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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Reign Goes Unbeaten in 17U Division at Home Tourney

By Stephen Dravis and Ben McDonoughiBerkshires.com Sports
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The Berkshire Reign exploded for seven runs in the top of the fourth and held off the Berkshire Bananas down the stretch to earn a 12-11 win in the 17-and-under Division of the 1791 Classic at Joe Wolfe Field on Saturday.
 
Darius Taliferro hit a three-run double, and Robby Bazinet hit a two-run double in the winning rally as the Reign finished pool play with a record of 3-0 and the top seed in Sunday morning’s semi-finals.
 
Scott Hoffman went 2-for-3 with a triple for the Reign in a wild game filled with momentum swings.
 
The Bananas jumped on top with four runs in the bottom of the first to take a 4-2 lead only to see the Reign take a slim, 5-4 advantage after three.
 
Then, after the Reign scored seven times in the fourth to take a 12-4 lead, the run-rule was on the table, and all looked lost for the Bananas.
 
But they got off the mat with a five-run rally in the bottom of the fourth and scored twice in the fifth and had the tying run at third and the go-ahead run at second in what was sure to be the game’s final inning due to the tournament’s time rule.
 
But Reign reliever Trevor Leonard delivered his only strikeout in an inning and a third on the mound when he needed it most to close the door and secure the win.
 
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