Peoples baseball, Burlington tennis, Mount Abraham softball seize Vermont state titles

New division, same banner-hanging result for the Peoples Academy baseball team.

After back-to-back Division III titles, the No. 4 Wolves stepped up a division and capped a three-peat run on Friday night, outlasting No. 6 Milton, 7-6, following a thrilling conclusion to the D-II state championship at Centennial Field.

Peoples (17-2) led 6-2 after four innings before Milton (12-7) staged a comeback bid with a pair of two-run frames in the fifth and six innings.

More: South Burlington boys lacrosse dispatches Middlebury to end title drought

In the top of the fifth, Milton's Nate Pepin smacked a two-run single. Then in the sixth, Aidan Greenfield and Colin Eaton knocked consecutive singles to knot the game at 6.

The Wolves, though, went right back to work in bottom half of the inning and picked up the go-ahead run. Harry Frazee hit a one-out triple and Gavin Lund, the No. 9 hitter, brought Frazee home with a sacrifice fly to left field.

In the seventh, Hunter McClellan reached on an error and then stolen two bases to get to third with one out. McClellan then tried to steal home on a delay, but Peoples starter Chandler Follensbee flipped to catcher Quinn Kalp, who applied the tag on a close play.

Follensbee induced a fly ball for the final out, sealing Peoples' third straight title. Follensbee yielded six hits, six runs and six walks while fanning seven in his 119-pitch complete-game win.

Ben Alekson, Vermont's Gatorade player of the year who was not available to pitch due to pitching limit rules following Thursday's semifinal victory, went 1-for-3 at the plate with a triple and two RBIs. Jackson Lund's two hits included a double and an RBI, Will Brouchhausen added a hit and RBI and Frazee finished with two hits for PA.

For Milton, Greenfield went 2-for-3 with an RBI, Eaton had a hit and RBI and Carter Abell worked six innings to take the loss (7H, 7R, 5ER 5K, 3BB). The Yellowjackets also tallied 18 stolen bases, paced by James O'Rourke's five swipes.

BOYS TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP

Burlington holds off Stowe for first crown in 17 years

No heartbreak this year. And no more title drought for the Burlington Seahorses.

The fourth-seeded Burlington boys raced to an early lead and then held off No. 3 Stowe's comeback bid for a 4-3 triumph in the boys tennis state championship on Friday.

After losing in the title matches in 2019, 2021 and 2022, the Seahorses celebrated their first state crown since 2006, and their ninth overall in program history.

But Friday's match reached high drama before BHS could exhale.

Burlington was ahead 3-0 after the first three matches were in the books, but Stowe stormed back to make it 3-all. Then inclement weather forced the deciding match (No. 5 singles) to be finished inside, moving from Stowe High School's outdoor courts to the indoor facility at Topnotch Resort.

There, Burlington's Nevin Morton, one half of the Seahorses' state-championship doubles team, captured a 7-6, 6-4 victory over Stowe's Jesse Brown to seal the team title.

Eric Bhave is Burlington's first-year head coach. Bhave is a current University of Vermont student and a 2021 Mount Mansfield Union School graduate.

Burlington finishes at 17-1. Stowe wraps at 14-2.

No. 4 Burlington 4, No. 3 Stowe 3

Singles: Hugo Crainich, B def. Bo Graves, S 6-1, 6-2; Will Downey, B def. Ben Nissenbaum, S 6-2, 6-2; TJ Guffey, S def. Augie Rinehart, B 3-6, 6-3, 10-7; Parker Guffey, S def. Khiem Nguyen, B 6-1, 3-6, 10-5; Nevin Morton, B def. Jesse Brown, S 7-6, 6-4.

Doubles: JP Marhefka/Woody Reichelt, S def. Oscar Crainich/Isaac Dunkiel, B 6-3, 6-4; Owen Dinklage/Quinn Moore, B def. Leo Jercinovic/Max Biedermann, S 3-6, 6-2, 10-8.

DIVISION II SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Mount Abraham returns to glory

Behind Eve McCormick's bat and arm, second-seeded Mount Abraham climbed back to the top on Friday night.

McCormick tossed a complete-game effort and mashed a two-run homer during a championship-stamping, five-run fourth inning as No. 2 Eagles ran past No. 5 Middlebury for a 12-2 triumph in the Division II state championship game at Castleton University.

It's Mount Abraham's (17-3) first state title since capping a three-peat in 2019.

McCormick went the distance in the circle, allowing six hits and one earned run while fanning five and walking none. At the plate, McCormick finished 2-for-4 with a double, the roundtripper in a five-run fourth frame, and a trio of RBIs to pace the Eagles.

The Eagles were also balanced throughout their lineup. Madelyn Hayden, the leadoff hitter, went 2-for-4 with a triple and a pair of RBIs, Lucy Parker's three-hit day included a double and two runs driven in and Joanna Toy doubled and had an RBI.

Additionally, Gabbi Lafreniere (2-for-4, RBI), Dakota Larocque (2-for-4) and Abigail Parker (1-for-3, 2 RBIs) contributed in the Eagles' 11-hit attack. Mount Abraham led 3-0 after the first inning before McCormick's bomb helped push the Eagles to an 8-0 advantage after five full innings.

For the Tigers, Lily Dame went 2-for-3 and Hannah Cormier had an RBI. Starter Emma Deering took the loss, going 3 1/3 innings and allowing nine hits and eight runs while fanning four.

Middlebury was making its first title-game appearance since 1992, when it also lost to Mount Abraham in the D-II final.

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Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: VT H.S. state championships: Peoples, Burlington, Mt. Abraham reign