Wednesday’s 10 high school tournament takeaways, plus the Gatorade baseball Player of the Year

Wednesday’s 10 high school tournament takeaways, plus the Gatorade baseball Player of the Year

Wednesday featured the biggest upset of the tournament thus far, amid a few surprising results, and the girls’ lacrosse semifinals are taking shape with six more teams hoisting up an MIAA final four banner.

Read more Payton Tolle brings the heat on the mound, and an infectious joy off it

Division 2’s No. 2 Reading and No. 3 Hingham punched their semifinal tickets, as did No. 1 Cohasset, No. 2 Norwell, and No. 3 Nashoba in Division 3 and No. 6 Manchester Essex in D4.

Find all of Tuesday’s playoff scores and recapson our daily scoreboard. Looking for a certain game? Try our sport-specific scoreboards: Baseball | Softball | Boys’ lacrosse | Girls’ lacrosse | Boys’ volleyball | Boys’ tennis | Girls’ tennis

Did you get Varsity News on Wednesday night? If not, sign up here for free to receive our weekly high school newsletter.

Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.

1. Milestones

▪ Senior Finn Wright scored four times, becoming Ipswich’s all-time scoring leader with 266 career points and surpassing 200 career goals during a 17-1 Division 4 boys’ lacrosse win over Lunenberg. He surpassed Kilian Morrissey’s record of 265 points, set in 2018.

▪ Georgetown senior Maddie Grant keeps adding to her strikeout total, fanning 10 to reach 800 for her career during a 5-0 Division 5 second-round softball win over Greenfield.

▪ Silver Lake junior Anna Craft knocked her 100th career hit during a 6-5 Division 2 second-round win over Reading.

Kudos to Anna Craft, the junior shortstop and co-captain, who picked a perfect day to deliver the 100th hit of her Laker softball career! pic.twitter.com/T7bXbQNOMm

— SL Athletics (@SLakeathletics) June 3, 2026

▪ With three goals in Tuesday’s 14-10 loss to Westford in the Division 1 girls’ lacrosse quarterfinals, Franklin sophomore Clara Blongastainer finished the season with 100 tallies.

This was Clara’s 100th goal of the SEASON https://t.co/nD8MC4VKhA

— Franklin Girls Lacrosse (@Fhsglax) June 2, 2026

▪ In her final high school game, Monday’s 12-11 Division 3 girls’ lacrosse loss to Scituate, Medfield senior goalie Athena Polechornis achieved 200 career saves.

While the ending was not what we wanted, we want to celebrate our senior goalie Athena Polechronis on achieving 200 career saves in our last game! Athena poured her heart and soul into this program and it showed every game. We are so proud of you Athena! @medfieldAD @coachmace pic.twitter.com/g4gPYNXL1f

— Medfield Girls Lax (@MedGlax) June 3, 2026

2. The upsets

After the brackets started to break a bit Monday, they went back to chalk Tuesday, but Wednesday brought plenty of exciting upsets, with nine top-eight ranked squads getting bounced by a lower seed.

It starts in Division 2 baseball, where No. 2 North Reading became the highest seed to falter in any sport this spring. The defending D2 champs fell, 14-4, to No. 15 Weston, which got a home run and five RBIs from Ryan Hinckley.

Also in D2, No. 28 Billerica shocked No. 12 North Attleborough, 10-7, in the second round as John Taft and Cam Amenkowicz each logged three hits. The Division 3 baseball bracket saw its biggest upset yet, as No. 13 Dracut took care of No. 4 Falmouth, 3-1, with Colby Pratt’s four-hitter.

Related: Cambridge emerges from intense back-and-forth battle with Natick in Division 1 baseball tourney

Three top-eight softball teams were sent packing, leading with Division 4’s fourth-seeded Frontier, a 6-4 second-round victim of a young West Bridgewater team that got a homer from freshman Alanna Fidalgo and nine strikeouts from eighth-grader Regan Bryant.

In D1, No. 10 Malden Catholic took advantage of Chloe O’Neill’s two-run sacrifice fly in the seventh inning to nip No. 7 Hopkinton, 12-11, in the second round, while back in D4 No. 9 Lunenburg snuck past No. 8 Manchester Essex, 10-7.

