A slow start had Turners Falls High School in early trouble early, but with starter Peyton Emery getting better as the night went along and the Powertown offense exploding in the middle innings, a potential second loss in the Franklin County League was averted Monday night.
Host Turners overcame a 3-0 deficit, riding the strength of three home runs, two from Cassidhe Wozniak, en route to a 16-4, six-inning win over Athol High School in FCL play under the lights at the Bourdeau Fields Complex.
“We came out of the gates like we were tied to them,” offered Turners coach Gary Mullins of his team’s slow start. “I was disappointed with the way we started. Athol’s been playing well, hitting it well, but Peyton got stronger as the game went along and we were able to salvage it.”
Turners (7-2, 5-1 FCL) finally got to Athol starter Jess Soucie in the third inning, scoring four runs for a 4-3 lead. The Powertown took off from there, scoring nine times in the fourth, thanks in large part to a grand slam from Wozniak, to take a commanding 13-3 advantage.
That was plenty of support for Emery, who struck out eight and walked three in the complete-game effort.
Wozniak added a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth to end the game early, as she finished with three hits and six RBI. Gabby Arzuaga also hit a home run for Turners, while Jordyn Fiske and Hailey Bogusz clubbed three hits apiece. Bogusz totaled three RBI, with Arzuaga and Abby Loynd driving in two each.
Athol (7-4, 5-3) managed just five hits. Brej Geise and Hope Parker registered RBIs, with Abby Leadbetter, Destiny Ricko and Geise smacking doubles.
Turners travels to Pioneer Valley Regional School today. Athol hosts Mohawk Trail Regional High School on Wednesday.
Frontier 9, Pioneer 2 — A stellar Lauren MacDonald outing backed by some timely offense made for a nice day at the office for Frontier Regional School Monday afternoon.
The host Red Hawks jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead and rode a complete-game effort from the junior hurler en route to a 9-2 victory over Pioneer Valley Regional School in a Franklin County League softball contest at Zabek Field South Deerfield.
“We got some runs on the board early and were able to sort of relax a little bit with a solid outing from Lauren MacDonald,” lauded Frontier coach Carrie Fydenkevez.
MacDonald went all seven innings, striking out five and not issuing a walk while allowing just three singles. Pioneer’s Jess Scoville, Kaylee Gibson and Sophia Peduzzi had the hits, with Peduzzi and Brianna Jobst driving in the two runs for the Panthers (4-6, 3-4).
Senior Sarah Meunier paced Frontier (4-5, 3-4) with three hits and a pair of RBI. MacDonald added a pair of doubles, while Lexa Boyden had a hit and an RBI.
The Red Hawks, which scored two runs or more in four of their six offensive innings, return to action with a game under the lights at Greenfield High School tonight (7). Pioneer hosts Turners Falls High School today at 3:30.
Mahar 9, Hopkins 8 — Despite falling into an early 4-0 hole, Mahar Regional School managed just enough offense to hold off Hopkins Academy in a 9-8 Franklin County League victory Monday afternoon in Orange.
Trailing 7-6 in the fifth, the Senators (5-6, 2-4 FCL) scored three times in the home half to take the lead for good. Mahar registered 20 hits in the win, with seven different players finishing with multiple hits. Freshman Jordan Fournier led the charge with four hits in a huge outing, while Skylar Dodge (three RBI), Jazmyn Vautour and Jordan Berry all finished with three hits. Hannah Britt (two RBI), Lani DeDiego and Sarah Graeff added two hits each.
“We’re going to play teams that hit the ball and Hopkins was hitting the ball well,” said Mahar coach Jerry Duguay. “In order to counteract that, we have to turn around and hit the ball well or we’re going to lose.”
Freshman hurler Megan Rich earned the win, striking out four and walking three in the complete-game victory.
Greenfield 9, Mohawk 1 — In need of a bounce-back effort after last week’s loss to Athol High School, Greenfield High School managed just that Monday night. Under the lights at Veterans Memorial Field, Olivia Joy pitched the Green Wave to a 9-1 win over visiting Mohawk Trail Regional High School in FCL action.
Joy struck out 13 batters and allowed just two hits and two walks in the complete-game victory. Mohawk (7-3, 4-3 FCL) had a single and a walk in the first inning, but Joy didn’t allow another hit until the seventh. Ashley Reynolds walked in the fourth and scored on three straight passed balls for the lone Mohawk run that cut the deficit to 3-1.
The big blow came in the sixth inning, when Sam Smith clubbed a three-run home run as part of a five-run frame to put things out of reach. Smith finished with three hits and three RBI, while Molley Duclos also had three hits. Grace Kennedy, Raegan Hickey and Audrey Bresciano all had two hits, with Hickey contributing a pair of RBI.
Greenfield’s busy week continues with three more games, including tonight’s showdown with Frontier Regional School under the lights back at Vets.
“It’s going to be a telling week,” Greenfield coach Rian Lovett offered. “Olivia is really going to have to bear down and not be able to let up.”