The Alternative Press

Hillary Densen (Summit, Sr.) scored one goal as Amherst's women’s lacrosse team opened the season with a 10-7 loss to Colby at home on Saturday. The Pingry grad was only warming up, however. She tallied three goals and set up three others on Sunday as Amherst notched their first victory of the season in a 9-8 home triumph over Bates.

Kate Sheridan (Westfield, Sr.) and Kallan Murray (Chatham, Fr.) both scored two goals as Colgate defeated Bucknell, 19-7, in Hamilton, N.Y. on Saturday. Sheridan, who prepped at Oak Knoll, also assisted on four goals. The Raiders stand at 3-3.

Columbia's Kelly Buechel (South Orange, Sr.) and Kate Murphy (Chatham, Fr.) scored one goal apiece in Saturday's 14-7 loss to Cornell in New York City. Buechel, a Columbia High grad, also caused three turnovers, lifted four ground balls and controlled four draws. Murphy, who graduated from Chatham High last year, got credit for one ground ball. Cornell's Brittany Marriott (Chatham, Fr.), who lined up alongside Murphy at Chatham High last year, caused one turnover and recovered one ground ball for the Big Red (4-0). Columbia dropped to 1-3.

When Jaclyn Leto (Chatham, Fr.) scored at the 25:48 mark of the first quarter, the goal put Dartmouth up, 2-0, over No. 2 Florida. The lead wouldn't last, however, as the Gators pulled ahead to win, 14-9, over the Big Green (4-1), who are ranked 13^th. Leto, a Chatham High product, caused one turnover and controlled one draw, while teammate Frances Bird (Summit, Soph.) caused a turnover, lifted a ground ball and controlled a draw.

Emma Ehler (Chatham, Jr.) scored five goals and teammate Meredith Crane (Maplewood, Soph.) had three as Susquehanna ripped Whittier, 20-11, in Whittier, Calif. on Friday. Ehler, a Chatham High grad, caused three turnovers, controlled three draws and lifted two ground balls, while Crane assisted on one goal and controlled three draws as the Crusaders improved to 5-0 against Richard Nixon's alma mater.

Sarah Weber (Summit, Jr.) of Holy Cross helped hold Lafayette at bay with 11 saves in goal in a 20-10 Crusaders victory in Easton, Pa. on Saturday. Holy Cross is 4-3.

New Hampshire's Kathleen O'Keefe (Chatham, Sr.) made 13 saves as the Wildcats lost, 11-9, to Connecticut in Storrs, Conn. on Wednesday. New Hampshire is 0-4. 

Shannon Galvin (Maplewood, Fr.) scored a goal, her sixth of the season, to help Villanova defeat Mount St. Mary's, 16-7, at home on Saturday. Galvin, an Oak Knoll grad, also assisted on one goal, also picked up two ground balls and controlled one draw. Teammate Tierney Griff (Summit, Fr.), a Pingry product, got credit for one draw control. The Wildcats improved to 2-3.

Liberty prevailed over Wagner, 12-11, with Kristen Masullo (Berkeley Heights, Jr.) in goal for the victorious Flames, where she made seven saves. Michela Galante (Maplewood, Jr.) scored a goal for Wagner on a free position shot. She also caused two turnovers, retrieved two ground balls and controlled one draw. Both teams now claim 4-2 records.

Val Hoffman (Westfield, Jr.) scored two goals as Dickinson defeated Kenyon, 20-8, in Carlisle, Pa. on Saturday. The Westfield High grad also caused one turnover and brought up one ground ball for the Red Devils (3-2).

Kimberly Abruzzo (Summit, Soph.) of Franklin & Marshall earned an assist in the Diplomats' 15-9 loss to Cortland State in Lancaster, Pa. on Saturday. F&M dropped to 2-1.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Bloomfield College earned its way into the NCAA Division 2 playoffs by winning the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament for the third straight year. The Deacons did so by defeating Holy Family, 70-62, on Friday and Philadelphia University, 68-64, on Saturday in the championship tilt. Both games were played in Philadelphia. Somebody rang a bell in the ears of guard Steve Henderson (West Orange, Jr.), who has been quiet all season long. He awoke with a nine-point outburst in the Holy Family game, planting three of five shots from the Liberty Bell through the hoop in just nine minutes on the floor. Teammate Kevin Udo (West Orange, Jr.) came away with a game-high 11 rebounds to go with eight points, accumulated on 3-for-4 shooting from the floor and 2-for-2 from the foul line. Udo turned into the sultan of swat with the championship on the line, as he rejected six Philly shots. His 14 rebounds were a team high and he chipped in seven points. Bloomfield (17-12) plays Franklin Pierce on Saturday in Manchester, N.H. in first-round NCAA action.

