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Area Grads Wrap Up Successful Spring Campaigns

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Rob Buffis earned all-tournament recognition from the Empire 8 Conference after helping Ithaca win the conference title and a berth in this spring’s NCAA Division III Championships.
 
On May 11, he went 6-⅔ innings on the mound, scattering four hits and one earned run in a tournament win over Elmira. Two days later, he came out of the bullpen to throw two innings of one-hit, shutout relief in the title game against St. John Fisher.
 
He made one appearance in the NCAAs, going 5-⅔ innings in a loss to Oswego. On the season, he had a 4.52 ERA and a 6-2 record in 14 appearances.
 
Kevin Donati (Pittsfield) led Division I University at Albany with a .327 batting average this spring, helping the Great Danes go 26-26. He stole 11 bases in 14 attempts and scored a team-high 33 runs. UAlbany won three more games this year than it did in 2016, Donati’s first with the program.
 
Buffis and Donati can be seen locally this summer with the North Adams SteepleCats and Pittsfield Suns, respectively. Buffis has appeared in two games for North Adams. Donati is hitting .392 in 12 games for the Suns, who also have pitcher Alex Carusotto (UMass-Boston), a graduate of Taconic.
 
Hoosac Valley graduate, Franklin Pierce graduate student and former SteepleCat Tanner Bird went 4-2 on the mound in 17 appearances and compiled a 2.53 earned run average for the Ravens, who went 33-15 before bowing to New Haven in the Northeast-10 Championship.
 
Taconic High graduate and Worcester State senior Brian Bonacquisti went 1-for-2 with a couple of walks in the Lancers’ final game of the season, a 14-7 loss to St. John Fisher in the NCAA Division III New England Regional.
 
Bonacquisti appeared in 22 games this spring for Worcester State, which went 20-22, including a 1-0 win over Framingham State in the championship game of the Massachusetts Small College Athletic Conference tournament.
 
Bobby Kinne (Monument Mountain) was named Liberty League All-Academic and honorable mention all-league for the second straight season for the Vassar College baseball team. The Brewers’ junior hit .286 and had a .966 fielding percentage at second base. He led his team in runs scored with 30 and stole nine bases in 11 attempts.
 
Freshman Matt Koperniak (Hoosac Valley) was fourth on the Trinity College baseball team this spring with a .310 batting average. He scored 32 runs and stole 17 bases in 20 tries for the Bantams, who went 22-14.
 
Lenox Memorial’s Scott Carpenter earned his fourth all-America honor in three seasons after finishing fifth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA Division I Championships. Carpenter clocked a personal best 8 minutes, 32.94 seconds en route to his best ever finish in the event on the national stage. Carpenter and the Hoyas finished 12th in the nation, the school’s best showing since 1991.
 
Sophomore Tucker McNinch (Lenox) helped the Northeastern men’s track and field team finish second at last month’s New England Track and Field Championships at Williams College. McNinch placed eighth in the 10,000 meters with a time of 32:04.89 to earn a point for the Huskies.
 
Dominic Nda (Taconic) and the UMass Boston 4-by-100 team competed at the NCAA Division III Championships, where they clocked a time of 47.998 seconds in the preliminaries but were disqualified due to a bad handoff.
 
Pomona-Pitzer sophomore Carter Stripp (Mount Greylock) placed seventh in the steeplechase in a time of 10:01.51 at the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships. He helped the Sagehens finish fourth in a nine-team field.
 
Cal Filson (Mount Greylock) started 14 games and appeared in all 15 as a freshman with the Oberlin men’s lacrosse team. The Yeoman went 6-9, and Filson compiled a save percentage of .402 with a goals against average of 14.62.
 
Woody Hamilton went 5-10 playing all 15 games in goal for Trinity College this spring. The Williamstown resident and Deerfield Academy graduate had a save percentage of .564 and a goals against average of 10.72.
 
Mount Greylock alumna Lucy Barrett had 10 goals and 14 assists this spring for the Westfield State women’s lacrosse team, which advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Championships. Barrett had two assists in the Owls’ first round win over Vermont’s Castleton University.
 
Senior Emily Lesure (Hoosac Valley) was second on her team in scoring with 49 goals and 14 assists this spring as the Southern Vermont College women’s lacrosse team went 8-6 with a berth in its league semi-finals. Junior defense Lexia Gillette (Taconic) appeared in six games with four starts for the Mountaineers.
 
On the softball diamond, Mount Everett graduate Alicia Bazonski compiled a 19-15 record with a 3.32 ERA this spring at Division I UNC-Greensboro.
 
Freshman Allie Hunt (Pittsfield) made an immediate impact on the Rensselaer Polytechnic softball program, hitting .283 with a .391 slugging percentage to help the Engineers go 27-14 and go all the way to the final game of the NCAA Division III Regional, where they lost to host Williams College, 1-0.
 
Senior Gabby Lavinio (Wahconah) hit .368 with a pair of home runs and 23 RBIs this spring for Western New England, helping the Golden Bears go 24-11.
 
At Becker College, senior Ashley Ciepiela (Hoosac Valley) helped the Hawks finish 18-19. She batted .327 with eight doubles and 25 RBIs while playing every game for Becker.
 
If you know a graduate of a Berkshire County high school who should be included in a future edition of College Collage, email sports@iBerkshires.com.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

MassDOT Project Will Affect Traffic Near BMC

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Prepare for traffic impacts around Berkshire Medical Center through May for a state Department of Transportation project to improve situations and intersections on North Street and First Street.

Because of this, traffic will be reduced to one lane of travel on First Street (U.S. Route 7) and North Street between Burbank Street and Abbott Street from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday through at least May 6.

BMC and Medical Arts Complex parking areas remain open and detours may be in place at certain times. The city will provide additional updates on changes to traffic patterns in the area as construction progresses.

The project has been a few years in the making, with a public hearing dating back to 2021. It aims to increase safety for all modes of transportation and improve intersection operation.

It consists of intersection widening and signalization improvements at First and Tyler streets, the conversion of North Street between Tyler and Stoddard Avenue to serve one-way southbound traffic only, intersection improvements at Charles Street and North Street, intersection improvements at Springside Avenue and North Street, and the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of First Street, North Street, Stoddard Avenue, and the Berkshire Medical Center entrance.

Work also includes the construction of 5-foot bike lanes and 5-foot sidewalks with ADA-compliant curb ramps.  

Last year, the City Council approved multiple orders for the state project: five orders of takings for intersection and signal improvements at First Street and North Street. 

The total amount identified for permanent and temporary takings is $397,200, with $200,000 allocated by the council and the additional monies coming from carryover Chapter 90 funding. The state Transportation Improvement Plan is paying for the project and the city is responsible for 20 percent of the design cost and rights-of-way takings.

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