Salem Sweeps Trailblazers

By Jamie MorrisonMCLA Sports Info
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SALEM, Mass. — The Salem State vikings swept the MCLA baseball team in a twinbill on Saturday afternoon.

The victories give the Vikings a 26-8-1 record, and bolsters its conference record at 6-3. The loss drops the Trailblazers to 11-19, and 2-7 in the MASCAC.

In game one, five Vikings recorded at least two hits as Salem State jumped on top 6-0 and cruised to an easy 9-1 win.

Salem State scored six times in the first four frames before MCLA broke the shutout when Chase Preite blasted a home run in the fifth.

Dale Clark came on to pitch relief for the Trailblazers in the sixth inning and let up three runs to make it a 9-1 game.

The Vikings' Matt Kerr earned the win and improved to 8-0. He pitched a complete-game, seven-inning gem. He allowed just one run on three hits while striking out seven. Ross Miner threw five innings for the Trailblazers, giving up six earned runs on nine hits with one strikeout and one walk in the loss.

At the back end of a doubleheader, the Salem State Vikings roared to a 16-4 over MCLA in game two. Brett Cahill and Ethan Trowt  combined for six-hits to lead an 18-hit attack.

Ed Deren started for Salem State and earned the win after he threw 4.2 innings, allowing four runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts. MCLA's Daniel Gaines pitched three innings giving up seven runs, five earned, on seven hits.

The Trailblazers will play a doubleheader on Tuesday against Westfield State. The first game begins at 2 p.m.
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Armed North Adams Man Arrested Following Domestic Standoff

Staff Reports

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Matthew Parker, a 44-year-old North Adams man, is set to face multiple counts of attempted murder and weapons charges in Northern Berkshire District Court on Friday morning following an hours-long, armed standoff at a Houghton Street home.

The defendant is being arraigned for:

  • Domestic Assault and Battery
  • Assault with the Intent to Murder (3 counts)
  • Carrying a Firearm While Under the Influence of Alcohol (3 counts)
  • Possession of a hi-capacity firearm (4 counts)
  • Improper Storage of a hi-capacity firearm (2 counts)
  • Improper Storage of a firearm (6 counts)

According to a report, on June 10, at approximately 8:42 p.m., officers responded to 365 Houghton St. following a report of a domestic assault and battery. The caller said she and her husband had been involved in a physical altercation.

She said her husband was intoxicated, making suicidal statements about shooting himself, and had access to both a shotgun and a pistol.

Upon arrival, officers made contact with both the caller and Parker. During the encounter, Parker threatened to shoot officers before retreating into the home and refusing to exit.

Officers believed that Parker was armed.

To ensure public safety, police established a perimeter around the home and requested assistance from the Berkshire County Special Response Team (SRT) and North Adams Police crisis negotiators. The Brien Center was also contacted and promptly provided an emergency mental health clinician to assist with the incident.

Special Response Team personnel deployed drones to monitor the residence and provide aerial illumination. During the operation, officers saw Parker exit the house carrying a rifle. He pointed it at the drones, stated a report. Parker subsequently pointed the rifle toward several officers positioned behind their cruisers. After officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, Parker returned inside the residence.

Trained crisis negotiators maintained communication with Parker for several hours in an effort to peacefully resolve the situation. At approximately 2 a.m., Parker ceased communication with negotiators.

Drone operators later observed Parker unconscious in a recliner on the first floor of the residence, with a rifle and shotgun on the floor nearby.

Members of the Berkshire County SRT then executed a coordinated operation. Diversionary devices were deployed through a window while an entry team simultaneously entered the home, secured the firearms, and took the defendant into custody.

A search warrant was executed after Parker was in custody. North Adams Police seized four shotguns, six rifles, two handguns, and thousands or rounds of ammunition from the home.

During the operation, one SRT member sustained a minor injury related to a less-lethal bean bag deployment. Parker also sustained non-life threatening injuries during the arrest and was transported to Berkshire Medical Center for medical evaluation.

"We thank the community for its patience and cooperation throughout this incident, particularly residents in the affected area who complied with temporary shelter-in-place requests," Police Chief Mark Bailey said.  "The North Adams Police Department extends its sincere appreciation to the agencies that provided mutual aid and assisted by handling calls for service during this incident. We are especially grateful to the Berkshire County Special Response Team for its professional and decisive response, the Brien Center for the rapid deployment of a mental health clinician, and our crisis negotiators whose efforts helped maintain dialogue and contributed significantly to the safe resolution of this incident."

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