Housy Juniors baseball drops 9-5 to Barkhamsted

Braeden Duncan started on the mound for the Housy Juniors in the game against Barkhamsted, June 27.
Copey Rollins
Braeden Duncan started on the mound for the Housy Juniors in the game against Barkhamsted, June 27.
SHARON — The Housy Juniors hosted the second game of the Babe Ruth summer baseball league at Veterans’ Field in Sharon on June 27. They fought hard against Barkhamsted, but ultimately fell to their opponent, 9-5.
The Housy team consists of teens from Region One towns: Sharon, Salisbury, Kent, Cornwall, North Canaan, and Falls Village. Players range in age from 13 to 15 and learn from the experienced coaching and invested teammates that summer baseball offers.
Fans surrounded the field on a cool and windy afternoon as Braeden Duncan, a rising sophomore from Housatonic Valley Regional High School, took the mound to start the game. He was able to help Housy keep a tight first inning, letting one run squeeze by.
Only able to get a few players on base, the Juniors had a slow start at bat and were unsuccessful in scoring any runs in the first inning.
At the top of the second, Duncan’s strong pitching locked out their opponents, and then Housy got on the board in the bottom of the inning. The Juniors took a 2-1 lead with runs from both Hunter Conklin and Wes Allyn.
Barkhamsted came out strong at the top of the third and were able to get their first two hitters on base. As the inning progressed, the two athletes slowly made their way around the diamond to score two runs.
Both teams in the Babe Ruth League laid it all on the line, including Brooker Cheney seen sliding head-first into second base.Copey Rollins
A pitching change put Hunter Conklin on the mound for Housy. Barkhamsted was able to sneak in one more run before Conklin struck them out in a key moment with the bases loaded, putting an end to their high-scoring inning.
Barkhamsted kept its momentum, completely blocking out Housy at the bottom of the third. Housy, however, struck back with relief pitcher Wyatt Bayer at the top of the fourth getting a pair of strikeouts before tagging a Barkhamsted player at first base.
Housy was only able to get one run in, by Brooker Cheney, in the bottom of the fourth. However, the Juniors started the fifth inning strong, and with clutch tags on the first two batters at first before striking out a third.
At the bottom of the fifth, Allyn hit a rocket deep in the outfield, and with a sacrifice bunt from Grafton Reilly, Housy was able to score yet another run bringing the game to 6-4 and chipping away at Barkhamsted’s lead. Backed by the motivation from his team, Bayer worked hard at the mound, striking out three Barkhamsted batters again.
Wyatt Bayer came in as the relief pitcher for Housy. Despite some serious heat and hustle from Bayer, Barkhamsted won 9-5.Copey Rollins
Housy was unable to make up any ground at the bottom of the sixth and Barkhamsted had a strong seventh inning, getting three runs off of the fatigued home team.
As the sun started to go down and the field got cooler, Housy got ready to make a big push at the end of the seventh. Barkhamsted pushed harder and was able to close out the game 9-5.
The teams stayed close throughout the whole game with each working hard to prevent the other from gaining any momentum. After the game, Housy coach John Conklin said, “I see growth every single game,” as he looked forward to further honing the team’s skills in their game against Tri Town on Saturday, June 29.
LAKEVILLE — Rhys V. Bowen, 65, of Foxboro, Massachusetts, died unexpectedly in his sleep on Sept. 15, 2025. Rhys was born in Sharon, Connecticut, on April 9, 1960 to Anne H. Bowen and the late John G. Bowen. His brother, David, died in 1979.
Rhys grew up at The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, where his father taught English. Attending Hotchkiss, Rhys excelled in academics and played soccer, basketball, and baseball. During these years, he also learned the challenges and joys of running, and continued to run at least 50 miles a week, until the day he died.
In 1982 after graduating summa cum laude from Harvard College, Rhys returned to Hotchkiss to teach biology, where he met his wife of 35 years, Rebecca (Becky) Snow. After two years of teaching, he worked at a research field site in Borneo, then went on to the University of California, Davis where he earned a PhD in Animal Behavior in 1995.
Rather than follow an academic tenure track, Rhys preferred the solitary focus of field ornithology, and he spent several decades researching the ecology of bird species in California and on Cape Cod and the Islands. Rhys believed passionately in supporting biodiversity through habitat preservation. His proudest achievements, therefore, came through his work for the Lakes Region Conservation Trust, in New Hampshire, where he served on committees and the Board of Trustees for twenty years, including three years as Chair.
Deeply intellectual and curious, Rhys learned Homeric Greek so he could read The Odyssey and The Iliad in their original language. An amateur Melville scholar, he would wax poetic about reading Moby-Dick for the umpteenth time.Rhys’s spirit was filled by the performing arts. Concerts by the Handel and Haydn Society and Boston Early Music Festival often brought tears to his eyes, while Boston Bluegrass Union shows delivered toe-tapping fidgetiness.
Rhys will be missed by his wife, Becky Snow, his mother, Anne Bowen, extended family, friends, and anyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.