No. 6 Newburyport become the highest-seeded team to bow out of the boys’ lacrosse tournament following a 15-12 loss to Shawsheen, the second year in a row the Rams eliminated the Clippers in the second round. Division 1 (No. 9 Xaverian 12, No. 8 Newton North 10) and Division 2 (No. 9 Walpole 11, No. 8 King Philip 9) both saw minor upsets in their 8-9 matchups.

Related: Wednesday’s boys’ lacrosse roundup: Unbeaten Shawsheen sticks with it, surges past Newburyport

In the girls’ lacrosse semifinals, No. 6 Manchester Essex became the only team seeded outside the top four to reach the semifinals thus far with an 11-8 upset of No. 3 Hamilton-Wenham.

No. 5 Medfield became the first top-eight seed to be eliminated from the Division 2 boys’ volleyball tournament, a 3-2 victim of No. 21 Norton, which got 27 kills from Andrew Strojny, 29 digs from Alex George, and 42 assists from Jordan Moore. Medfield had swept Norton twice during the regular season.

3. Best finishes

▪ Fourth-seeded Shepherd Hill stayed alive in the Division 2 softball bracket, 5-4 over No. 13 Middleborough, thanks to Cadence Duval’s walkoff RBI single, which followed Erin Gormley’s tying two-run homer in the seventh.

Related: Wednesday’s tournament roundup: Hingham girls’ lacrosse proves too much for Bedford

▪ Rockland’s Tighe Porter tied the game in the bottom of the seventh with an inside-the-park home run, and an inning later Dustin Ayer ended it with an RBI single to produce a 4-3 Division 4 second-round win for the sixth-seeded Bulldogs over No. 22 Old Colony.

▪ No. 9 Lunenburg managed its 10-7 Division 4 second-round victory over No. 8 Manchester Essex thanks to a four-run ninth inning and 13 strikeouts from Aria McCarthy.

4. Going, going, gone

Cambridge’s Oliver Henke homered twice, Bellingham’s Megan Skarin and Rockland’s Tighe Porter produced inside-the-park round-trippers, and Erin Gormley crushed a tying two-run homer in the seventh for Shepherd Hill.

The rest of the day’s blasts belonged to Middleborough’s Grace Lynch, Weston’s Hinckley, Tyngsborough’s Kiley Hogan, Dighton-Rehoboth’s Kylie Smith, Reading’s Claire Puglielli, Hoosac Valley’s Genevieve Lagess, West Bridgewater’s Fidalgo, Natick’s Henry Kinchla, Shawsheen’s Dyllon Pratt, Stoughton’s Kelsey Whitman, Natick’s Alex Jacques, and Newton North’s Olivia Allen and Lyla Berton.

5. Ten stars

Quinn Carbone, Shawsheen — The junior was everywhere, scoring seven goals and dishing two assists to propel the 11th-seeded Rams to a 15-12 Division 3 second-round boys’ lacrosse upset of No. 6 Newburyport.

Oliver Henke, Cambridge — The Swarthmore-bound senior homered twice, adding a triple, and producing two runs and two RBIs in a 10-8 Division 1 second-round baseball win over Natick.

Ryan Hinckley, Weston — The senior carried a big bat, collecting three hits, including a home run, and driving in five as the 15th-seeded Wildcats stunned No. 2 North Reading, the defending Division 3 champions, in the second round.

Read more MLB commissioner Rob Manfred: competitive balance tax was a mistake, but salary cap might be a solution.

Related: Wednesday’s baseball roundup: King Philip bats come alive to send Canton packing

Kylie Hogan, Tyngsborough — The Boston University-bound senior showed out in a 7-0 second-round softball win over Narragansett, tossing a shutout, hitting a solo homer, and tallying two RBIs.

Tyler Jones, Sandwich — The junior was a two-way force, fanning 10 in a five-hit shutout and drilling two doubles as part of a three-hit, four-RBI day for the Blue Knights in a 15-0 Division 4 second-round baseball win against Abington.

Collin Meserve, East Bridgewater — The junior was a one-man-band, scoring one run, driving in the other, and spinning a one-hit shutout on the mound to produce a 2-0 Division 4 second-round baseball win over Manchester Essex.

