MIT Edges Williams Softball to End Ephs' Season in NCAA Super Regional

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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- M.I.T. rallied from a three-run deficit to post a 7-5 victory over the Williams College softball team Sunday at Cole Field in the third and deciding game of a 2018 NCAA Div. III Super Regional. 
 
The Engineers (38-9-1) took advantage of four Eph errors that led to five unearned runs and will advance to Oklahoma City, Okla., for the 2018 College World Series. The Ephs saw their season conclude with a 39-8 mark, one win shy of a repeat trip to the national championships. The 39 victories are a single-season record at Williams. 
 
M.I.T. senior Amanda Lee was named the Super Regional's Most Outstanding Player. 
 
Sunday's decisive battle was a back-n-forth effort from the get-go as the Ephs took a lead in the top of the first when senior Lexi Curt ripped a triple to right field and scored on Mackenzie Murphy's RBI-single through the left side. But, as they would all game, M.I.T. answered when Devon Goetz drove a triple to right and scored when Sarah Von Ahn blooped an opposite-field double over third base to tie the game. Williams came right back with three runs in the second off Engineer ace Ravenne Nasser to take a 4-1 lead. Riley Salvo singled to left and, with two outs, Curt drew the first of three walks in the game. Murphy followed, battling Nasser for 11 pitches before she belted a 3-2 pitch for a line-drive, three-run home to right center.
 
The Engineers got one back in their half of the third when Michelle Wist grounded an RBI-single up the middle. But Rebecca Duncan took over for Murphy in the circle with the bases loaded and one out and escaped further damage by inducing a pair of pop ups. 
 
M.I.T. took a 5-4 lead in the fourth with three runs. A double by Jasmine Joseph and an error put runners on first and third with no outs. Goetz stole second and Lee then ripped a two-run single to right to make it a 4-4 game. Ahn was hit by a 3-2 pitch, and a second error loaded the bases for Katherine Shade, whose grounder to second scored Lee with the go-ahead run. 
 
Williams came right back as Rebecca Duncan led off the top of the fifth with a moonshot that hit off the top of the fence in left for a double. She went to third on Mapes' groundout and the ever-clutch Martinez came through with a game-tying RBI-single to left that made it 5-5. 
 
Again, M.I.T. was able to answer as a walk and a bunt single by Joseph put the first two runners of the fifth on. They were on second and third with two outs when Von Ahn's grounder to second scooted in right field for a two-run error, giving the Engineers a 7-5 advantage. 
 
The Ephs tried to rally in the sixth when Curt drew a lead-off walk. Murphy then lined a shot back up the middle that Nasser snared and doubled the runner off first. In the seventh, Mapes ripped a one-put single and was run for by Kristina Alvarado. But Martinez's liner to third was snared by Goetz, who then threw to first to double off the runner and end the game. 
 
Nasser, the Super Regional's Most Outstanding Pitcher, improved to 21-4 with the win, allowing four earned runs over six innings, walking two and striking out one. Duncan took the loss, falling to 17-5. She went 3-2/3, allowing three hits and five runs, only one earned, while walking two and striking out none. 
 
Jasmine led the Engineers' 10-hit attack with a 3 for 4 day. Lee was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI. Murphy was 2 for 3 with 4 RBI and a walk for the Ephs. Curt was 1-for-1 with a triple and three walks.
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Mount Greylock School Committee Votes Slight Increase to Proposed Assessments

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Mount Greylock Regional School Committee on Thursday voted unanimously to slightly increase the assessment to the district's member towns from the figures in the draft budget presented by the administration.
 
The School Committee opted to lower the use of Mount Greylock's reserve account by $70,000 and, instead, increase by that amount the share of the fiscal year 2025 operating budget shared proportionally by Lanesborough and Williamstown taxpayers.
 
The budget prepared by the administration and presented to the School Committee at its annual public hearing on Thursday included $665,000 from the district's Excess and Deficiency account, the equivalent of a municipal free cash balance, an accrual of lower-than-anticipated expenses and higher-than-anticipated revenue in any given year.
 
That represented a 90 percent jump from the $350,000 allocated from E&D for fiscal year 2024, which ends on June 30. And, coupled with more robust use of the district's tuition revenue account (7 percent more in FY25) and School Choice revenue (3 percent more), the draw down on E&D is seen as a stopgap measure to mitigate a spike in FY25 expenses and an unsustainable budgeting strategy long term, administrators say.
 
The budget passed by the School Committee on Thursday continues to rely more heavily on reserves than in years past, but to a lesser extent than originally proposed.
 
Specifically, the budget the panel approved includes a total assessment to Williamstown of $13,775,336 (including capital and operating costs) and a total assessment to Lanesborough of $6,425,373.
 
As a percentage increase from the FY24 assessments, that translates to a 3.90 percent increase to Williamstown and a 3.38 percent increase to Lanesborough.
 
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