Windham varsity baseball drops road game to Sanford

By Matt Pascarella

In a hard-fought road game against Sanford on Saturday, May 24, Windham varsity baseball tied the game 1-1 early on and later Windham freshman Aiden Rinaldi hit his first varsity homer, but Windham ultimately lost to the Spartans, 9-2.

Windham freshman Aiden Rinaldi receives congratulations
from his teammates after hitting his first home run during
a varsity baseball game at Sanford High School on
Saturday, May 24. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA
 

“You saw the momentum shift,” said Windham varsity baseball coach Chris Doughty. “We had a 1-1 game; in the third you drop an infield pop-up, walk, two guys on, hit, they score two runs – things like that tend to compound on each other and swings the momentum. We kind of got it back ... when we tied it up, gave it back to them, had a couple of errors and had some stuff not go our way. Once that momentum shifts, if you don’t do something to stick your foot in the ground and grab it back quickly, it can go downhill fast. Some of the mistakes we made today were mental ... we’re a young team, building toward the future. Aiden Rinaldi hitting that homerun – great attitude, great kid, coachable, in the gym, little things like that pay off, you can always take some positives from our failures. We can’t let fastballs go by early in the count and then swing at the other team’s pitch. We got caught doing that a lot today and that’s why we struck out a lot today. Just being aggressive and trusting themselves and having confidence (needs work), because we’re young that’s something that’ll come with time.”

Sanford scored in the second inning on a passed ball.

Windham was quick to answer in the third inning when senior Grant Coppi walked. Then freshman Mason Rulman reached first base on an error after he hit a ground ball to the shortstop and Coppi scored.

In the fourth inning, Sanford added more and more runs to the scoreboard.

In the fifth inning, Rinaldi blasted a home run to left field.

“The home run felt great,” said Rinaldi. “If we made some better fielding (to flip the score), pitchers threw fine, really, it’s fielding. We had better attitudes, but getting more hits (needs work). We were nervous (at the plate), eager to hit the ball.”

In the top of the sixth inning, Windham sophomore Alex Pastore singled, but was left on base.

“We’re all just trying to get hits and I’m just trying to put the ball in play to help the team,” said Rulman. “I feel like our team could do better at that. We need to start swinging more earlier in the count. Personally, I’m not swinging for the best pitches, and I know a lot of the kids in the dugout aren’t either. If we get our mindset right and swing for the first pitch, we’ll see that’s good and then we’ll have better outcomes. The other team put a bat on it and did their job. I feel like everyone is mad at themselves, performance-wise. When one person gets mad and there’s no cheering in the dugout, we have no chance to go on a rally. We just need to hit the ball, we can’t score without hitting.”

Windham starting pitcher and junior Anthony Rinaldi said he didn’t think they were fully prepared. He agreed with his teammates and said he thought that some were more focused on getting a big hit than just trying to hit the ball. There was a lot of waiting for the perfect pitch. Anthony Rinaldi said they need to work together as a team and be more prepared. <

WHS varsity girls’ tennis falls in indoor match against Cheverus

By Matt Pascarella

The Windham varsity girls’ tennis team left it all on the court during an indoor match at Foreside Fitness in Falmouth on Friday, May 23, but fell to Cheverus High School, 4-1.

Windham sophomore  Denali Momot focuses on the ball 
before returning a serve during a girls' prep tennis match
against Cheverus on May 23.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

“Our match went really good,” said Windham senior and doubles player Afomiya Timerga. “Our placement was the best part of playing; we kept hitting it down the alleys, so it was just picking up our feet and hitting it right where it needs to be. Playing with Callie was really good; our communication was really good. Whenever I called a switch or she called a switch, our dynamic was really good. I’m glad I was able to play with her today. You don’t have to hit strong balls as long as where you place it is good. Getting to the ball and our mindset on the game (needs work). Tennis is a lot of mindset and focusing; I think that just needs a little bit more work.”

In the singles matches, Windham junior Jasmine Lucas lost her match, 6-0 and 6-0; senior Katelyn Cotter lost 6-2, 6-1, sophomore Denali Momot lost 6-3 and 6-2.

