Local players help Blue Sox to title
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Six players with ties to area communities were pitching or positional starters for the Lexington Blue Sox, who captured the Intercity League championship this summer.
Framingham's Matt Gedman, a sophomore at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, played second base and hit .362. Third baseman Ross Curley, a sophomore at Bentley College in Waltham, batted .336. Framingham brothers Marc and Ben Hewett, who are juniors at Rollins College in Florida, provided a strong battery at pitcher and catcher, respectively. Marc posted a 10-1 record with a 0.73 earned-run average, and Ben hit .390. Jack Laurendeau, a Holy Cross sophomore from Sudbury, patrolled center field and batted .328, and University of Maine sophomore Kevin Scanlan of Sudbury had a 2-1 record and 1.54 ERA.
"Gedman is a multitalented player who also saw time at first base and pitched in a couple of games and had some big hits in the playoffs," said Blue Sox manager Rick DeAngelis, whose team defeated the Cassell Club of Somerville, 3 games to 1, in the best-of-five final series, Lexington's sixth playoff championship since 1998. "Curley was solid at third, Marc Hewett led the league in wins, had two playoff victories and is a strong candidate as the league's outstanding pitcher, and Ben, who hit .402 in the regular season, is in the running for league MVP."
The Hewett brothers were also teammates with Gedman on Framingham's American Legion squad, while Laurendeau and Scanlan were stars on Lincoln-Sudbury High's state championship teams in 2005 and 2007.
Laurendeau's ninth-inning single gave the Blue Sox a 2-1 win over the Andrew Chiefs of Medford to open the semifinal series.
"Laurendeau is a great outfielder with speed," added DeAngelis, "and Scanlan was one of our leading pitchers. Last year, when we were down by two games in the finals, he won the third game for us and set the stage for our run to the championship."
D'Amato had three goals and an assist last season, and two goals her freshman year. She was named to the America East Conference's All-Rookie team and to the conference's academic honor roll.
"We switched Jackie from forward to the back last year because of injuries and she'll see time there this season," said Maine's head field hockey coach, Josette Babineau. "She brings a great work ethic to her position and she'll outrun opponents to get to the ball because of her speed and competitiveness."
D'Amato was a team captain at Nipmuc, where she scored 69 career goals and helped the field hockey squad post a 51-7-8 record during her four seasons. She was the Dual Valley Conference's Player of the Year in 2005, and a catalyst on Nipmuc's Central Massachusetts championship and state semifinalist teams.
Also, Natick native Robert Donovan (1987, football), a Franklin resident who was Framingham State's first 2,000-yard career rusher and now coaches the squad's running backs; Marlborough resident Elder Fonseca (1977, football and soccer); Millis native Jeanmarie Lagos-Patriacca (1987, field hockey and softball), who now lives in Newton; and Framingham native David Spencer (1976, baseball, football and hockey), a Hudson resident.
For tickets, call the athletic department at 508-626-4614.
Former Bentley College All-American Mackenzy Bernadeau of Waltham, a seventh-round draft pick this spring by the Carolina Panthers, has earned a spot on the team's 53-man roster after seeing time at guard and center during the preseason. And Needham's Steve Hauschka, who kicked for three years at Middlebury College and one at North Carolina State, was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as a free agent after being waived last weekend by the Vikings. He will likely handle kickoffs.
Marvin Pave can be reached at 508-820-4223 or marvin.pave@ rcn.com. 
