In what was almost a carbon copy of last season’s opener, Turners Falls High School kicked off its spring with a tight win in dramatic fashion on Friday.
Pinch-hitter Riley Watroba worked a one-out, bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the eighth inning to force in senior Tionne Brown with the game-winning run as Turners opened its season with a 1-0 walk-off victory in a Hampshire League contest against Smith Academy at the Bourdeau Fields Complex in Turners Falls.
Turners also opened last season with a 1-0 victory against Smith, though that one was on the road in Hatfield.
Brown led off the bottom of the eighth with a single and Quinn Doyle followed with a walk. With one out, the pair stole second and third, and Kyle Bergmann loaded the bases. In stepped Watroba as a pinch hitter, and he quickly worked a 3-0 count. After taking a strike, Watroba laid off a borderline pitch to earn the game’s only RBI and force in Brown.
“I told Riley earlier in the game to be ready,” said Turners coach Scott Minkler. “He got ahead in the count and was able to get on there.”
The run came after Turners’ offense let several scoring opportunities go by the wayside. The Powertown stranded nine runners on base, including a bases-loaded situation in the bottom of the first. Smith Academy starter John Ferrara settled down, however, and allowed just three hits while striking out 13. He did walk six, including Watroba to force in the game-winner.
“We had some opportunities. We just needed a hit or something good to happen and it finally came in the form of that walk,” Minkler said.
While Ferrara kept Turners off-balance, the blue and white got an outstanding start from senior pitcher Quinn Doyle to match him. The left-hander also allowed just three hits, as he struck out nine and walked just one in seven inninngs of work.
“The same two pitchers threw last year in the opener,” explained Minkler of Doyle and Ferrara. “These two guys battled each other out there. Quinn came out and pitched a heck of a ballgame for us. He had a no-hitter into the sixth, but his pitch count got up there (91 pitches) and he had a blister going on his finger so we pulled him (after seven).
Sophomore Kyle Dodge came on in relief for the top of the eighth, and worked around a pair of walks to record a scoreless frame. The blue and white took advantage in the home half to begin the season 1-0.
“I’d much rather be on this side than 0-1,” said Minkler. “It’ll give us a little confidence going into Mahar (Regional School) on Tuesday.”
Brown, who also had three stolen bases, was 2-for-3 with the run scored for Turners, while Bergmann recorded the only other hit.
Frontier 7, Easthampton 0 — A dominant performance from junior Ben Arnold was more than enough on Opening Day, as Frontier Regional School got its 2017 campaign off to a fine start with a convincing 7-0 victory over Easthampton High School in Hampshire League action Friday at Valiton Field in South Deerfield.
Arnold allowed just one hit, a fifth-inning single to Easthampton’s Nic Soucy, in a stellar six-inning performance. He struck out 10 batters and walked just two before giving way to Bryce Jordan, who pitched a scoreless final inning.
“Ben did a tremendous job for us,” lauded Frontier coach Chris Williams. “He came in throwing strikes, had contol of his curve ball and pounded the (strike) zone. He trusted our defense and that’s what we’re looking for him to do this season.”
Sophomore Kalen Evans led off the bottom of the first with a double, took third on an error, and scored on an RBI ground out from Kyle Spencer. The Red Hawks (1-0) tacked on one more for a quick 2-0 lead in the opening stanza.
Evans paced the offense with a double and a triple along with an RBI, while Frontier also received hits from Spencer (two RBI), Seth Gewanter (double), Arnold, Bryce Jordan and Connor Waitkus. The squad led 4-0 before pushing across three runs in the bottom of the sixth to put things out of reach.
“There’s still room to improve for us offensively, but defensively, I expect us to be right where we were last year,” said Williams, whose team didn’t commit an error in the opener compared to seven from the visiting Eagles. “I’m very confident with everybody that we put out there.”
Frontier is back in action on Tuesday, when it travels to Athol High School for another HL contest.
Mahar 15, Belchertown 3 (5) — It took a few innings for the Mahar Regional School offense to get going. But once the Senators settled into a groove, they exploded and never looked back to snag a season-opening victory.
Mahar pushed 14 runs across in the fourth inning, rebounding from a 3-1 deficit to power past Belchertown High School, 15-3, in a run-shortened independent softball game in Orange on Friday afternoon.
Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth, Mahar finally got the timing down against Belchertown pitcher Tiffany Mann. Freshman Skylar Dodge had a monster debut, clubbed a bases-loaded double to set the tone, and Megan Rich followed with a two-run home run. Lani DeDiego, Jordan Berry and Jazmyn Vautour also added RBI hits in the frame, as Mahar scored 14 times to take a commanding 15-3 advantage.
Dodge finished a perfect 3-for-3 with a walk and four RBI at the dish. Mahar head coach Jerry Duguay expects his freshman to have quite an offensive spring.
“She’s going to be something, that’s for sure,” lauded Duguay of Dodge.
Rich tossed all five innings for Mahar (1-0), striking out seven and walking five in rainy and windy conditions.
“Megan pitched awfully well considering the weather that they were dealing with. It was brutal out there for both teams,” explained Duguay.
Mahar took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when DeDiego walked, stole second and scampered home on Dodge’s first RBI of the season.
Belchertown took a 2-1 lead with a pair in the top of the third as Lauren LeBlanc clubbed a two-run double to put the Orioles ahead momentarily. The visitors tacked on another run in the top of the fourth before Mahar charged back with the big home half of the inning.
Next up for the Senators is another independent game on Monday, when Quabbin Regional High School comes to Orange for a 3:30 contest.