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PIttsfield 16s Adjust, Advance at New England Regional

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AUGUSTA, Maine – Pittsfield bounced back from a Sunday loss to earn a 5-0 over Lyndon, Vt., on Monday to stay alive at the Babe Ruth 16-year-old New England Regional.
 
Eddie Ferris was a key on the mound and at the plate as Pittsfield improved to 3-1 at the regional.
 
Ferris went 2-for-3 with a triple and a dboule and drove in a pair of runs.
 
On the bump, he went six innings, striking out four and allowing just two hits before giving the ball to Ryan Stannard, who inherited two runners and retired three straight in the seventh.
 
“[Ferris] threw a very impressive six innings,” Pittsfield coach Ben Stohr said. “He had great defense behind him. Stannard came in to close it down in the seventh.
 
“I’m very proud of their maturity and how they set the tone for the rest of the group.”
 
Pittsfield got all the runs it needed in the third inning.
 
Connor Paronto singled with one out, and Ferris tripled to center field to drive him in with the game’s first run.
 
Jackson Almeida then singled to left to score Ferris to make it 2-0.
 
Pittsfield added three more runs an innning later.
 
“Goo [Stannard] and Sam Gyurjan each had stellar bunts that led to a couple of runs and a momentum shift in the middle of the game,” Stohr said.
 
Stohr was proud of the way Pittsfield responded after a 10-0 loss to the Connecticut state champions on Sunday.
 
“We had a cookout last night with all of the families to reset after a tough loss,” he said. “Then we had a meeting with our captains in the lobby: Eddie Ferris, Goo Stannard and Jackson Almeida. We discussed the pitching decisions ahead of us, and then they had a players meeting to discuss as well.
 
“As a team, we decided to switch up the game plan and gave Eddie the ball today.”
 
On Tuesday at 10 a.m., Pittsfield faces Eastern Massachusetts Champion Lynn for a berth in Tuesday afternoon’s regional final.
 
“These boys fought tough and earned the privilege to play together another day,” Stohr said.
 
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CBRSD Makes Cuts to Lower Town Assessments

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — School officials say reductions in the Central Berkshire Regional School District's budget will be felt, but remain optimistic that it will not prevent them from being "the best regional district in the state."
 
Throughout the budgeting season, officials said they strived to keep the seven member towns informed amid contractual increases outside their control and concerns with a state aid funding formula described as "remarkably wrong."
 
The initial budget was about a 9 percent increase, but with "strategic reductions" the district was able to cut that down to 2.99 percent, bringing the total budget to $37,740,005. 
 
"This was no small feat," said Paul Farella, district's Finance Committee chair.
 
In earlier budget drafts, towns voiced concerns over significantly higher assessments, which ranged from approximately 7 to 15 percent, compared to prior years, when it was about 2 to 7 percent. 
 
With the revised budget, projected net town assessments are: 
  • Becket for $2,859,205, an increase of 5.49 percent
  • Cummington for $670,246, an increase of 5.11 percent 
  • Dalton for $10,106,445, an increase of 5.86 percent
  • Hinsdale for $3,277,495, an increase of 10.54 percent 
  • Peru for $1,083,751, an increase of 6.11 percent 
  • Washington for $826,774, an increase of 6.64 percent
  • Windsor for $995,438, an increase of 9.37 percent
"[The cuts] will be felt, but we believe that it is what is necessary for the time being to not overburden our towns while still being able to provide a quality education to our community," Farella said. 
 
Delivering high-quality education while responsibly managing public funds in a district, which like many rural areas, faces financial constraints is a duty Superintendent Michael Henault said he takes very seriously.
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