The ‘Mission for 10’ is officially on in the Powertown.
Nine-time state champion Turners Falls High School is two wins away from reaching double digits, as the Thunder won their 21st WMass championship on Saturday against McCann Tech and now set their sights on the MIAA tournament, which begins this afternoon.
West champion Turners (21-2) will meet central Mass. champion Hopedale High School (19-2) today at 3 p.m. at Sortino Field on the campus of UMass in Amherst in the MIAA Division 3 semifinals, with the winner advancing to Saturday’s state final at Worcester State.
If the Blue Raiders sound like a familiar opponent, that’s because today’s game marks the third year in a row and fourth time in five years that the two teams will meet in the state semifinals. Two years ago, Turners came from behind with two runs in the sixth inning for a 2-1 victory that ultimately led to a state championship. In last year’s meeting, the Thunder again came out on top, this time capturing a 4-1 victory before losing to Abington in the state final. In 2015, Turners was a 3-1 winner and then defeated Millis, 5-3, to win a state title
After an 0-3 stint all-time against the Powertown, can the fourth time be the charm for Hopedale? The Raiders certainly hope so. The squad took the lead in the sixth inning thanks to a two-run double by Rachel Swanson in Saturday’s CMass title game against Millbury, holding on for a 3-1 victory to give them their third straight sectional crown.
Hopedale pitcher Bianca Fitch struck out 12 batters in the victory, and she’ll get the ball again in today’s semifinal after pitching pretty well in last year’s meeting (five strikeouts, no walks).
She’ll be opposed by Turners sophomore Jade Tyler, who recorded five strikeouts and three walks in seven innings to earn the win in last year’s game against Hopedale. She allowed just three hits, including a bunt single and another infield single, in her first state tournament appearance.
The state semifinals have been kind to Turners over the years. The program has won seven games in a row in the semifinal round, with the last loss coming in 2010 against Murdock (5-0 defeat). All time, the Powertown is 16-4 in state semifinal games, with the lone losses coming in 2010, 2009, 1993 and 1988.
Hopedale, which was the No. 1 seed in the CMass Division 3 tourney, earned its spot in today’s game thanks to lopsided wins over West Boylston (quarterfinal, 14-2) and Assabet Valley (semifinal, 13-3) leading up to the sectional final against Millsbury.
Turners coach Gary Mullins would like to see a better performance from his side today compared to Saturday’s WMass title-game win over McCann Tech (4-0). The Thunder committed a pair of errors and managed just four hits, stranding 10 runners in a frustrating offensive afternoon.
The winner of today’s game will play the winner of the other semifinal between North champion Austin Prep (22-2) and South champion Joseph Case (18-6), set for this evening at 5 p.m. in Taunton. Turners is familiar with both of those programs as well. The Thunder defeated Austin Prep in both the 2016 and 2017 state finals, and also knocked off Case to win the 2011 and 2012 titles.
The Division 1 state semifinal between Minnechaug and Wachusett will follow this afternoon’s game at UMass, with first pitch slated for 5 p.m. Turners lost to both teams during the regular season (both one-run defeats), the club’s only two losses to date.