“Today was not my best match,” said Momot. “I think I played well, but the score says something else. My opponent had really good skills, nice hits and I’m proud of how I played. Mentally I stayed positive and that’s a big part of singles tennis, you’re the only one on the court ... and I was just telling myself to stay with it. Placement (needs work) because sometimes I hit right to my opponent, and it gives them an advantage.”

In the doubles matches, senior Zoe Dries, and junior Sydney Harmon lost their match 6-4 and 6-2. Timerga and senior Callie Barber won their match, 6-1 and 6-3.

Windham had had several matches during the week, so it was impressive to see them give such a strong effort, even if the result wasn’t what they hoped for.

“It’s been a really busy week,” said Windham girls’ tennis coach Katy Dresnok. “The weather hasn’t helped, we haven’t had many practices, but it’s the same all around. The girls played really well today for the competition; I’m really pleased with every single match I watched. I’m super happy for my second doubles who won, Callie has been swinging junior varsity to varsity, and she’s a senior just graduating, so it’s great to see her finish the season with a win. I thought my singles players ... had super long matches, lots went to deuce. They really got some good practice in with hard heavy hitters, and in front of my eyes I watched them improve. I’m happy with the results even though it was a loss; I’m leaving the court today really proud of my girls.” <

Windham boys’ varsity lacrosse downs Lewiston

By Matt Pascarella

Windham boys’ varsity lacrosse came out strong in a game against Lewiston on Friday, May 16 at Windham High School with the Eagles scoring five goals in just the first quarter and its defense was stingy, keeping the Blue Devils from putting much of anything on the scoreboard. After the final buzzer, Windham won 12-3.

Windham sophomore Colin McKenna surveys the field as he
makes his way toward Thornton Academy's goal during a
boys' lacrosse game in Saco on Friday, May 16.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

It was also Windham Youth Lacrosse Night and Windham Youth Lacrosse players from first grade all the way up to eighth grade got to take the field with the varsity team before the start of the game.

“Since the beginning of the season, I think we’ve really grown as a group, on both sides of the ball, defensively and offensively,” said Windham sophomore Luke Drottar. “We’re really starting to click – we just came off a dry spot with our team, but this game really helped us bounce back; it was good for team morale. We all like to play with each other; we know we want to win. On the offensive side, passing went really well. On the defensive side, they talked really well and slid really well. We were all on the same page tonight.”

Windham came out ready to go and after they intercepted a pass from Lewiston, Drottar scored in the first 90 seconds of the game. Windham junior Garrett Winslow followed up a short time after that when he scored, assisted by junior Jack Henry.

The Eagles connected on passes and moved the ball well. They caused several turnovers to move the ball in their direction.

Drottar found the back of the net once more. Defense kept Lewiston’s scoring to a minimum. Senior Lukas Hammond scored before the end of the half, where Windham led 7-2.

“Tonight, we stayed pretty good together,” said Hammond. “For the most part, we stayed out of the box, it’s been an issue of ours and we’re working on it. Any team is beatable every day and today was us trying to come back from previous losses. We were moving the ball really well offensively. At Cape Elizabeth we struggled to take shots and tonight we took a lot more, which was great – it gave us more opportunity to score. We went in tonight hungry. We still need to work on our fundamentals and make sure we got our plays down and repping them constantly.”

Sophomore Trevor Baillargeon kept up Windham’s strong offense when he scored early in the second half. Then Hammond scored from Drottar.

Windham defense continued to make it very difficult for Lewiston to score.

Sophomore Colin McKenna scored in the fourth quarter and Windham continued to command the field.

“We’ve recognized coming off the last game some things we need to improve and more than anything they collectively got the idea of being able to work together,” said Windham varsity boys’ lacrosse coach Peter Small. “We’ve had some growing pains about figuring out how to work with each other – they like each other, but it’s also ‘how do you work with each other?’ Tonight, they just worked with each other really, really well. They needed to elevate and show they can do some of the things they had let slip (in the past two losses). Nobody plays a perfect game and tonight we had a few errors, and when that happened, the kids themselves fixed them on the field. It’s so cool to see, the lacrosse IQ is getting higher, that they are able to adjust on the field together as a group. They were committing to each other even more so ... I couldn’t be more pleased with how they played – that’s a team win.” <

WHS varsity girls’ lacrosse win streak continues by defeating Thornton Academy

By Matt Pascarella

What started as a close game became quickly overpowered by Windham when its girls’ lacrosse team met Thornton Academy in Saco on Monday, May 19. Windham kicked it into high gear and turned a tied game into a solid 11-7 win, as they held off the Trojans in the fourth quarter and secured their seventh consecutive victory.

