Hampshire Regional’s Skylar Duda records 100th career point

Skylar Duda knew her wait was over as soon as she received the pass.

The Hampshire Regional senior received the ball from her younger sister Summer then ripped a shot into the back of the net against Monson on Thursday.

The goal gave her 100 career points, ending three games of nervous pressure and waiting. 

“Sometimes I can call a shot when it’s coming to me. It was one of those moments it was so perfect,” Skylar Duda said. “This is a goal I’ve wanted since I started lacrosse.”

It couldn’t have come from a better source, either.

“I feel like it was meant to happen,” Skylar Duda said.

She scored four goals for the Raiders in a 10-3 victory. It’s the first year Hampshire has hosted its lacrosse co-op, and Duda accumulated some of her points playing for St. Mary’s. She also had to squeeze the accomplishment into three seasons after the pandemic canceled spring sports in 2020. Duda now has 94 career goals and seven assists for 101 points.

“I feel like now I have this weight off my shoulders and I don’t have to stress about really my personal goals,” Duda said. “Now I can really focus on working with the team.”

Hampshire’s Mary Thibault (two ground balls) and Emma Archambault added two goals each.

Dana Warren (two assists) and Reagan Mott (assist) each found the net once for the Raiders.

Hampshire’s Abby Hennessy saved seven shots.

Softball

Palmer 17, Granby 5 – Lauren Parker had three hits, an RBI and scored a run, and Briana Sosa had two hits and a run in the Rams’ loss on Thursday.

Pitcher Mabel Carillon threw four innings, striking out five batters and walking six.

Baseball

Westfield 4, Northampton 1 – In a rematch of last year’s Western Mass. Division 1 championship game, the visiting Blue Devils fell into a 3-0 deficit after one inning and couldn’t climb out on Thursday.

The host Bombers never trailed in a 4-1 independent victory at Westfield State’s Hagan Field.

Westfield pushed three across in the home half of the first, but Northampton starter Jack Kelleher-Mochak settled in from there and kept the Bombers bats in check.

The defending WMass champion Blue Devils cut into the deficit in the top of the third inning, plating a run thanks to some heads-up baserunning. Nate Kelleher-Mochak scampered home from third base after a fielder’s choice off the bat of Dominic Badorini for the visitors’ only run of the day.

Westfield tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth.

Kelleher-Mochak struck out five in five innings on the mound, allowing just four hits.

Boys lacrosse

Hoosac Valley 13, South Hadley 12 (OT) – Kadyn Laramee scored five goals, and the Tigers led into the fourth quarter before ultimately dropping a 13-12 heartbreaker in Cheshire on Thursday.

Undefeated Hoosac Valley trailed 10-8 entering the fourth, but held a 4-2 edge in the final period to force overtime where it found the game winner.

Charlie Anischik (four assists), Jack Sullivan and Averey Haber all scored twice for the Tigers, and Owen Dawson rounded out the scoring. South Hadley led 7-5 at halftime.

Bennett Allen made six saves in net. Brock Fitzell added an assist.

Girls tennis

South Hadley 5, Holyoke 0 – Grace Loughrey won a third-set super-tiebreaker to seal a 5-0 sweep for the Tigers on Thursday.

Loughrey was a 7-5, 3-6, 10-5 winner at No. 1 singles over Holyoke’s Keegan Kukucka.

Sophie Kennedy was a 6-0, 6-1 winner at No. 2 singles for the Tigers, and teammate Estella Estrada captured a 6-0, 6-0 win at No 3.