A service will be held at The Hotchkiss School chapel on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 at 1 p.m..
In honor of Rhys’s memory, donations can be made to the Lakes Region Conservation Trust.
LAKEVILLE — Kelsey K. Horton, 43, a lifelong area resident, died peacefully on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Connecticut, following a courageous battle with cancer. Kelsey worked as a certified nursing assistant and administrative assistant at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, from 1999 until 2024, where she was a very respected and loved member of their nursing and administrative staff.
Born Oct. 4, 1981, in Sharon, she was the daughter of W. Craig Kellogg of Southern Pines, North Carolina, and JoAnne (Lukens) Tuncy and her husband Donald of Millerton, New York. Kelsey graduated with the class of 1999 from Webutuck High School in Amenia and from BOCES in 1999 with a certificate from the CNA program as well. She was a longtime member of the Lakeville United Methodist Church in Lakeville. On Oct. 11, 2003, in Poughkeepsie, New York, she married James Horton. Jimmy survives at home in Lakeville. Kelsey loved camping every summer at Waubeeka Family Campground in Copake, and she volunteered as a cheer coach for A.R.C. Cheerleading for many years. Kelsey also enjoyed hiking and gardening in her spare time and spending time with her loving family and many dear friends.
In addition to her husband and parents, Kelsey is survived by her two beloved children, Hunter Horton and Aryanna Horton, both of Lakeville; a step-brother, Jason Tuncy of East Hartford, Connecticut; her mother-in-law, Frances “Fran” Horton and her brother-in-law, Benjamin D. Horton III and his wife Penny of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, and their son, Alec, and several aunts, uncles, cousins and many dear friends. She was predeceased by her father-in-law, Benjamin D. Horton, Jr. in 2017.
There are no calling hours. A Celebration of Life will take place on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Millerton American Legion Post # 178, Route 44, Millerton, NY 12546. A time to celebrate Kelsey and share stories and memories. Memorial contributions may be made to The Jane Lloyd Fund. Please make checks payable to Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation (please note in memo line, The Jane Lloyd Fund) and mail to: Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, 800 N. Main Street, Sheffield, MA 01257.
To send an online condolence to the family, flowers to the service or to plant a tree in Kelsey’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546.
SHARON — On Sept. 27, Eliot Warren Brown was shot and killed at age 47 at his home in New Orleans, Louisiana, in a random act of violence by a young man in need of mental health services. Eliot was born and raised in Sharon, Connecticut, and attended Indian Mountain School and Concord Academy in Massachusetts. He graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He and his wife Brooke moved to New Orleans to answer the call for help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and fell in love with the city.
In addition to his wife Brooke, Eliot leaves behind his parents Malcolm and Louise Brown, his sisters Lucia (Thaddeus) and Carla (Ruairi), three nephews, and extended family and friends spread far and wide.
Normally at this point one might list some interests, but in Eliot’s case, it’s easier to list what he wasn’t interested in: watching sports.
Eliot made a living as a fine craftsman and carpenter, but at heart he was an artist. He was well versed in music, painting, literature, biking, travel, Mardi Gras costumes, poker, pranks, street performance and on and on and on.Having previously hiked the entire Camino de Santiago in Spain and Portugal, he recently achieved another dream of summiting the highest stratovolcano in North America.
Eliot’s creative ability was astounding. His creations were designed to bring joy to others. He didn’t seek recognition or praise, and a large part of his work was anonymous. Pieces of art would appear in the community, encouraging people to think, connect and enjoy.
From the precociously funny and determinedly defiant boy that grew up in the Northwest corner of Connecticut, Eliot grew into a brilliant, gentle souled, boundlessly creative, ever mischievous, perpetually scraggly, and astoundingly wise and caring man who made an indelible impact on those who were lucky to have him in their lives.
In honor of Eliot, please consider making donations to organizations that work to end gun violence, support the arts, or provide mental health services. A service will be held at the Congregational Church in Salisbury on Sunday Oct. 26 at 2 p.m.
SHARON — Randall “Randy” Osolin passed away on Sept. 25, 2025, at the age of 74. He was born on Feb. 6, 1951, in Sharon, Connecticut to the late Ramon (Sonny) and Barbara (Sandmeyer) Osolin.
He was a dedicated social worker, a natural athlete, a gentle friend of animals, an abiding parish verger, an inveterate reader, and an estimable friend and neighbor. He was a kind-hearted person whose greatest joy was in helping someone in need and sharing his time with his family and good friends.
He was the beloved husband of Karen LaChance Osolin; the loving brother of Bruce Osolin and the late Gail Osolin Leo; the devoted uncle of Kyle and Andrew Osolin and Taylor LaChance; the brother-in-law of Debra LaChance; and the cousin of Brenda Curran, Jay Pickering and Audra Salazar.
To honor Randy’s memory, do a good deed for another or send a donation to the Little Guild, 258 Sharon-Goshen Road, West Cornwall, CT 06796. The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.