TURNERS FALLS — As the captains and coaches of the Franklin County Technical School and Mohawk Trail Regional High School softball teams met at home plate before a Thursday showdown, two familiar faces were reunited.
Katelyn Gaffigan has been coaching softball for three years at Mohawk, but this was the first time she was facing her father, Tom Gaffigan, on the diamond.
Tom, a longtime football coach who also grew up coaching Katelyn in softball, never imagined the day he would be the opponent of his daughter, but that opportunity came to fruition after he accepted the coaching job at Franklin Tech.
“I don’t know if we ever thought that would happen,” he said. “I coached football and I coached her in softball. It was never even talked about until a few weeks before the season when I decided to coach. It was fun. We needle each other a little bit but, for the most part, I’m just proud of her.
Going against a hobbled Franklin Tech squad, Mohawk quickly took over the game in the second inning, scoring 12 runs, four of which came from a grand slam off the bat of sophomore Grace Ward.
Ward added a triple in the fourth in what was a big game for the sophomore. Ashley Reynolds had two hits for Mohawk, including a triple of her own. Nola Bloomer had three hits to go along with a strong day on the mound, and Isis Moon had a three-hit day at the plate for Mohawk.
Mohawk tacked on 12 more runs in the fourth inning, ultimately topping Franklin Tech 25-2 in five innings.
While any victory is satisfying, beating her dad was the cherry on top.
“When we play a lot of weaker teams, we try not to beat them as bad,” Katelyn said. “The other people I coach with didn’t want to kick their butt, but just because he’s my dad I wanted to rub it in a little bit.”
Going into the game, Tom knew the challenges his team would be facing against a talented Mohawk team.
“She’s got a really good team and I knew that coming in, I was missing so many girls and it would be tough to win,” Tom said. “She’s got a great team. She’s a great coach – her and Mo Crossman – they’re really dedicated and doing a great job over there. I’m really proud of them.
“It’s special,” he continued. “I don’t know if there’s ever been a father (and) daughter coach against each other. There’s a lot of father-daughters that go into coaching, but have they ever played each other on a varsity level? I don’t know. It was fun and I’m looking forward to next time.”
While the two talk almost everyday, Katelyn feels her father keeps her in the dark about his team.
“He tells me little things, but I know he likes to play his team down so I think they’re not going to be as good,” Katelyn said. “The first inning, they definitely came out harder than they have in the past so that’s good to see.”
Katelyn cherished the moment of going against her dad, and having played for him before, knows how much of an impact he has as a coach.
“I respect my dad so much,” she said. “I think he’s such a good coach. Even just watching him with these girls, you can see the little things he says, the little comments he makes. He’s a really good guy and really good coach and it’s nice to see other kids learning like I did.”
The Gaffigans will meet again on the field May 9, where Tom will look to retake bragging rights in the family.
Mohawk 25, FC Tech 2 (5)
Mohawk ………….. 0(12)0 (12)1 — 25 16 2
FC Tech ……………. 011 00 — 2 4 6
Hits: (M) Reynolds 2, Dupree, Ward 2, Johnston, Bloomer 3, Moon 3, Guy, Lilly 2, Upton. (FT) Martel, Reed, Gadreau, Larned.
2B: (M) Lilly, Moon, Johnston. (FT) Larned.
3B: (M) Ward, Reynolds.
HR: (M) Ward.
RBI: (M) Ward 6, Reynolds, Bloomer, Guy, Lilly. (FT) Larned, Martel.
WP: Bloomer (5ip, 2k, 6bb).
LP: Currier (3ip, 0k, 10bb) Scott (2ip,0k, 5bb).