Kevin Ferguson (Berkeley Heights, Fr.) was a perfect 3-for-3 from the floor as Army lost to Bucknell, 78-70, in Lewisburg, Pa. on Saturday in Patriot League Tournament semifinal round action. The 6-10 center out of Gov. Livingston High also closed the deal on five of seven free throws to finish with 11 points. His six rebounds and two blocks were both team highs for the Black Knights (16-15).

Columbia's Alex Rosenberg (Short Hills, Soph.) closed out the season with a pair of fine performances in New England. Friday's 56-51 loss to NCAA-bound Harvard saw the Millburn High grad score 14 points, which was co-high for the Lions. He nailed five of nine field goal attempts, including two of four from the Triangle and two of four from the foul line. He also had four rebounds. Saturday's season-ending 64-58 loss to Dartmouth found Rosenberg putting 13 points on the scoreboard. He hit four of eight shots from the floor (one of two from downtown) and four of five from the Salmon Chase line. Rosenberg, who started 24 of 28 games for Columbia, averaged 9.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. The Lions finished 12-16 for the season after a 4-1 start that included an 18-point whipping of Villanova, which is likely bound for the Big Dance.

Amherst (26-2) remains alive in the Division 3 scramble. The Lord Jeffs defeated Plattsburgh State, 89-72, at home on Saturday to advance to the third round. Tom Killian (Summit, Jr.) chipped in five points for Amherst on 2-for-5 shooting from the field, including 1-for-2 from deep. The 6-4 Delbarton grad also recorded a game-high three blocks and peeled off four rebounds. Amherst's next assignment is Randolph-Macon at home on Saturday afternoon.

Middlebury similarly made it through the second round with a 67-63 road win over Cortland State. Joey Kizel (Short Hills, Jr.) lit up the scoreboard with a team-high 22 points, downing seven of 12 shots from the floor (three of six from the high-rent district) and five of six foul shots. He also delivered a game-high four assists. The Panthers (24-3), who have won their first two NCAA matches by four points or less, face Ithaca at home on Saturday. The Bombers (21-8) advanced on Saturday with a 70-68 road win over Rochester. Jordan Healey (Summit, Sr.) played 15 minutes for Ithaca, but did not score.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Abigail Martin (Maplewood, Sr.) saw her collegiate career end on Sunday as Monmouth lost, 59-57, in overtime to Mount St. Mary's in West Long Branch. Martin, a Columbia High alum, tallied 11 points in a swan song that was limited to 20 minutes, due to foul trouble; she eventually got whistled off the floor when she committed her fifth personal foul. She made five of nine field goal attempts, including one of two from Rt. 36. She also had five rebounds. The Hawks finished the season 15-15.

Amanda Berntsen (Chatham, Fr.) had an efficient nine minutes for Princeton in the Tigers' 80-51 mauling of Brown at Jadwin Gym on Saturday. The Chatham High product made all three of her field goal attempts, two of which were launched from Rt. 206, to finish with eight points. Princeton (21-6, 12-1 Ivy League) closes out the Ivy League season at Penn on Tuesday evening before beginning NCAA Tournament play.

ICE HOCKEY

Princeton's Mike Ambrosia (Chatham, Fr.) picked up an assist, his fifth of the season, as Princeton closed out the season at Hobey Baker Rink with a 4-2 loss to Cornell. Ambrosia, a Delbarton grad, posted six goals in his first season with the Tigers (10-16-5).

TENNIS

Kenyon's Lydia Winkler (Summit, Sr.) earned two wins against a loss while playing fourth singles in the Ladies' recent swing through California. Kenyon scored a 9-0 victory over Hope International in Fullerton last Thursday, with Winkler taking out Becca Roeser, 6-2, 6-1. They then moved on to the University of La Verne on Friday, where they suffered a 6-3 defeat. Winkler, a Summit High grad, lost to Brooke Hines, 7-5, 6-4, 1-0. Kenyon atoned for that on Saturday in Thousand Oaks, where they defeated Cal Lutheran, 9-0. Winkler handled Carly Mouzes, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5).

