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Tunnel City Freight Repeats as Berkshire Baseball League Champ

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires.com Sports
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — It was a family affair on and off the field for Tunnel City Freight Sunday as it defended its Berkshire Adult Baseball League 33-year-old Division Championship with an 11-3 win over the Dalton Money Makers. 
 
With a strong contingent of full-throated youngsters cheering the Freight from the hillside beside Buddy Pellerin Field, league MVP Matt Clark went 4 and two-thirds innings on the mound to get the win and a sweep of the best-of-three title game series. 
 
Saturday’s Game 1 winner? D.J. Clark. 
 
“D.J. got the win yesterday, Matty got the win today, Matty got the MVP this year, D.J. MVP last year,” TCF manager Mike Cirullo said. “It’s just a fun family event bringing the brothers and their parents and everybody around us. We had a good crowd to day with everybody.
 
“And back-to-back.”
 
It was a day of sweeps and repeats in the BABL on Sunday as the Great Barrington Millers beat the Berkshire Thunder, 2-0, to win their third straight 20-year-old Division title series, 2-0. 
 
Dalton’s offensive frustration started early on Sunday. 
 
After Reid Warner led off the game with an infield single, Jarrett Bayliss pounded a double to right field. But Warner got hung up between third and home and was tagged out. Two batters later, Clark got out of the inning with a fly ball to second. 
 
Tunnel City Freight’s offense, meanwhile, cashed in on its early scoring opportunities. 
 
Nolan Brassard led off with a triple to the gap in right-center and came home one batter later on D.J. Clark’s sac fly. 
 
Three straight free passes then loaded the bases for Jon Boucher, who hit a two-run single to center that gave TCF a 3-0 lead after one. 
 
In the third, Tunnel City broke the game open with a seven-run rally that featured two-run singles from Matt Clark and Cirullo. 
 
“That’s been our roster all season – forming for that big inning,” Cirullo said. “We just wear you down with the bats, and the Clark brothers keep us in every game with their pitching. We were built for that big inning.
 
“We haven’t really gotten one for a while. It was good to finally get one. We really settle in once we get that big inning. Obviously, it gets the pressure off, and then we can just have fun out there.”
 
Down 10-0 and looking at a mercy rule loss, Dalton’s Frank Curtiss hit a two-strike pitch for a one-out, run-scoring fielder’s choice that kept the game going. 
 
In the sixth, Dalton tacked on two more runs on four hits, including RBI singles from Jon Yetto and Mike Wojtkonski to make it 10-3. 
 
Tunnel City’s Kevin Lamb hit an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth, and TCF reliever Boucher worked around an error and a Jared Carroll double in a scoreless seventh. 
 
Photos from this game to come. 
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NAHA Board Accepts Director's Resignation, Unlocks Tenants Association Office

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The North Adams Housing Authority Board of Commissioners officially accepted the resignation of Executive Director Jennifer Hohn and restored access to the Tenants Association office.

The board held a special meeting Thursday to vote to accept Hohn's resignation and determined that there are currently no plans to replace her.

"We didn't make any final determinations in terms of the executive session so we will schedule another meeting at another time," Chairwoman Leigh Uqdah said after returning from more than an hour session. "Day-to-day operations will continue to be managed as normal by staff."

Per their bylaws, board member Marie Harpin will continue to handle finances, and Uqdah will manage contracts.

Hohn stepped down on Oct. 8 after 24 years leading the agency. Her resignation followed rising tension between her and the NAHA Tenants Association, culminating in the scheduling of a formal grievance hearing between both parties.

The boiling point was the locking of the association's office this summer. Tenants alleged the lockout was retaliation for posting a video on social media depicting improperly functioning door alarms. Hohn claimed the office was locked for tenant safety and to stop the spread of misinformation.

Tenants Association President Corey Fortin asked if Hohn's security access had been removed. Uqdah confirmed her credentials were revoked the day she resigned, meaning she can no longer monitor security cameras remotely.

Jennifer Barbeau, a former city councilor who was liaison to the Housing Authority, asked when the board met to discuss Hohn's severance package. Uqdah stated that Hohn did not have one.

The board also accepted the resignation of Commissioner Richard Lavigne, though they will vote officially on the matter at their next meeting.

The open portion of the meeting was brief, with nearly an hour and a half spent in executive session. Before entering executive session, the board opened the floor to tenants.

"The tenants requested an opportunity to talk to the board," said Uqdah. "It has been quite a while, but we have decided to honor that."

Fortin, who posted the original video to social media, was the first to speak. He was clear in his request: unlock the office door.

"Let's cut straight to the chase tonight. The former resigned Director Jennifer Hohn ordered the office locked," he alleged. "She is gone. The lockout is a direct violation, and the board has a duty to end that tonight."

He cited federal and state laws that mandate the tenants association be provided with office space, including computer and network access.

"We are here with a direct administrative demand. We demand that the board vote tonight to unlock the doors," he said. "Do not let a resigned director's illegal action remain the board's ongoing liability. Open our door tonight, and let us get back to work."

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