Windham junior Abby Trainor maneuvers by a Thornton
Academy defender during a girls' lacrosse game on
May 19. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA  

“I think the prep before, like watching the film, contributed to the win,” said Windham junior Abby Trainor who scored five goals during the game. “When we practice against our own defense on what TA’s going to do, I think it really helps, because if you can go against our scout offense than you can go against any team. From the draw to the work in the midfield between 30 to 30 definitely went really well; every single attacker and midi pressured out. We saw defenders like Lauren who came up and ran the whole field. We took what we needed to improve on (after the Kennebunk loss) turnovers and how we’re executing on both sides of the ball to all these games; no matter who the opponent is we don’t let up.”

Windham senior Grace Joly scored very early on in the game. Thornton Academy matched Windham goal-for-goal until the game was tied 4-4. Windham junior Neve Ledbetter scored before the end of the first quarter and broke the tie.

In the second quarter Windham was unstoppable on offense and defense. Joly scored twice and Trainor scored three times. Windham controlled the field and won several face-offs. At the half, Windham led 10-4.

“We came into it really prepared, which is how we’ve been going into every game, taking each game one-by-one and that has really helped us keep our composure,” said Joly who also scored five goals during this game. “The energy was really good today and that is something we work on a lot. Before the game we were sitting down talking about goals, and all that stuff is really important for preparation. We had really smart plays, we were patient with the ball, we knew when to take it and when not to. Our defense needs a little bit of work still, when there’s a lot of people cutting at once it’s really hard to pick up everyone, so just knocking down some of those and picking up those cutters – but I think it’s all small things we can fix.”

Windham’s intensity dipped a little in the third quarter and allowed Thornton Academy to catch up some.

In the fourth quarter, Windham regained more possessions and while defense was strong on both teams and no one scored, Windham had several shots at goal, and they seemed to have regained the control they may have let up in the third quarter.

“We have some tough gritty kids,” said Windham varsity girls’ lacrosse coach Matt Perkins. “TA is a good, athletic team and they’re going to make runs, and you just got to weather the storm and play good sound team defense and team offense. Take care of the ball and we’re going to be fine. Composure was great; there were some things that didn’t go our way, and the kids handled themselves very well. The pass-catching and decision-making needs work, but we’re making steps, and we talk about each day, each game, each practice taking a step up the ladder; I feel like we’re doing that.”

Trainor said the momentum is propelling the team and she sees a longer winning streak ahead. <

Her Mainely Girl Adventures: Tips for Managing Ticks

By Staci Warren

May is one of my favorite months. Weekends are filled with fly fishing, turkey hunting, and finding fiddleheads and morel mushrooms in the outdoors, and with all those adventures it also means ticks.

Staci Warren recommends permethrin or
picaridin for exposed skin to ward off
ticks when hunting outdoors in Maine.
SUBMITTED PHOTO 

According to the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Tick Lab, May is peak season for deer ticks. Sitting in hardwoods turkey hunting means you’re going to get ticks on you, but that doesn’t mean you have to get bit. Since ticks are here to stay, we have to learn how to deal with them. The old saying, “the best defense is a good offense” couldn’t be truer when it comes to ticks.

Each season, in addition to my turkey hunting clothing and gear, I designate two pairs of jeans, socks, shoes/boots and t-shirts as my adventure gear that get treated with permethrin. Hang the garments outside and with plenty of ventilation to avoid inhalation, give them a good spray and leave to dry. Cover the entire garment but concentrate on the neckline and hem of the shirt, and the waistline and ankles of the pants. The treatment lasts for six weeks of sun exposure, or six washings. The manufacturer recommends storing out of sunlight to preserve the treatment. It’s important to know that you only treat clothing and gear with permethrin and never spray it on your skin. Be sure to keep permethrin away from cats as it can be lethal. I would advise keeping permethrin away from dogs and children as well. This means not only keeping treated clothing stored in a plastic bag once it has dried, but also where animals and children cannot access it.

