collins told reporters, “I want more. I want more.” Collins has stated some bizarre comments throughout this particular series, but apparently is confident that the sixth game will fuel him and his team.

* The Red Sox bats produced six runs and 13 hits in a span of nine innings on Wednesday, which helped Boston defeat Baltimore, 6-5. Daniel Bard picked up his fourth win of the season, while Daniel Nava hit his second home run and 11th RBI of the season.

* Boston is now 22-22, and has won nine of their last 12 contests. The Sox will attempt to earn their 23rd victory of the season on Friday when they welcome the Tampa Bay Rays to Fenway Park.