ORANGE — Going into Wednesday’s game against Greenfield High School, the Mahar Regional softball team needed three consecutive wins to secure a playoff berth.
The Senators could not get it done, losing to the Green Wave, 12-2, in a Franklin County League match up.
The arm of Olivia Joy and the power bat of Raegan Hickey did most of the damage for Greenfield (13-4, 9-2 FCL).
Greenfield knew going in it was facing a desperate team and wanted to strike early.
“We hit the ball well today,” Greenfield coach Rian Lovett said. “It was kind of my message. We had to go out and hit the ball hard.”
Racquel Provost had three hits with an RBI for the Wave.
“We are hitting the ball hard,” Provost said. “We have some girls that have really come through for us.”
Hickey had a three-run homer, a solo shot and an RBI single for the Wave. Joy had 14 strikeouts, giving up five hits and two earned runs in seven innings.
In the game within the game, Joy went up against Mahar’s Skylar Dodge, who is one of the best hitters in WMass.
Dodge went 2-for-3 with a walk against Joy including a solo homer, which gives her 10 dingers on the season for the Senators.
“I wasn’t trying to shoot for a home run,” Dodge said. “I just try to put the ball in play. If it goes over, it goes over. The timing with faster pitchers I am kind of better with because of travel ball.”
Joy did get a strikeout of Dodge to end the game.
It’s been more than a decade since the Senators (7-11, 1-10 FCL) have made the playoffs.
“I need to find nine girls that really want to play this game,” Mahar coach Jerry Duguay said. “We don’t show up with nine girls wanting to play. It shows. That’s the weakness.”
Megan Rich had four strikeouts and gave up 13 hits for the Senators. Four errors in Mahar’s infield did not help the junior, especially in a seven-run fourth inning for the Wave.
“Megan (Rich) needs those types of plays,” Duguay said. “Sometimes we have those but it’s not consistent enough. When she hits her spots, she is difficult for a good hitting team to hit. Mentally, she is one of the best kids I have ever coached.”
During the bottom of the fifth inning, Mahar’s Jaydlyn Lohnes landed awkwardly on first base legging out an infield single.
Lohnes left the game with a swollen left knee.
“We are hoping it’s only a sprain,” Duguay said.
Down players already, the Senators had to trot over a player from the nearby junior varsity game. Haylee Allen jumped into a varsity game and faced one of the best pitchers in WMass.
“Scary,” Allen said. “The pitcher for Greenfield on J.V. was fast too. But here it was a lot faster and more accurate.”
Allen went down swinging against Joy.
Jordan Fournier had two hits for the Senators with an RBI in the seventh inning.
Audrey Bresciano also had a day at the plate for the Wave with a solo homer, a double and three RBI.
Hickey’s RBI single opened the scoring in the first inning for Greenfield.
In Greenfield’s three-run third inning, Bresciano’s to run double made it 3-0 before a Nikki Miner RBI single.
In the fourth, Kelsey Richardson had a sacrifice fly in the fourth before Hickey and Bresciano’s back-to-back homers.
Gianna Conte and Provost added RBI singles later in the inning to make the score 11-0.
Greenfield 12, Mahar 2
Greenfield …………… 103 700 1 — 12 15 0
Mahar ………………… 000 100 1 — 2 5 4
Hits: (G) Provost 3, Hickey 3, Bresciano 2, Marchefka 2, Miner, Dodge, Conte, Richardson, Lavoine . (M) Rich, Dodge 2, Fournier 2 .
2B: (G) Bresciano
HR: (G) Hickey 2, Breciano. (M) Dodge.
RBI: (G) Hickey 5, Bresciano 3, Miner, Richardson, Conte, Provost . (M) Dodge, Fournier.
WP: Joy (7 ip, 14k, 3bb).
LP: Rich (7 ip, 4k, 1bb).
