STRATTON MOUNTAIN, Vt. — The Hartford High girls lacrosse team appears intent on standing atop VPA Division II until someone finds the temerity to knock them off.
The Hurricanes bounced back from their first loss of the season over the weekend by dominating Stratton Mountain to the tune of an 18-4 defeat on Monday. Hartford (13-1) used a pair of quick first-half bursts to take control, riding six-goal performances from Adi Cadwell and Zoe Pfeiffer to victory.
Cadwell, Caroline Hamilton (four goals) and Pfeiffer scored within the game’s first three minutes to get Hartford started. The Canes took control for good with four goals in less than two minutes — from Chloe Jensen, Pfeiffer and twice from Cadwell — late in the half and cruised from there.
Nora Knudsen also scored and goalie Bailey Cameron made eight saves for the Canes, who maintain a slight edge on Mount Abraham-Vergennes for first place in the division entering their senior night game against Milton on Wednesday.
RUTLAND — The Wasps (3-7) shook off a scoreless first half to give the Ravens a test on their senior day.
Avari Shoemaker struck for four goals in the second half for Woodstock, with Laura Shands and Hannah Reed providing the other strikes. Audrey Emery kept the Wasps in the contest, making 30 saves in goal.
Woodstock wraps its regular season at Brattleboro on Saturday.
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — The Hurricanes (12-0) opened up a busy final week of play by edging the Slaters (5-8) at the Maxfield Sports Complex.
Hartford rallied from a 2-1 deficit late thanks to throwing errors on stolen-base attempts. Jacob Dwinell forced extra innings by scoring on a Fair Haven miscue in the home seventh. Pinch runner Trenton Bird sent the fans home happy in similar fashion in the bottom of the eighth.
Alex Bushway (3 IP, 1H, 3K, 3BB) earned the win in relief of Colin Veilleux (5 IP, 2R, 8H, 9K, 2BB). Fair Haven pitcher Evan Reed took the hard-luck loss, holding the Canes to just four hits over 6⅓ innings.
The Canes are back in action at Windsor on Wednesday.
WINDSOR — The Terriers (9-5) jumped on the Yellowjackets (3-8) for 11 runs in the opening three innings en route to the victory at MacLeay-Royce Field.
Ethan Belvin went 2-for-2 drove in a pair of runs for Windsor. Jordan Place, Owen Rhoad, Maison Fortin, Johnny Clark and Kaleb Swett provided the Jacks’ other hits.
Windsor hosts Hartford on Wednesday.
WINDSOR — The Yellowjackets (8-3) celebrated their 10 seniors by winning for the fourth game in a row, and doing it with a big comeback.
Windsor scored once in the home fifth and twice more in the sixth, ultimately cutting a 6-2 deficit to 6-4 entering the last of the seventh. Evelyn Page walked and scored on a Green Mountain error to get things started; two more walks, a passed ball and an RBI single Peyton Richardson tied the game, and a wild pitch ultimately brought in Karen Kapuscinski with the winning run.
“It was great to see the team come back from being down,” Windsor coach Heather Stearns said.
The Jacks host Brattleboro on Wednesday.
LEBANON — The Raiders (3-9) broke a three-game losing streak by topping Hanover (2-9) at Lebanon High.
Libby Tafe led the Raiders’ hit parade, going 5-for-6 with four singles and four runs scores. Four teammates — Piper Morgan, Cassady Coates, Ashlee Blashock and Makayla Finnell — all had 4-for-6 outings. Morgan, Coates and Finnell included doubles in their repertoires; Blashock had four singles and scored four times.
The teams close out the regular season with a rematch at the Dresden Athletic Fields in Norwich on Wednesday.
WOODSTOCK — Nixon Malik claimed the Wasps’ sole point in a season-closing loss to the Ravens (10-2) at the Woodstock Sports Center.
Malik rallied from a one-set deficit to beat Rutland’s Augie Louzas, 6-7 (6), 6-2, 10-7. Woodstock’s senior day also featured close straight-sets losses for its two seniors, Danny Drebber and Noah Anderson.
The loss left Woodstock (7-3) sitting in sixth place heading into the announcement of the VPA Division I tournament field later this week.