Related: Wednesday’s softball roundup: Silver Lake stays in the conversation with late rally

Shannon Sylvia, Middleborough — The junior fired a five no-hit innings and drove in two with a triple as Middleborough blanked Hudson, 9-0, in Division 3 second-round baseball action.

Charlie Thurlow and Jack McCavanagh, Manchester Essex — The seniors combined for 17 points, with McCavanagh producing two goals and seven assists and Thurlow contributing six goals and two assists to a 14-8 Division 4 boys’ lacrosse second-round win over Nipmuc.

Gracelyn Wright, Hoosac Valley — The senior twirled a no-hitter in a 14-0 second-round softball win over Pioneer Valley.

6. Gatorade tabs Bumila

Bishop Feehan ace Brody Bumila has been selected as the 2026 Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year for Massachusetts.

The 6-foot-9-inch, 255-pound senior lefthander, who pitches in the high 90s and can reach 101, finished the regular season with a 4-0 record, 0.60 ERA, and 85 strikeouts in 35 innings, averaging 2.4 per inning. He also hit .361 with 3 homers, 15 RBIs, and 13 runs scored. He led the Shamrocks to a 14-6 record and the No. 2 seed in the Division 1 tournament.

“Facing Bumila was pretty cool,” said Wellesley coach Ted Novio. “Besides the velocity, he’s a very focused athlete who handles the electric atmosphere that follows him extremely well. He has very good command of hi pitches and variation in speeds from his fastball to his change.”

Bumila is ranked as the No. 22 MLB Draft prospect by Baseball America and as the No. 12 prospect in the Class of 2026 by Perfect Game.

Congrats to Brody Bumila and on being named Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year for Baseball!! @Feehan_Baseball @MIAA033 @Gatorade pic.twitter.com/sRHfMj1bYO

— Bishop Feehan Athletics (@FeehanAthletics) June 3, 2026

7. Commitment central

▪ Xaverian junior Jack Warren, a 6-foot-5-inch right tackle and defensive end from West Bridgewater who helped the Hawks win a Division 1 state championship, has announced he is committed to play football at Villanova. He also had offers from New Hampshire, New Haven, Merrimack, Stonehill, Mercyhurst, Stony Brook, and Sacred Heart.

I am excited to announce my commitment to Villanova University! Thank you to all my coaches, family, and friends that have supported me along this journey. #TapTheRock @XBHS_Football @MrWhiteXB @coachferranteVU @devine_sean @CoachChrisBoden @CoachOConnor_ @NovaFootball pic.twitter.com/MBzgECpkdz

— Jack Warren (@JackWarren3434) June 3, 2026

▪ Tabor Academy junior Kaiden Drinkwater, a 6-foot-2-inch, 180-pound wide receiver from Leominster, announced his verbal commitment to play football at Holy Cross.

Staying Home✝️@HCrossFB @CoachJeffMoore @TheRealCoachGee @TASeawolfFB @taborathletics @CoachDanCurran @CoachRG18 @CoachElliott10 @CoachDaddona @CoachRobbat pic.twitter.com/J2gE1sDZjm

— Kaiden Drinkwater ✞ 27 (@KaidenDrinkwat1) June 3, 2026

▪ Tabor junior Grady Holmes, a 6-foot-8-inch, 300-pound left tackle from Marshfield, announced his verbal commitment to play football at Buffalo.

💯% Committed 🏠🤘#gobulls @CooperWilliams_ @CoachAFeiertag @Pete_Lembo @CoachJeffMoore @peterbengtson53 @TASeawolfFB @BrianDohn247 @SWiltfong_ @jobybranion @speedcoachDB pic.twitter.com/KMKlyVctkw

— Grady Holmes 3⭐️ (@GradyHolmes77) June 1, 2026

8. Coaching carousel

Having experienced recent personal hardship, it would be an understatement to say Brianna Robbins Driscoll is excited to take over the St. Mary’s field hockey program as head coach.

Driscoll started the Austin Prep field hockey program in 2019, the same year St. Mary’s started its own, but in her fifth year as head coach, during a road trip to the Tilton School in New Hampshire, Driscoll suffered a ruptured aneurysm and ended up in a medically induced coma for several days.

