WORCESTER — The seasoned veteran takes on the newcomer when defending champion Turners Falls High School faces Austin Preparatory School of Reading in the MIAA State Division III Softball Championship today at 1 p.m. at Rockwood Field.
The Indians (23-1) will attempt to win back-to-back crowns for the third time since winning three consecutive titles from 2004-06. The North Sectional champion Cougars (22-3), meanwhile, are making their first state title appearance in school history after a 3-1 semifinal win over Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational-Technical High School.
Turners has captured seven state championships and, with a win, can move into a tie with Bishop Fenwick High School of Peabody for the most state softball titles in Massachusetts history (the Crusaders won eight consecutive Division I titles from 1990-97).
This will be a matchup of polar opposites on offense — the Cougars play a small-ball game that forces defenses to make more plays than usual, and they use their speed (especially lower in the order) to take the extra base whenever possible.
The Indians are patient but take healthy swings in the batter’s box and have the ability to hit the ball to all fields. They have power throughout the lineup, and use a controlled aggression on the base paths that can lead to big innings, as it did against Hoosac Valley in the Western Mass. final and Tahanto in the state semis.
Turners head coach Gary Mullins rarely likes to bunt, except under the most extenuating circumstances. Austin Prep, however, attempts more bunts per game (just over four) than the Indians have attempted all season (three). Strangely enough, Turners is a perfect 3-for-3 bunting, having reached via a single on every attempt.
Both teams play solid defense, but the Indians appear to have a fairly significant advantage in the circle.
AP sophomore Logan MacDonald is consistent but not overpowering — she’s been clocked in the mid-50s, is always around the strike zone regardless of the count, and doesn’t strike out or walk many batters, according to multiple scouting reports. She had just eight strikeouts and three walks in the past two games.
Her speed and accuracy could play right into the hands of the Turners batters, given their plate discipline and propensity for making contact — opposing pitchers are averaging just 2.25 strikeouts against the Indians in the postseason.
Indians senior Mackenzie Phillips could make life difficult for the Cougars with her 60-mile-per-hour fastball, a devastating changeup that can drop as low as 38 mph, and an arsenal of other pitches that make the WPI-bound Phillips arguably the best pitcher in western Massachusetts.
“She’s a Cadillac, let’s put it that way,” said Mullins of Phillips, who shut out Tahanto on just three hits, all singles. “She’s a terrific performer and I hope she has one more good one left in her.”
Austin Prep is led offensively by leadoff hitter and eighth-grader Lauren Sablone, who’s coming off a big three-hit, two-RBI performance against GNBVT.
Second hitter Kendra Currier is likely the most patient hitter in the order, while Catherine Flagg and Francesca Fralick can cause problems from the third and fourth spots.
Fralick, fifth hitter Kylie Currier and sixth hitter Liana Tamagna will rarely watch pitches, and will often get the green light to swing at the first pitch they see if they like it.
Seventh hitter Rebecca Lowe — who usually hits for MacDonald — is another patient hitter who is just as happy with walks as she is base hits. In the sectional final, she doubled and walked twice.
Sophomore and older sister Caroline Sablone is one of primary bunters along with senior Julie Barthelmess at the bottom of the order.
The Indians haven’t flexed their offensive muscles all postseason, averaging just 4.5 runs and 6.3 hits a game, but it only takes one inning to change that. Millis High School found that out the hard way in last year’s title game, as the Indians smacked seven hits and scored five times in the fifth inning and eventually beat the Mohawks, 5-3.
What’s even more frightening for the Cougars is that the Indians were being no-hit before its outburst.
Phillips continues to lead the offense from her cleanup spot, batting .417 with a triple and three RBIs. The Indians are also benefiting from production in the lower part of their order, as sixth hitter Jordyn Fiske and ninth hitter Hailey Whipple are both at .375, while seventh hitter Melissa Hersey is tied for the team lead in RBIs (4) with third hitter Gabby Arzuaga. Both are hitting .300 for the postseason.
Aly Murphy had chipped in three and and two RBIs while making solid contact in most at-bats, Abby Loynd is hitting only .250 but has a .400 on-base percentage, while Cassidhe Wozniak has managed a team-high four runs scored despite only one hit in the postseason.
Turners has still made it this far even though leading hitter Jenna Putala has gotten only two postseason hits. However, she leads the team with a .455 on-base percentage and is a threat every time she steps to the plate.
What makes this appearance all the more meaningful for Mullins is that, mostly due to injuries and other ailments, only one player has played in every game — Arzuaga, their junior catcher.
“The expectations here are extremely high,” admitted Mullins, referring to their past championship success. “But we’ve been doing this with Band-Aids and ice packs. We’ve had some young kids walk into positions and say, ‘I’ll do the best I can.’ We don’t lower the bar because they’re younger, and that speaks highly about the kids and what they’ve done to help us get here.”