Franklin County Technical School took another huge step toward postseason qualification by scoring seven times in the first inning and defeating Pioneer Valley Regional School, 9-7, in an independent baseball game Monday afternoon in Turners Falls.
The Eagles (8-6) improved to 2-2 against Hampshire League opponents on the season and need two wins in their final six games to qualify for the postseason.
Franklin Tech scored seven times in the first inning in support of starting pitcher Spencer Telega, who struck out two and walked seven in five innings to earn the win. Max Charest tripled in the first inning and Nate Pelletier and Telega each hit two-run singles. Sim Maniatty and Travis Cutting each hit an RBI single.
“We’ve been scoring runs early and it’s helped our pitchers feel more comfortable on the mound,” Franklin Tech coach Brian Winslow said.
Pioneer (6-6) scored three times in the fourth, then plated four more runs in the sixth to narrow the gap to 8-7, but the Eagles scored once in the bottom of the sixth and reliever Charest slammed the door shut in the seventh inning to earn the save. Charest struck out four and walked one in 1⅔ innings of relief.
Sam Bobala hit an RBI single in the fourth inning to score Charest for the Eagles’ eighth run of the game, and in the sixth, Telega doubled and scored on a wild pitch.
Jordan Loughman had two hits and two RBIs to pace the Pioneer offense, while Jack Loud and Cody Letourneau each had a hit and an RBI.
Letourneau, who had pitched two gems on back-to-back Mondays entering the day, walked three in the first inning and gave up the seven runs.
Wahconah 4, Mohawk 3 — Wahconah Regional High School scored three times in the top of the seventh inning to take a 4-0 lead, then held off Mohawk Trail Regional High School in the bottom of the frame to earn a 4-3 victory in an independent baseball game Monday in Buckland.
Jake Gai doubled and drove in a run for Wahconah, while Bob Archambault and Gabe Davis each had a hit and an RBI. Gabe Verdi earned the win, striking out one and walking one in six innings.
Wahconah led 1-0 after scoring in the fifth inning before padding the lead with three in the top of the seventh. In the bottom of the frame, Brian Allen reached on an error and Jackson Hicks walked to get things started for the Warriors (6-9). Rueben Bassett (two hits) hit an RBI single to center, and Will Guyette followed with an RBI single to left. After a strikeout for the first out of the inning, Jordan Grenier reached on an error, and Luke Viens hit a sacrifice fly to make it 4-3.
Wyatt Bandy-Page walked and got to second base, putting the tying run at third and the winning run at second. At that point, Wahconah brought on reliever Caden Frazier, who needed three pitches to strike out the final batter of the game to earn the save.
Viens struck out seven and walked five in five innings pitched for the loss.
Frontier 6, Palmer 0 — Ben Arnold did it all Monday.
The Frontier Regional School senior chucked five shutout innings and added a key two-run single in the third inning that helped propel the Red Hawks to a tidy 6-0 win over Palmer High School in an independent baseball game at G.T. Valiton Field in South Deerfield.
Arnold struck out six and walked two to pick up the win for Frontier (12-1), while Matt Hildreth came on to throw a pair of scoreless innings and pick up the save.
“Both those guys were pounding the zone and throwing first-pitch strikes,” Frontier coach Chris Williams said. “Our defense looked sharp as well, so I was pleased with that. Everyone went out there and did their jobs.”
The Hawks led 2-0 in the third inning before pushing four runs across to create some separation. Connor Waitkus was hit by a pitch and Dylan Apanell (single) and Kiernan Freeman (walk) loaded the bases with two outs. Hildreth was hit by a pitch to drive in a run and Cam Barnes drew a walk to make it 4-0. That set up Arnold, who drilled a two-run single that gave the hosts a 6-0 advantage.
Frontier now turns its attention to a key Hampshire League West showdown today when it hosts Greenfield High School at 4.
Turners 13, Frontier 7 — Taylor Murphy clubbed a pair of home runs and Peyton Emery came on to pitch five solid innings of relief as Turners Falls High School slugged past Frontier Regional School, 13-7, in a Franklin County League showdown Monday afternoon at Zabek Field in South Deerfield.
Murphy got Turners (11-2, 7-1) off and running with a two-run home run in the top of the first inning. She then added a solo shot in the top of the second.
Frontier (8-7, 4-4) didn’t go away quietly, however. Charlotte Doulette tied the game with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, her fifth bomb of the year, and Ariana Walker put the Red Hawks up 3-2 with an RBI double later in the frame.
While the Powertown took a 6-3 lead after scoring four in the second, Frontier again responded with a two-run home run from Kenzie Patterson that pulled the hosts within 6-5.
Turners turned to Emery in relief from there, and the senior right-hander kept the Hawks off the board over the next three innings. That enabled the Powertown to take control, and a five-run third saw the visitors take advantage of two errors and three walks in the frame to snag an 11-5 lead it would not relinquish.
Replacing starter Jade Tyler, Emery struck out three in five innings of relief to pick up the victory. She didn’t walk a batter in the stint.
Abby Loynd had three hits and an RBI in the win for Turners, which received two hits each from Tyler and Olivia Whittier. Hailey Bogusz had a two-run double and drove in a run on a walk.
Frontier’s offensive effort was led by Patterson, Natalie Denkiewicz and Maddie Fifield, as all three posted two-hit outings. Olivia Deane came on and threw the ball well in relief for the Hawks, allowing just two unearned runs over 4⅔ innings in place of starter Lauren MacDonald.
Turners heads to Mahar Regional School Wednesday while Frontier welcomes Mohawk to town.
Pioneer 8, Mohawk 5 — Pioneer Valley Regional School failed to score in the first three innings but finished with a flurry as it scored eight times in the final four innings to earn a 8-5 win over Mohawk in a FCL softball game Monday in Buckland.
Pioneer (7-9) needs three wins in its final four games to qualify for the postseason. Steph Scoville doubled, tripled and drove in a run for Pioneer, while Shelby Avery had two hits, including a double, while Jasmine Terounzo had two hits and one RBI. Scoville earned the win, struck out eight and walking three.
Alicia Johnston doubled and drove in two runs for Mohawk, while Reagan DuPree had two hits and one RBI. Caitlin Johnston added a double and an RBI. Mia Lesieur had four strikeouts and three walks in seven innings in the loss.
Mahar 23, Smith Voke 5 (5 inn.) — Another Skylar Dodge home run, another win for Mahar Regional School.
The host Senators moved about the .500 mark thanks to a dominant 23-5 victory over Smith Vocational & Agricultural High School in an independent softball game Monday in Northampton. The win puts Mahar at 7-6 overall, giving the squad its most wins since 2011.
Dodge had two hits, including a two-run shot in the first inning, and totaled five RBI. Lani DeDiego had two hits and three RBI, while Jordyn Berry totaled three hits in the win. Juliana Herbert, Alexis Mainville-Schaefer and Hannah Dupont slashed two RBI apiece.
Mahar led 4-0 after one inning and 10-5 in the fourth before the Senators scored a whopping 13 runs in the frame to end the game in five innings.
Mahar’s Megan Rich struck out eight and walked six in a complete-game victory.
The Senators have a busy stretch ahead, beginning Wednesday with back-to-back games against Turners.