“I had to learn everything — walking, reading, writing,” said Driscoll, sho returned to coaching as a volunteer assistant at North Reading in 2024 because she could walk to the field from her home.

Now the former Lasell player will take over a St. Mary’s program that has made the second round of the tournament for five straight years.

“We’re excited to welcome Brianna to our staff,” St. Mary’s athletic director Jeff Newhall said. “Her background fits perfectly with our athletic program and our school community.”

Driscoll, who also coached at Malden Catholic, said that while her health is not quite 100 percent, she’s raring to go.

“I’m excited to go back into a head coaching position and to keep building this program,” she said. “The students are the No. 1 priority.”

@GlobeSchools @itemlive @Joey_Barrettt @AboyounMark @Murray_Jack_ @HeadofSchool4 @CCLeagueEst1975 @mukala_K pic.twitter.com/VLKkWxl1Ic

Read more Red Sox match their Fenway Park season-best in runs and hits in win over Orioles

— St. Mary’s Spartans (@stmarysspartans) June 3, 2026

9. Diamond leaderboard

Strikeouts

McCoy Walsh, King Philip, 15

Kiley Hogan, Tyngsborough, 13

Aria McCarthy, Lunenburg, 13

Keira McCord, Tantasqua, 13

Liana Danubio, Norton, 11

Maddie Grant, Georgetown, 10

Cole Hendrickson, Hanover, 10

Tyler Jones, Sandwich, 10

Julia McComish, Wahconah, 10

Lila Alvarez, Joseph Case, 9

Regan Bryant, West Bridgewater, 9

Edy Latour, Dighton-Rehoboth, 9

RBIs

Ryan Hinckley, Weston, 5

Jacoby Cady, King Philip, 4

Tyler Jones, Sandwich, 4

Leah Harrington, Lunenburg, 4

Genevieve Lagess, Hoosac Valley, 4

Jonathan Laurino, Reading, 4

Meghan Pereira, Joseph Case, 4

Gabby Rodriguez, Norton, 4

Olivia Allen, Newton North, 3

Mia Caetano, Joseph Case, 3

Tyler DeRice, Hanover, 3

Zoe Fortin, Dighton-Rehoboth, 3

Ali Gill, King Philip, 3

Brady Herlin, King Philip, 3

Jaurel Melo, English High, 3

Logan Our, St. John Paul II, 3

Taylynn Robinson, Middleborough, 3

Yeduardy Soto, English High, 3

10. Lacrosse leaderboard

Goals

Quinin Carbone, Shawsheen, 7

Sydney Balewicz, Nashoba, 6

Charlie Brennan Xaverian, 6

Brendan Dooley, Lincoln-Sudbury, 6

Avery Regan, Cohasset, 6

Charlie Thurlow, Manchester Essex, 6

Evie Bernard, Hamilton-Wenham, 5

Packie Glynn, Norwell, 5

Meri Horlbeck, Norwell, 5

Trevor Manning, Ipswich, 5

Tim McCarthy, Hingham, 5

Max Monahan, Cohasset, 5

Lucas Ogden, Dracut, 5

Noah Stringer, Nantucket, 5

Finn Wright, Ipswich, 5

Jack Cotter, Walpole, 4

Riley Hallisey, Hingham, 4

Arann Hanlon, Nantucket, 4

Kylie McAloon, Hingham, 4

Jake McGuirk, Norwell, 4

Jacoby Patterson, Shawsheen, 4

Lily Rodgers, Reading, 4

Assists

Jack McCavanagh, Manchester Essex, 7

Kate Greer, Cohasset, 5

Arann Hanlon, Nantucket, 4

Teddy Glynn, Norwell, 3

Natasha Mikus, Norwell, 3

Andrew Mullen, Dracut, 3

Jacoby Patterson, Shawsheen, 3

Will Sanatacroce, Cohasset, 3

Saves

Connor Dickson, Manchester Essex, 11

Elsie Horlbeck, Norwell, 11

Zane Plante, Mansfield, 10

Hazel McWilliams, Hamilton-Wenham, 7

Post Comment

You May Have Missed