Turners Falls High School is preparing to have a Stag party — or, at the very least, party at the expense of the Stags.
The Indians (22-1) prepare to defend their MIAA State Division III Softball Championship, and the path to a second straight crown begins today at 5 p.m. against the Stags of Tahanto Regional High School at Worcester State College’s Rockwood Field.
Tahanto, which won the school’s first girls’ sectional title, rallied from a 4-0 deficit to beat Uxbridge, 13-9, in the CMass final. The Stags have been a postseason offensive machine, scoring 45 runs in four games.
Junior third baseman Mikayla Herron has been one of the Stags’ better hitters for head coach Seve Pacheco, and she came through in a big way Saturday — she was 3-for-3 with four RBIs and scored two runs, and she smacked two hits and drove in a pair of runs during Tahanto’s decisive nine-run fourth-inning rally to take a 13-4 lead. Leadoff batter Mary Kate O’Day also had two hits in the rally.
Cleanup hitter Breanna Krushefsky, Erin Ames and Taylor Maloney all added two hits and two RBIs as the Stags piled up 14 hits in all.
Not only are the Stags good contact hitters, they’re also patient at the plate and don’t chase pitches outside of the strike zone — in addition to all the hits, they also drew six walks vs. Uxbridge.
The Stags’ only real weakness is the Indians’ biggest strength – pitching.
Ames, a junior, isn’t a strikeout pitcher – she only had one strikeout and allowed 13 hits Saturday.
Her counterpart, Turners’ star righthander Mackenzie Phillips, has been nothing short of brilliant during 21 postseason innings. She’s recorded 38 strikeouts, walked just one and surrendered 10 hits and one earned run. She has not issued a walk in 18 innings. She’s also been productive at the plate, collecting four hits and three RBIs thus far.
Batterymate Gabby Arzuaga has quietly put together a solid offensive postseason, but her defense took center stage Saturday.
The junior catcher blocked what would have been a wild pitch, recovered to pick up the ball and threw out a Hoosac Valley runner trying to move to second. Then she unleashed a picture-perfect strike to Jenna Putala covering first on a designed pickoff play that worked to perfection.
The Indians’ infield has been responsible for all four postseason errors, but the infielders continue to make plays when they need to be made in spite fielding three first-year starters (Aly Murphy at first; Cassidhe Wozniak at shortstop and Abby Loynd at third).
The outfielders haven’t been busy lately but they keep making the routine plays that occur. They’ve been contributing regularly on offense, as Jordyn Fiske snapped out of a mini slump to collect two hits and two RBIs Saturday, and Melissa Hersey has one of the Indians’ three extra-base hits with her semifinal double. She’s driven in two runs.
Turners head coach Gary Mullins hasn’t shied away from using his bench in any situation. He’s even gone so far as to use some of the junior-varsity call-ups as courtesy or pinch runners.
The winner of today’s contest will return to Rockwood Field Saturday to face the eastern Mass. champion in the state finals. The game time has yet to be announced, but it will likely be played at its traditional noon spot unless there’s a conflict involving another school.