In addition to permethrin, a good deet or picaridin spray used on exposed skin is essential, not just for ticks, but all the other biting insects out there. According to Consumer Reports, “products containing 25 to 30 percent deet or 20 percent picaridin typically provide at least several hours of protection, and any more than that and you’re increasing your exposure without improving the repellency.” It’s recommended that you wash insect repellent off once indoors, or at least before bedtime.

I often find ticks at my ankles, my waist and my neck. To reduce the chances of getting bitten, I do the following:

· Once dressed, wrap pant legs snuggly around ankles and pull socks over pants.

· Wear boots at least shin height so that pants stay tucked in socks.

· Layer clothing. I wear a tank top under my T-shirt. The tank is tucked in, and the treated t-shirt untucked.

· Wear long hair in a braid or bun if possible. I have found that a loose ponytail allows for hitchhikers more easily.

If you are in and out of your vehicle throughout the day, do a quick tick check before climbing back in. At the end of the day, a tick check is necessary. Just like muddy boots, leave your tick clothes at the door. Check clothing over before putting them into a gear bag for the next use, or place in the washing machine if it’s time for a wash. Inspect for ticks, paying attention to hairline, arm pits, back of legs, and the groin area. For those with long hair, I recommend brushing your hair and really feeling over the scalp for hidden ticks. If possible, use the buddy system and have someone help you check since it’s easy to miss tiny ticks.

Remember to keep your pets treated and to check them before letting them onto furniture or onto your bed. On more than one occasion, I’ve found a tick on my dog’s face or I’ve awoke with a tick on me that wasn’t there before I went to bed.

If you do find a tick attached, remove it as soon as possible; the longer a tick stays attached, the greater the risk is for developing Lyme disease or one of a number conditions no one wants. If you develop a rash or ring around the bite area, or feel ill, call your doctor to see if you need treatment.

A regimen of prevention will reduce your chances of getting bitten and will ease your concerns when it’s time to get out there. There are too many adventures to be had and I’m not about to let ticks take away my time in the outdoors. Just remember, it won’t be long before blackflies, midges, mosquitoes, horse flies, bees, hornets and brown-tail moths are here, so what’s a little tick?

-- Staci Warren provides a unique woman’s perspective and column on the outdoors every month. She is a freelance writer whose blog, My Mainely Girl Adventures, is about a woman hunting, fishing, trapping, foraging and living in the Maine outdoors. She also loves camping, star gazing, wildlife watching, and hunting for fossils. She’s an active member and board member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association and is a monthly columnist and feature writer for The Maine Sportsman Magazine. In her free time, she enjoys mentoring women hunters and trappers. <

Windham varsity softball squashes Portland/Deering in shutout game

By Matt Pascarella

Windham softball played Portland/Deering at Windham on Tuesday, May 13 and the Lady Eagles enjoyed an extremely strong start as they scored 10 runs in the first inning. They did not let up until the last Lady Eagle crossed the plate for a notable 15-0 win.

Windham junior Jezabelle Pinto connects for a hit during a
prep softball game at Windham High School on Tuesday,
May 13. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA  

“It was a little nerve-racking but exciting,” said Windham senior Lydia Marden who got her first varsity start in the circle; she had five strikeouts, let up one hit with no walks or errors. “I was really excited for this game; I got more confident as the innings went on, I started throwing a little harder and mixing pitches more. I feel like our pre-game energy was good. I think we need to talk a little more in the field, but in the dugout, we’ve been talking a lot and supporting each other. Nola’s catch in the outfield was amazing and everyone was super hyped for that. We’re going to continue to carry that energy through playoffs.”

Windham had a powerhouse first inning with junior Addison Caiazzo who singled on a bunt, then senior Stella Jarvais crushed the ball to center field. Senior Kennedy Kimball walked and after junior Oakley McLeod singled, Caiazzo scored.

From that point on, it was a revolving door of hits and Windham crossing home plate. Marden singled and courtesy runner sophomore Evelyn Anderson scored. Junior Lacie Higgins singled and McLeod scored.

Seven more runners crossed the plate before the end of the inning.

