Hard-fought season ends in defeat for spring sports teams

Jun 22, 2021

The spring sports season has come to an end for Dartmouth athletes.

Boys baseball, girls softball and boys tennis fell short June 21 in their bids to continue on in the MIAA’s state tournaments, but players and coaches are grateful to have even had a season following last year’s cancellations.

“I’m pleased with how they played,’’ girls softball coach Beth Arguin said after her team dropped a 12-8 game against Plymouth North. “They have nothing to hang their heads about.’’

Although their season ended, nearly all the players notched at least one hit in the effort. 

“It was a well-fought game,’’ Arguin said. “They never gave up — it was nice to get to the first round. It would have been nice to get one more in.’’

Just days before, the Indians beat Hingham 10-4 in the first round of play.

A big sixth inning, with a home run by Samara Turgeon — along with RBIs from Hannah Bouvier and Sofia Dias — sealed the victory against Hingham.

The homer by Turgeon “picked her up’’ after the senior had been in a bit of a slump, Arguin said.

As the team bus drove home from Plymouth North, players were singing and having fun despite the loss, which Arguin said was a sign of their camaraderie.

“It’s the relationships they build,’’ she said, that are so important.

The boys baseball team dropped a tough 2-0 loss to a strong Whitman Hanson squad.

“It was a very well-played game against a very good team,’’ coach Mike Frates said.

The team had some scoring chances, but “we couldn’t get the key hits,’’ he said. “That’s sort of been the story of the season.’’

In a year full of challenges for both players and coaches, Frates said, the team was “a real fun group to be around. They loved to play. They loved to practice.’’

“If you get a group like that, that’s three-quarters of the battle,’’ he said. “I can’t say enough about them.’’

The boys tennis team dropped their match against Westwood, 4-1.

The girls lacrosse team also saw its hopes for a state title end early after its 16-4 loss to Needham on June 18.

“It’s disappointing that the season ends, but overall, we put in a good effort,” head coach Chris Tresca said.

A big issue, he noted, was with trying to generate any offensive momentum. The coach added that for most of the game, the Indians remained in their defensive zone.

“It’s tough when you have limited opportunities,” Tresca said. “When we made a play, we just couldn’t build on it.”

Despite the loss, Tresca said there was a lot to be proud of from this year’s team.

Some highlights included: playing a whole season, being able to host a tournament game, and winning the conference crown after achieving a 9-2 record.

“I’m really proud of the season we had,” he said.

Tresca added that the loss is also a good building moment for his young team, noting that “a lot of these girls were JV kids two years ago” during the last spring season.

“Being part of this, I hope they recognize what it takes to play at the next level — Needham’s a talented team,” the coach said.

Junior captain Sorelle Lawton, who scored three of the four goals, also saw a lot of positives from her team’s return to tournament play.

“I thought we fought hard,” she said. “And after not playing for two years, that was pretty good.”

As the Indians prepare for the next season, Lawton said for her senior year that “I’m going to give it everything I’ve got.”

“We’re ready to go next year and give it an even better effort,” she said.