GREENFIELD — Great players relish great opportunities, and Turners Falls softball star Jade Tyler made the most of hers Wednesday against rival Greenfield.
Trailing 6-5 entering the top of the sixth inning, Turners’ Hannah Marchefka reached base with one out to get a rally started. The top of the Turners order then came to the plate, with Olivia Whittier smacking a single and Taylor Murphy loading the bases with a walk. That brought Tyler to the plate with a chance to take control of the game.
The senior, who was 1-for-2 at the time, got the bat on the ball and crushed a grand slam that landed well past the fence, giving the Thunder a 9-6 lead.
Now in control of the game, Tyler retired six of the next seven Green Wave batters she faced in the circle, sealing the deal on a Franklin County League victory under the lights at Vets Field.
“Last game I had a rough game. I was thinking too much,” Tyler said. “Coach [Gary Mullins] told me to stop thinking, look for my pitch and hit the ball and that’s what happened.”
Through five innings, Greenfield was hitting the ball well, accumulating 10 hits. Following the Tyler home run, Kaitlin Lavoine was the lone Green Wave batter to hit safely, and Tyler finished the game with six strikeouts.
“I was a little nervous. They were hitting well throughout the game so I still had to focus,” Tyler said. “In the last inning their 3-4-5 came up and that’s when I really had to focus. I threw how I know how to throw and we played how we know how to play and got the job done.”
The win kept Turners’ undefeated record in tact (10-0 overall, 9-0 FCL), while Greenfield dropped to 6-2 on the season.
“It was a tournament atmosphere,” Green Wave coach John Hickey said. “It was a great game for all our kids. I was proud of the way we played in the field, I was proud of the way we played at the plate and the composure we showed. We made plays but just came up a little short. We hit the ball when we needed to but they just hit the ball a little more than we did.”
Greenfield took a 2-0 lead after the first inning, as Lavoine and Flynn each reached base on singles and made their way around the bases. Lavoine scored on a fielder’s choice from Kelsey Richardson and Rachel Dodge brought Flynn home on a sacrifice fly.
Neither squad put a run on the board in the second, but the Thunder put a rally together to take the lead in the top of the third. Taylor Murphy scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Holly Myers, and with Myers and Madi Liimatainen both on base, Juliana Rode came to the plate and smashed a three-run homer to put Turners up, 4-2.
“We got seven runs through two home runs,” Mullins said. “Juliana has that kind of power. That was a huge home run.”
The Turners lead didn’t last long, as Greenfield’s Mackenzie Paulin smashed a double that brought Ainslee Flynn and Richardson home to even the score 4-4 going into the fourth.
A double by Amber Bergeron in the bottom of the fourth set the Green Wave up to take the lead, with Lavoine — who went 4-for-4 — knocking a single that brought Bergeron home to put Greenfield up, 5-4.
As was the story of the game, neither team was able to hold onto a lead and that was true in the top of the fifth when Rode drove in Myers with a single to even the score at five.
Richardson scored the final run of the game for Greenfield, again staking the hosts to a 6-5 lead when she lifted a solo home run over the fence to open the bottom of the fifth inning.
Gianna Conte went the distance in the circle for the Green Wave, striking out five batters. After giving up hits to Whittier and Murphy to open the game, she struck out three straight batters to prevent the Thunder from jumping out to an early lead.
“They’re a really good softball team,” Mullins said. “Gianna threw the ball well for them. It was an entertaining softball game but I don’t like giving up that many runs.”
Greenfield is back in action Monday, hosting Pioneer at 6 p.m. Turners takes the field again next Wednesday at home against Mohawk Trail, with first pitch set for 7 p.m.