We’re just over one month away from the 43rd Annual Bridge of Flowers Classic Road Race.

The annual event is set for Saturday, Aug. 12 in Shelburne Falls, with the 3K run/walk slated for 8 a.m. and the 8K Classic to follow at 9 a.m.

Registration is underway online (www.runreg.com/bridgeofflowersrace). The race’s lead event sponsor this year is Greenfield Savings Bank, while the non-profit beneficiary is DIAL/SELF Youth & Community Services in Greenfield.

All 21-year-old and older runners and walkers who register will receive a free beer and free ice cream. The post-race awards party is slated for Blue Rock Restaurant.

Purse prize this year includes $300 for first place overall in the 8K Classic, $200 for second and $100 for third. The next three places will receive Marathon Sports gift cards, while $100 cash will be given out to age group winners (40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-plus).

If the 8K course record is broken, an additional $200 cash will be handed out. The current records are held by Lou Serafini in the men’s division (2019, 24:25) and Annmarie Tuxbury in the women’s division (2022, 28:47).

The field already has a number of talented runners confirmed for 2023, including former Mohawk Trail star Meghan Davis, as well as last year’s overall winner Leakey Karoney and runner-up Mac Sloan-Anderson of Shelburne Falls. Jenna Gigliotti of Amherst is also slated to run, and she took second in the 2019 edition on the women’s side.

Golf

Mass. Amateur

It was a stop-start day at Essex County Club on Monday during the opening round of the 115th Massachusetts Amateur Championship, with multiple weather delays pushing rounds back. 

Conway’s Gunnar Moore was only able to play six holes and was 7-over-par at the end of his round. He will complete his round Tuesday, where the rest of the field will hopefully finish a second round leading to match play beginning on Wednesday. Crumpin Fox Club’s Ron Laverdiere did not tee off on Monday. 

Jesse Zorfas (Framingham Country Club), Mark Turner (Bass Rocks Golf Club), John Broderick (Dedham Country and Polo Club) and James Imai (KOHR Golf) posted the low scores of those who completed their rounds (1-under-par 69). 

Art Dufresne tourney

The 24th annual Art Dufresne Memorial Tournament was held on Saturday at  the Ashfield Community Golf Course, with Dave Cote, Tim Nye, Bill Buck and Craig Ses sio ns placing first in the 18 Hole Four-Person Scramble with a score of 53. 

Steve Lilly, Heidi Lilly, Rick Bradford and Norma LaBelle took second (60) and Art Panternehl, Drew Panternehl, Brian Culver and Craig Leonard came in third (61). 

Culver won closest to the pin on No. 5 while Buck won on No. 9. In Longest Drive on No. 4 Riley Jones and LaBelle were the winners. 

Tennis

People’s Pint Doubles tourney

The annual People’s Pint Doubles Tournament took place at Highland Park over the weekend, with 15 teams participating. 

The doubles team of Chris Ferriter and Alden Booth came out as the champions, defeating Steve Pedigree and Yanis Chabani 6-3, 7-6 in the finals. 

Steve Unkles and Thomas Unkles earned a 7-6, 6-4 win over Rick Miner and Gary Gronokowski in the third place match. 

Soccer

Referee instructional lessons

The Western Massachusetts Soccer Officials Association will conduct instructional classes for new scholastic soccer referees in August. Members of the WMSOA officiate scholastic games for the teams of public and private schools located in Hampshire and Franklin County. The scholastic season occurs during September, October and November.  

The instructional course consists of six classes conducted during evening hours at the Deerfield Inn. Classes are scheduled at times that are convenient for the participants. The cost of the instructional course is $50. All WMSOA members must register with the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association and meet the background review standards of that organization.

Email Artie Burke (AEBurke11@verizon.net) if you would like to participate in the WMSOA course and become a scholastic soccer referee.

Basketball

DRIVE League

Three men’s league games in the DRIVE League took place on Friday at Greenfield High School, with Charlie Galanes scoring 24 points and Oakley Mayer adding 16 points in Brattleboro’s 89-61 win over Bruso Computer Solutions in the opening game of the night. Matt Gibson had 20 points and Martin Callahan scored 14 points in the loss. 

The second game of the night saw Jacob Cancel go off for 34 points and Gehrig Brynda drop in 19 points to lead Smooth Operators to an 89-67 win over Amherst Office Park. Bryce Williams (20) and Judah Katz (11) led Amherst in scoring. 

In the final game on Friday Antonio’s Pizza earned a 95-88 win over OSC-Manning behind 33 points from John Earle and 19 points from Cam Earle. Xavier Cruz scored 33 points and Tom Manning put in 18 points for OSC-Manning. 

Baseball

Senior Legion

Westfield 7, Greenfield Post 81 5 — Post 81 held a 3-2 lead going into the top of the sixth on Saturday, but Westfield stormed back to tie the game. Westfield then scored four in the top of the seventh and Greenfield was only able to answer with two runs in the bottom of the frame, with Post 81 falling 7-5 at Vets Field. 

Tyler Baranowski pitched until he hit his pitch limit in the seventh, when MJ Paulin came on in relief. Jason Quinn and Sam Connors each had two hits while Baranowski helped himself with three hits in the loss. 

PVYBL Mantle

Collin West was a home run away from the cycle while knocking in four runs, Ben Caron had three hits and two RBIs and Austin D’Urso had two hits, one a double, and brought in a run in Frontier’s 14-4 five-inning win over Athol in a Mantle game in Athol on Saturday. 

Harry West got the win on the mound, striking out eight and scattering three hits for Frontier. Marc Gould, Oliver Johnson and Alex Lavigne each had a hit for Athol. 

Greenfield 9U All-Stars 

The Greenfield 9U All-Star team competed in the Cal Ripken State Tournament in Milford over the weekend and made it to the semifinals. 

Greenfield got things going with two games on Friday, leading things off with a 4-3 win over Sutton. Sean Winslow knocked two hits while Toby Campbell and Jovani Borgos each hit safely in the victory. In the second game on Friday night Elias Tripp scored two runs and tallied an RBI, Kaydin Snow-Rose scored while Brantley Godfrey had two hits and a run in Greenfield’s 8-0 win over Marlboro. 

Greenfield found itself training Uxbridge 2-0 going into the bottom of the sixth on Saturday in its third game of the tournament when Collin Winslow knocked in two runs with a base hit to tie the game and force extras, where Greenfield earned a 6-2 victory in eight innings.

Godfrey knocked a base hit, Campbell and Tripp each had a hit, an RBI and a run, Sean Winslow hit safely while Borgos smashed two hits in the win.

Greenfield’s tournament came to a close on Sunday in the semifinals, falling to Nipmuc — the eventual champions — 7-6 in seven innings. Greenfield scored twice in the bottom of the sixth to force extras.

Sean Winslow knocked two hits, Snow-Rose had a hit and a run while Collin Winslow and Godfrey hit safely in the defeat.

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