BASEBALL

Northeastern first baseman Rob Fonseca (Madison, Soph.) blasted his first home run of the season in a 10-8 loss to Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va. on Saturday. The Seton Hall Prep grad pulled the ball down the left field line with the bases empty in the fifth inning. In the eighth inning, Fonseca brought two runs in with a double. One of the runners was catcher John Puttress (New Providence, Sr.), who reached base on an RBI single. Both Fonseca and Puttress went 2-for-4. The Huskies are 8-6. 

Bloomfield's Joe Meola (Maplewood, Jr.) had a 4-for-5 day at the plate at the Deacons defeated Post, 7-6, in West Palm Beach, Fla. on Wednesday. The centerfielder out of Columbia High was slotted at the top of the order and delivered three singles and a triple, along with a base on balls. He stole three bases and scored three runs for the Deacons (1-6).

St. John's Frank Schwindel (Livingston, Jr.) went 4-for-13 at the plate in a three game series on the road against Radford. The Red Storm sandwiched wins, 4-3 and 12-9, around a 5-4 loss on Saturday. Schwindel knocked a home run with nobody on base down the left field line in the loss. He also drove in three runs in the Sunday win, the first on a ground out and the rest on a single. Joey Graziano (Berkeley Heights, Fr.) saw action in relief in two games for St. John's. In the 12-9 victory, he came on in the bottom of the ninth inning with one out and runners on first and second base. He got out of the jam on a fly ball to center field and a swinging strikeout that ended the game. He was awarded a save, his first on the collegiate level. In Saturday's loss, he faced three batters, getting two on strikeouts and the third on a fly ball to left field. St. John's is 3-11.

Fairfield's Mike Wallace (Madison, Fr.) hurled four innings of scoreless relief in the Stags' 4-2 loss to Illinois State in Winter Haven, Fla. on Sunday. Wallace, a righty out of Madison High, allowed just two hits, while walking two and striking out one batter. Fairfield is 3-6.

Siena shortstop Tyler Martis (Berkeley Heights, Fr.) knocked out a base hit and came around to score a run in each of the Saints' three games against Charleston Southern in Charleston, S.C. over the weekend. He drove in a run and handled eight chances cleanly in Saturday's 8-7 loss. The Saints (3-9) won the second game of that twinbill, 10-5, and then lost Sunday's rubber game, 8-3. 

Jordan Farber (Livingston, Fr.) had an auspicious debut for Wesleyan in Monday's 4-1 loss to Bethany Lutheran in Tucson, Ariz. The shortshop out of Livingston High had three singles from four at-bats. He also handled two chances cleanly. The Cardinals are off to a 1-2 start.

Gettysburg's Ben Roessle (Summit, Jr.) had a pair of 2-for-4 games at the plate during the Bullets' spring trip to Fort Myers, Fla. The first baseman out of Summit High sprayed a pair of singles from three at-bats in Sunday's 4-0 win over St. Lawrence. He drove in one run in that game. The Bullets (5-1) needed 11 innings to dispose of Rockford, 4-2, on Monday, as Roessle again delivered two singles from four at-bats. He also had a sac bunt and a stolen base.

Pat Butler (Chatham, Sr.) pitched one and two-thirds innings of scoreless relief in UConn's 8-0 victory over Sam Houston State in Huntsville, Tex. on Saturday. The Chatham High alum faced seven batters, allowed two hits and struck out one batter. The Huskies are 8-4.

Third baseman Ryan Haggerty (Scotch Plains, Soph.) punched out a double and a single from four at-bats to help propel Elizabethtown to a 5-4 win over Westminster (Pa.) in Fort Pierce, Fla. on Friday. The Scotch Plains-Fanwood grad drove in a run on each of his hits. The Blue Jays are 4-8.

Doug Pastore (New Providence, Fr.) came on to throw an inning and one-third of scoreless relief for Richard Stockton in a 7-2 loss to Wesley in Vero Beach, Fla. on Saturday. The four batters he faced went down on two fly balls, a pop up and a ground out. The Ospreys are 6-4.

A.J. Flores (West Orange, Jr.) scored the only run William Paterson would need in the first game of a Sunday doubleheader with Manhattanville in Wayne. Batting leadoff, he walked and came around on two subsequent singles and a walk. He also singled in a run in two at-bats as the Pioneers romped, 15-0. In the second game, Flores sprayed three singles from as many at-bats, as Paterson prevailed, 9-4. He also walked, stole three bases, scored one run and drove one in. Teammate Adam Miller (West Orange, Fr.) pitched an inning of scoreless relief in the second game. He faced four batters, allowed one hit and struck out one batter. The Pioneers are 3-1.