WINSTED — Berkshire League rival baseball teams Gilbert and Northwestern showcased their ace starters in a seven-inning pitching duel that ended in a Highlander 3-0 shutout win.The teams met on Monday, May 5, at Walker Field, both looking for crucial late-season wins to improve their Berkshire League standings.Jacket Austin Brochu and Highlander Ryan Nelson battled from the mound to chalk up three scoreless innings apiece despite some shaky early fielding efforts from both clubs.Northwestern bloodied the first nose of the afternoon with a base hit from Connor Guiheen. John Lippincott put Guiheen in position to score with a sacrifice bunt, setting up Bobby Lippincott to drive Guiheen home with a line drive base hit into shallow center. Brochu remained collected and closed out the inning with a strikeout to keep the Highlanders’ lead to just one.Nelson kept the Jackets stymied at the plate, and despite coughing up five walks through the day, was able to consistently respond from losing a batter with a very strong pitching effort.Gilbert’s best offense came in the bottom half of the fifth, with a leadoff base hit from Jaron Kolek. Kolek did not have a lengthy stay on the base paths, however, as he was nailed trying to steal second. Yellowjacket Devon Molway produced his first hit of the day and was able to put himself in position to score by swiping second. Gilbert catcher Justin Morhardt, one of the Jackets’ big hitters, was unable to capitalize on the runner at second, as Nelson worked himself out of trouble for another scoreless inning on the score sheet.The Lippincotts conjured up more woe and calamity for the Jackets in the top of the sixth, as John Lippincott put himself on first with a base hit. Bobby Lippincott drove a line drive into shallow right, giving John the opportunity to score as the Jackets bobbled the throw into the infield, allowing the Highlanders to pull ahead by two heading into the bottom of the sixth.Nelson quickly dispatched the Jackets in the sixth, and his team rode their momentum into the final inning to add another run to their lead. Gilbert looked to rally late, but Nelson remained solid until the final out, finishing his complete game shutout performance.“We had some chances but did not execute on the base paths,” said Gilbert head coach Pat Cooke. “We gave up a few unearned runs ,and you have to give credit to Nelson as well. He pitched a fantastic game.”Though troubled by his team’s offensive gaps, Cooke said he was very pleased with his starting pitcher’s efforts throughout the day. “I thought Austin was awesome today,” he said. “Our pitching has been fantastic this season.”The Jackets’ skipper remains positive about the future of his club’s season. “We need to find a way to scratch out four more wins and make our way into the state tournament,” said Cooke. “It’s frustrating because we know our potential.”Brochu and Nelson both pitched outstanding complete game performances. Brochu tallied four strikeouts and one walk, while Nelson tallied five strikeouts and five walks through the afternoon.The Jackets need four wins to reach states, but have a number of difficult outings ahead of them.Gilbert’s record dropped to 4-9, while Northwestern improved to 9-5.
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Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
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Fricke and Boehmer are not there to stock their shelves with the same products customers find at standard makeup retailers. They’re there to help customers find what works for them. That usually means asking customers about themselves and learning about their beauty habits, skin, style and the way they like to present themselves. Fricke and Boehmer believe it’s their job to help customers bring out the qualities that suit them and determine what works best for their look.
So much of the Peggy Mercury world is about emboldening people to become more creative, and possibly bolder, versions of themselves. Some of this comes through the store’s creative collaborations with artists, designers and stylists.
It’s part of an ethos that encourages them and their friends to use the shop as a kind of laboratory, trying out new creative experiments without knowing how they might turn out. Whether in fashion, painting, fiber arts or photography, the projects almost always turn out marvelously.
A line of sterling silver charms they sell started as a small project by their friend Nolan Percival. In the beginning, the pieces were for close friends and loved ones. But Boehmer and Fricke encouraged Percival to get a little more serious about the project and create a whole line for the store. Today, it’s one of their top-selling collections.
Classic styles, bold colors, and creative concerts make up the “Imaginary Concerts” line at Peggy Mercury.Provided
“Imaginary Concerts” has the duo taking their own advice.
The project started as a way for Boehmer to connect with his mother, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Taking old concert shirts from his own collection, Boehmer and his mother began cutting out the graphics with the idea that they would make a quilt together. Unfortunately, she died before they could complete the project in 2025. The pieces, which were ready for production, were put on the back burner as Boehmer and Fricke dealt with their loss and the whirlwind of projects that never seemed to cease at Peggy Mercury.
But the harsh winter of 2026 presented an opportunity to take some time and focus on themselves. Part of that meant revisiting and redefining the concert T-shirt project. This time, instead of looking to the warmth and comfort of a quilt, they turned to another passion — fashion.
Taking a page from their own book, they wanted to create something that felt comfortable to them. They took two disparate loves — one rooted in simple preppy style, with clean lines and classic silhouettes, and the other in the nitty gritty worlds of punk rock and pop — and blended them together to create something entirely new. Pulling from the staples of vintage Brooks Brothers and Charvet collections, they applied the graphic elements with bold stitching reminiscent of punk jackets of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but with a much more sophisticated air.
But the remixing isn’t just the pairing of prep and punk. The pieces are not canon. They take liberties with the realities of concert tours, combining one band’s dates with another band’s logos, mixing them all up until the reality is lost and imagination is the only truth.
Shirts from Peggy Mercury’s first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” hang on display.Provided
Adding to the mix is an element of perpetual creativity. Art can be messy, both figuratively and literally, and many of Fricke and Boehmer’s artist friends carry evidence of their work on them at all times. As a nod to these tireless creatives, the duo added haphazard splashes of bright color, giving the line an even more distinctive feel.
For them, “Imaginary Concerts” passes the “Peggy Test.” The mythical Peggy Mercury is a fictional figurehead for the company, a character who thrives on creativity and change. The name, much like the clothing line, is a mixture of interests: Mercury is a planet, a deity and an elusive, transformative element, while Peggy is the wonderfully stylish and boundary-pushing Peggy Guggenheim.
Everything Fricke and Boehmer put in their store has to pass this test: Would Peggy Mercury approve? For their first collection, the answer is a resounding yes.
Peggy Mercury is at 9 Maple St., Unit 2, Kent.
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