More than 600 Participate in Steel Rail Races

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- Matthew Ferraro was the first runner across the finish line at the MountainOne Steel Rail Marathon.
 
Ferraro clocked a time of 2 hours, 41 minutes flat on the Ashuwilticook Rail Trail course.
 
He finished a little more than five minutes ahead of runner-up Nick Reid (2:46:15).
 
Simone Veale won the race's women's division in a time of 3:18:42. She beat out Jill Hussain, who covered the course in 3:27:23.
 
The fastest marathoner on Sunday was Stephen Gulley, a hand cyclist, who clocked a time of 2:15:03.
 
The 26.2-mile circuit was covered by 150 finishers ranging in age from 18 (William Hanley in 14th place) to 72 (Ric Nudell, who finished in 6:04:47).
 
The day also featured a half-marathon and an 8-kilometer race.
 
Mark Rabasco won the half-marathon in 1:18:41, edging Vincent Gauthier (1:22:38).
 
Kat Morrissey placed third overall in 1:23:43 and first among women in the half-marathon, which had 213 finishers.
 
Abigail Chaloux was the fastest woman in the 8K, crossing the finish line in 35:52, six seconds ahead of Caroline Kessler; the two women were ninth and 10th, respectively, overall in a field of 171 finishers.
 
Peter Hale had the fastest 8K time, 27:42. Erik Kessler was second in 30:32.
 
More than 600 people registered for Sunday's races, a record for the Berkshire Running Foundation event. Runners from 24 different states signed up to run.
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Connecticut Tops Pittsfield in 13-Year-Old Babe Ruth Regional

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires.com Sports
WESTFIELD, Mass. – A frustrating day ended in a frustrating manner for the Pittsfield Babe Ruth 13-year-old All-Stars on Friday: with the bases loaded and nobody out in the top of the seventh.
 
Pittsfield failed to convert on that opportunity or several others as Connecticut State Champion Bethel earned a 7-1 win in the opening game of the New England Babe Ruth Regional at Bullens Field.
 
The designated visitors faced a tall order going to the seventh down by six runs, but they got a lift when pinch-hitter Alex Woo started the inning with a single up the middle.
 
Jake Knauth and Mateo Herrera (3-for-4 with a double) followed with singles to load the bases. But Bethel reliever Alex Martin got a strikeout, a fly ball to short left and a groundout to the right side to end the threat.
 
The three seventh-inning hits gave Pittsfield an 8-4 advantage in hits and upped its number of runners left in scoring position to six.
 
“It’s tough when you outhit a team, eight to four,” Pittsfield coach Francis McKeon said. “You should win nine times out of 10. And unfortunately, today was that day that we just didn’t win the game.”
 
Bethel struck first in the bottom of the first, taking a 1-0 lead without a base hit.
 
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