The first meeting of the season between the Greenfield and Franklin Tech softball teams will have a lot at stake.
The No. 1 Green Wave and No. 3 Eagles will square off on Wednesday in the Western Mass. Class C finals, with the game getting underway at 3 p.m. at Westfield State University.
“It’s cool that there’s two local teams playing for the Western Mass. championship,” Greenfield coach John Hickey said. “It’s a really good thing for the area.”
While the two squads haven’t played each other this year, there’s plenty of familiarity.
“It’s very exciting,” Franklin Tech coach Joe Gamache said. “We have a few girls that have played softball in the Greenfield program. It’s exciting for those kids. It’ll be fun. There’s a lot of familiar faces on both sides so it should be a friendly rivalry with a lot at stake. Hopefully it’s a good softball game.”
The Green Wave made it to the finals after blanking No. 8 Westfield Tech 13-0 in the quarterfinals and coming away with a 7-3 victory over Taconic in the semifinals. Greenfield also has experience in the big games, having made it to the Western Mass. Div. 2 finals a season ago.
With strong pitching from MacKenzie Paulin and a lineup full of dangerous hitters, the Green Wave are hoping to keep the momentum going heading into Wednesday.
“We have to continue to hit and get those timely hits,” Hickey said. “We have to continue our good pitching and keep playing well on defense. If we do those things we have a good shot. I have the utmost respect for that team, that coach and that program. I’m expecting a ballgame come Wednesday. Hopefully we’ll be ready to go and are firing on all cylinders.”
Wednesday will be the first Western Mass. finals appearance in the history of the Franklin Tech softball program, but Gamache isn’t worried about that. He has players who have played in big games before and won’t be afraid of the bright lights.
“Both teams are talented or they wouldn’t be here,” Gamache said. “There’s a lot of girls on both sides that have played in meaningful softball games, who play tournament softball and are very committed to the game. It should make for a good matchup.”
It’s been a twisty, windy road to get here, but the Turners Falls softball team finds itself in a familiar position.
The No. 1 Thunder will head to Westfield State on Tuesday to take on No. 2 Hoosac Valley for the Class D championship, with first pitch set for 3 p.m. It’ll be their seventh straight Western Mass. finals appearance.
Unlike most years however, Turners didn’t cruise into the championship game. After running away with a 16-0 victory over No. 8 Gateway in the quarterfinals, No. 4 Hopkins gave the Thunder all they could handle on Thursday in the semis.
The game featured three different lead changes: the Golden Hawks led 2-0, Turners then went ahead 7-2, Hopkins stormed back to take an 8-7 lead, the Thunder then regained a 10-8 lead, the Golden Hawks tied the game 10-10 in the sixth before Turners scored twice in the bottom of the sixth and held on for a 12-10 victory.
“We hit the ball well but defensively we were disappointing,” Thunder coach Gary Mullins said. “We were able to outhit our mistakes. We only gave up three earned runs. It’s tough. Madi [Liimatainen] is doing her best in the circle and we’re hoping she can get us through one on Tuesday.”
While it’s been a bumpy season, Turners has shown that when it’s at its best, it can beat anyone. The Thunder handed Wachusett — which is No. 2 in the latest MIAA Div. 1 Power Rankings — its only loss of the season. Turners is also the only team to get a win against Wahconah this season, scoring a 5-1 win.
Mullins is hoping his team plays its best in the biggest game of the season to date.
“We have some impressive wins and some bad losses,” Mullins said. “We know about the hills and valleys of a season.”
The Thunder didn’t play the Hurricanes this season, leaving little familiarity between the two programs. But when Liimatainen is on in the circle, Turners is a force to be reckoned with.
“The game is controlled by who steps in the circle,” Mullins said. “It’s no different than baseball. That’s the game. When she’s on, we can beat anyone and that’s proven. We’ll take a couple days off to get a break and hopefully play well on Tuesday.”
The Redhawks got a firsthand look at their Class C finals opponent earlier this season and are hoping to learn from their mistakes and have a better result the second time around.
Mt. Greylock earned a 4-0 win against Frontier in April, but the Redhawks feel they’re hitting their stride during the most important stretch of the season.
The bats came alive for Frontier in its last game of the regular season against Hampshire and that carried into the Western Mass. tournament, where it beat No. 7 Westfield Tech 13-0 in the quarterfinals.
The Redhawks then got timely hits to earn their third win of the season against a tough Greenfield team and enter Wednesday’s Class C final with all the confidence in the world. First pitch is set for 4:15 at Springfield College on Wednesday.
For the first time in 11 years the Pioneer baseball team is making an appearance in the Western Mass. title game.
The No. 2 Panthers will travel to Westfield State for a showdown with No. 1 Granby at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, hoping to put an exclamation mark on an impressive first season under coach Kevin Luippold.
“From day one all the kids from varsity down to the JV and middle school teams bought into what we were preaching,” Luippold said. “Luckily we have the skill to propel everything. We have a lot of good hitters. None of this is possible without the kids.”
Pioneer earned a 7-1 victory over No. 7 Turners in the quarterfinals but faced one of its toughest challenges of the year in the semifinals. Hosting No. 3 Hopkins — the defending Div. 4 state champions — the Panthers had a day at the plate, putting up 13 runs to come away with a 13-8 victory and earn a chance to play the Rams for the title.
“Scoring 13 in a semifinal game against the defending state champs is not something we thought would happen,” Luippold said. “Our guys really stepped up and hit the ball well.”
Granby cruised to the finals, beating No. 8 Palmer 12-0 and No. 4 Mt. Everett 15-2 to punch its ticket to the title game. Luippold expects a close final, which he sees coming down to which side can play mistake-free.
“It’ll be a fun game,” Luippold said. “They hit the ball up and down their order. It’ll be about who makes the least amount of mistakes and who hits it more. That’s what it’ll come down to. One error can be the one-run differential in a game like this. It won’t be a 13-run game like the last one.”
You’d never know that every single player on the Frontier boys volleyball team has been playing the sport for just two months.
In its inaugural season, the Redhawks posted a 15-2 record and swept Athol to earn a spot in the Class C finals. It’ll take on No. 2 Southwick, which is coming off a sweep of Ware in the semis. The title-match is set for Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Chicopee Comprehensive High School.
With the way Frontier has grown throughout the season, a Western Mass. championship would be no surprise.