By Pat Mariboe
Senior Sports Writer
1. Men’s Baseball vs Gallaudet—Senior Sendoff
The Shoremen got off to a shaky start against visiting Gallaudet University, when they found themselves down two runs after four innings. The Shoremen were coming off an impressive 6-4 win over Wesley and looked to latch on to a two game win streak before their busy schedule of Centennial Conference matchups in April.
All eyes were on senior outfielder Charlie Meder when he stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Shoremen were tied up 2-2 thanks to scores from juniors Gavin O’Donnell and Joe Lozupone, but with the bases loaded and no outs, Meder still had a job to get done. With a crack of his bat and a deep drive to right field, Meder hit a grandslam, giving the Shoremen a 6-2 lead, which they went on to maintain in a 9-4 victory. On the bag for the Shoremen, senior pitcher Billy Griffin put in an immaculate performance, pitching 12 strikeouts in just five innings.
“The win over Gallaudet was a big win for us,” said freshman pitcher Matt Furlong. “That game was the definition of seniors leading by example. All of us younger guys strive to be like Billy and Logan on the mount and Charlie both at the plate and in the field.”
2. Men and Women’s Rowing wins in Murphy Cup — Murphy’s Law
The men’s and women’s rowing teams started off their spring season when they traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to compete in the Murphy Cup on the Schuylkill River. The novice four team was the standout for the men, as Kimberly Lifton, Dre Harville, Matt Underwood, Ben Kuhn, and Xaeza Olt helped their team advance to the final in their event.
On the women’s side, the Shorewomen were victorious in the DII/DIII varsity eights, as the first varsity eight boat won the grand final, while the second varsity eight boat won the petite final. In the grand final, the Shorewomen posted a time of 6:49.38, while in the petite final, the team finished with a time of 7:11.56.
It was certainly a great start to both teams for the inception of their spring seasons, and they hope to carry on their success from the Murphy Cup for the rest of their regattas.
3. Men’s Lacrosse Win over Coast Guard —Maritime Marauders
The Shoremen were looking to start off their season 5-0 for the first time since 2014 when the United States Coast Guard Academy paid a visit. Many WC faithful and lacrosse fanatics alike remember the last time the team started off 5-0 on the season: a trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
A three-goal and two-assist performance for junior attackman Tanner Barbieri and a two-goal, one-assist performance by fellow junior attackman Tyler Powers helped lead the Shoremen to a demonstrative 14-5 victory. Junior goalie Ben Flood had a decisive day between the posts, making 13 saves in the win and earning the GooseNation TV Shoremen Player of the Game.
One highlight from the win occurred shortly before halftime, when junior Skyler Clark pitched the ball back to junior Austin Hepburn III after a clustered faceoff scrum, who then ran down the field and snapped it to Powers for a Shoremen goal.
“Getting 5-0 was a huge accomplishment for us,” said freshman attackman Cooper Sloan. “We started the season playing well, but we still have to keep getting better because the Conference play is what really matters to get to tournament season. Hopefully we can finish the season just as strong and get to the postseason.”
4. Men and Women’s Tennis Crushing Victory Over St. Mary’s – Racketing the Opposition
The men’s and women’s tennis teams got their seasons off on the right foot against St. Mary’s, as the men shutout the visiting Seahawks 9-0, while the women racketed their opponents 7-2. For the women, it was their first match and win of the season, while, for the men, it was the second match and win of the season, as they defeated Catholic University 9-0 in February.
The senior duo of Novick twins Jeremy and Zack led the men’s victory, while juniors Rachel Martinez and Julie Lazer were standouts for their side.
5. Vincent and Grovom’s Dominant Performance in Win Cver St. Mary’s —Dynamic Duo
The towering duo of sophomore Kirsty Grovom and senior Katherine Vincent were unstoppable against visiting St. Mary’s Seahawks. The pair, both listed as the tallest on the team at five feet, eleven inches certainly made their presence and height known in their win 17-8 win last month.
“They both have great height in there and it’s hard to defend height in women’s lacrosse,” said Head Coach Heidi Yetman in an interview with the Elm Sports Network. “It’s really hard to defend that and we work a lot to feed that ball into the middle for them. The two of them work really, really well together and when Kristy gets inside and gets that ball and gets her stick free, it’s hard to stop. She’s a lefty too which really helps her, so she’s just firing that ball as hard as she can into that net and it’s awesome to see.”
Grovom had a career-high six goals in the win while Vincent tied her career-high points with 10, scoring five goals and assisting five in the team’s dominant performance.
6. Softball Win Over Salisbury First Time Since 1998
Despite getting punished 11-1 in their first meeting of the season against the Seagulls, the Shorewomen fought back just a day later to record their first victory over longtime rivals Salisbury for the first time since 1998. This win broke a 35-game losing streak for the Shorewomen, which was certainly something to celebrate. Senior Erin Spinden started the scoring for the Shorewomen when she hit a three run homerun, and her first career homerun at that, to give her team the 3-0 lead. Each time the Seagulls notched on a run, the Shorewomen would answer back with a run of their own. It was a heroic and momentous effort for the team as a whole.
Junior pitcher Taylor Harcum controlled the mound for the team, pitching seven innings and throwing three strikeouts.
“It was an amazing feeling knowing we beat Salisbury since coach is an alumni there and I’m from Salisbury,” said Harcum. “That game showed all the hard work my team has put in during preseason. We work so well as a team. Salisbury has an amazing softball program and it just shows that we can beat anyone if we put our hearts and mind to it.”