Windham defense wasn’t letting any runs, or many Portland/Deering hits in throughout the game. They sent three consecutive batters back to the dugout in the second inning.

In the third inning, Windham sophomore Sarah Smyth bunted and reached first base on an error. Sophomore Abhilasha Jain walked.

Windham junior Jezabelle Pinto singled; junior Lacie Higgins singled. Smyth and Jain scored. Higgins scored on a wild pitch; Windham led 14-0.

In the top of the fourth inning junior Nola Bryant made an incredible diving catch from center field.

“With the diving catches, that was my second one of the year, it’s me just wanting to have my pitcher’s backs and give them less hits in a game,” said Bryant. “It really makes the whole team hyped up when I make those catches; I love having my team’s back and making those plays. We were motivated to come in and win today; We started high, and we kept it up at a high the whole game. I think that we could definitely sit back on pitches – that needs improvement – wait a little bit longer with the slower pitching. What we did well was cheering our teammates on with the successes, we had our pitcher’s back really well and made all of the routine plays, I think that was very good.”

Marden crossed the plate in the fourth inning to end the game.

“I really challenged my batters to see how much of a disciplined batter they can be,” said Windham varsity softball coach Darcey Gardiner. “Can they stay back on their legs long enough, can they let that ball travel deeper in the zone, or are we going to be swinging out of our shoes trying to hit homeruns and swinging way early? I was really proud to see the adjustments they made from one pitcher yesterday (against Cheverus) to another pitcher today. All five seniors started today, and they have come into this year with this is all business. You had Lydia Marden getting her first varsity start out there in the circle; to see her teammates pump her up, that is everything you can ask and more. The score doesn’t show it, but for her to keep her composure not only in the circle but also up to bat, she was absolutely phenomenal today.”

Gardiner said it was nice to see both under and upperclassmen supporting each other and keeping the energy up throughout the game. <

WHS unified bocce displays excellent efforts, sportsmanship against Gray New-Gloucester

By Matt Pascarella

Halfway through the season, Windham’s varsity unified team traveled to Gray New-Gloucester High School where they took on the Patriots on Monday, May 12. Windham showed a great deal of sportsmanship and both teams cheered for their opponents.

Windham senior Colby Schmid gives his bocce ball an
elevated throw during a Unified bocce game at Gray New
Gloucester High School on Monday, May 12.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

Despite a 2-0 loss the Eagles showed that the game of bocce is more about making friends, having fun and improving at a game that you enjoy playing, rather than winning.

“I think they did really well today,” said Windham varsity unified bocce head coach Kendall Dolan. “They were really excited, and they were taking pointers from the other team which is just really nice to see two different schools working together; a really great game.”

In bocce, one team throws a small white ball called the pallina, and the goal is to throw larger balls, called bocce, to get as close to the pallina as possible. Only the team closest to the pallina scores points. This match consisted of two 20-minute games with the winner being whoever has the most points when time is up.

Although the score is kept, the object of the unified bocce game is more geared toward having fun and being part of a team.

Everyone on the Windham team, including junior Mary Jean, junior Zachary O’Brion, freshman Tristan Stanley, senior Colby Schmid, junior Jack Shirley and senior TJ McAllister displayed good throws and there was a lot of laughing and high-fiving with both teams cheering each other on.

Schmid said one of the things that went well during the game was teamwork. He said both teams showed great sportsmanship. Schmid said if the team had maybe focused more it might have ended differently for Windham. The season has been going well.

In the first game, Gray New-Gloucester took an early lead and stayed ahead to win that game, 9-2.

In the second game, Windham stayed strong, but Gray New-Gloucester won 11-0.

O’Brion said things went well and he had fun. He wasn’t happy with the loss, but he said WHS will try and beat Gray New-Gloucester the next time they play them.

“We have a really good group this year,” said Windham varsity unified bocce assistant coach Connor McNeill. “Honestly, our team is super flexible, and they are really good about going with the plan whatever it is – one thing that’s hard about bocce is sometimes we don’t know how many players the other team is going to have – so they have to adjust to playing for a different school or playing with a different group that they may not be used to playing with. They are always willing to do whatever we need. In terms of improvement, the more we play the better we’ll go, and Gray New-Gloucester is just really good.” <