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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Berkshire Force 12U Wins Tournament Title

iBerkshires.com Sports
PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- Charlotte Kotski doubled, and Abbigail McLaughlin had a pair of hits Sunday to lead the Berkshire Force 12-and-under travel softball team to a 14-11 win over the Cage Heat Elite in the championship game of the Nightmare on the Dirt tournament.
 
The Force scored six runs in the top of the first and never trailed in the title game win at the Doyle Complex.
 
Emma Wixsom and Peyton Demary split time in the circle, striking out 11 in the seven-inning win. Wixsom helped their cause by driving in a pair of runs.
 
The Force, which started bracket play as the two-day tournament's No. 1 seed, advanced to the tournament final on Sunday by beating the Northern Columbia Impact, 12-0, and the Bethlehem Bombers, 9-2.
 
Against the Impact, McLaughlin and  Kotski each homered and drove in three runs.
 
In the win over Bethlehem, Kotski went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and three RBIs and McLaughlin was 2-for-2 with a double in a six-hit attack for the Force.
 
In the 10U bracket, the Adams-Cheshire-Savoy Swat defeated the Berkshire Force, 10-9, on Sunday morning to reach the tournament semi-finals, where the Swat fell to the HVS Select, 10-1.
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