**WINNING WAYS:** The 18U softball finished its season strong with wins in the final two games, including a nail-biter against Hingham on Monday night. After taking a 5-4 lead in the first inning, the team held on as Hingham stayed in the game throughout. Hull held on for a 15-14 win. [Photo by Nicole Townsend]

Compiled by Matt Haraden

• 18U Softball won its first game of the summer, a 5-4 victory over Quincy. McKenzie Neal went 1-for-1 with a double and a walk with two RBIs and Natalie Reilly had a single. Alyza Tavares, Allie Blanchard, and Rylie O’Hara also contributed to runs scored. Blanchard, Neal, Reilly, and Tavares led the defense. Quincy took a 1-0 lead early and then scored again in the third inning. Hull answered with five runs scored in the bottom of the fourth, and held onto the lead despite Quincy scoring two more runs. It is noteworthy that there are several 14-, 15-, and 16-year-olds on this team and most of Hull’s competition are teams made up of mostly 17- and 18-year-olds. The team took the challenge to step up in this league, and despite the losses, have held their own in several close games and gained experience for their future. They won the final game of the season against Hingham, with a final score of 15-14. The score was 15-10 going into the final inning, but Hingham rallied in the bottom, scoring four runs, but did not prevail, due Hull’s defensive efforts of McKenzie Neal, Allie Blanchard, Rachel Timins, Natalie Reilly, Leigha McClory, and Alyza Tavares. All the girls played solid defense, backing each other up and making plays. On offense, Sophia Hagerty went 2-for-2 with an RBI, Riley Munn went 1-for-1 with two walks and a single, Neal went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, and two RBIs, Blanchard went 1-for-2 with a triple, Khloe Gravina went 1-for-2 with a walk, a double, and two RBIs, and Reilly went 1-for-4 with a single.

• 14U Baseball beat Scituate, 9-8, on Wednesday, July 16, off of a Gavin Griffin walk-off base hit. The game was tied at eight in the bottom of the seventh, when Griffin singled for the walk-off win. The Pirates made the score 3-2 in the bottom of the third after Christian Silva was hit by a pitch, driving in a run, and Dom Ramos doubled, scoring two runs. The team collected 12 total hits in the game. Ramos drove the middle of the lineup, leading Pirates with two runs batted in. The pitcher went 2-for-2 on the day. Nikko Mihal, Ramos, Macklin Concannon, and Shaine Hutcheson each collected two hits. A single by Alex Provost gave Hull a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the sixth. In the seventh, the Pirates went back into the lead after Chase Silva and Ramos walked, and Griffin singled down the right field line, each scoring one run. Chase went four innings with nine strikeouts. In the next game, the team beat Quincy, 17-2, on Monday at home. Hull jumped out to the lead in the bottom of the first inning after multiple errors resulted in three runs and an Alex Provost single, scoring two runs. The team added to the early lead in the bottom of the second inning when an error scored one run, and a passed ball scored two runs. The Pirates continued the scoring in the bottom of the third inning after Provost singled to right field, Shaine Hutcheson singled down the left field line, Christian Silva singled to center field, Chase Silva walked, Dom Ramos walked, Macklin Concannon walked, and Gavin Griffin walked, each scoring one run. Hull scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth on an inside-the-park home run by Christian Silva. Chase Silva stepped on the mound first in the game. The hurler surrendered one hit and zero runs over three innings, striking out six. Jacob Goodrich pitched strong in relief for the Pirates. The team accumulated 10 total hits in the game. Provost, Silva, and Silva each collected two hits, driving in three runs each. The team had patience at the plate, accumulating eight total walks for the game. They are 5-0 halfway through the summer league.

• At the Hull Yacht Club last week, 18 boats hit the line on a combined night on Hull Bay. The Fleet 46 Wellness Program moved on from bailing and pumping last week to hiking and hauling this week as wind gusts topped out at just about 26 knots. The Race Committee pitched in on the conditioning front with three races, including a twice-around A2 course. Joe Berkeley and Dave McGrath in roger that! showed remarkable consistency and took first place by turning in three bullets. Steve Clancy and Meredith Richardson in Razzmatazz overcame a pre-race, finicky main halyard and scored second place overall, also showing great consistency. New to the fleet Chris Kostyla and crew in Outlier came in third, also sailing smartly and consistently throughout the night. Close mark roundings and tight finishes were testaments to the parity within the fleet.

• The 2025 Junior Scorpion Bowl Regatta hosted by the Hull Yacht Club was a huge success, with more than 160 sailors from 13 clubs competing. This year we had amazing winds, which made for some exciting racing and stories to tell on the porch, including a beach rescue by off-duty launch driver Henri Richardson. The two days featured incredible teamwork, competitive spirit, determination, sportsmanship and lots of smiles. Past Commodores Charlie O’Connor and Sue Epstein were on hand to help present the awards. Special congratulations to sailors who placed in their divisions: Kai Bucklen (first place in Opti Champ Blue), Charlie O’Connor (third place in Opti Champ White), and Luke Darmetko (third place in Opti Champ Red). Also congratulations to Victoria Broomhead, Grace Kiley, and Tommy O’Connor for receiving honorable mentions for the sportsmanship award.

• Coaches, league organizers, and superfans – We need your help to report the scores and results of the latest events in Hull’s sports world! Please send local sports news and photos to sports@hulltimes.com. Deadline is Tuesday at midnight. When providing details of the games or races, please be sure to include the sport/team, the players’ full names, and the final scores. When sending photos, names of those pictured are greatly appreciated, as well as who should get credit for taking the photo.

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