TURNERS FALLS — It was a weekend with a little bit of everything for the Franklin Tech softball team.
The Eagles opened with a wild comeback victory in the state vocational championship game on Saturday against Bristol County Agricultural, and kept that momentum going with a 10-3 win over Norfolk County Agricultural in an MIAA Division 5 Round of 32 tilt on Sunday.
“I thought we played pretty well today,” Franklin Tech shortstop Hannah Gilbert said after Sunday’s win. “We came back (on Saturday) and we came to play (on Sunday).”
Sunday’s victory kicked off what the fourth-seeded Eagles hope will be a lengthy stay in the state tournament. The win has Franklin Tech into the Round of 16, where it is slated to play the winner of No. 13 Academy of Notre Dame and No. 20 Drury on Tuesday at 4 p.m. back in the Powertown.
“We’re at the point now where we’re just trying to take things one game at a time,” Franklin Tech coach Joe Gamache said. “Whoever we play (on Tuesday), it’s an opponent we haven’t seen and won’t know a ton about, so it’s important for us to take care of ourselves and stay in the moment.”
The Eagles jumped out on No. 29 Norfolk Aggie in the bottom of the first inning on Sunday, scoring three times in their first at bat to set the tone. Kylee Gamache’s RBI triple highlighted the frame, while Lauren Ross also drove in a run for the hosts.
The advantage was 4-0 in the third when the heart of the Franklin Tech lineup delivered again. Gilbert, Lauren Ross and Gamache smacked three straight singles, with Gamache’s plating Gilbert to make it 5-0. Ross scored on an RBI ground out from Kendra Campbell, and courtesy runner Kyra Goodell made it 7-0 when she scored off an RBI single from Cordelia Guerin.
Gilbert was 3-for-3 with two RBIs and three runs scored to pace the Franklin Tech offense.
“I’ve been in a little bit of a slump lately so it was nice to finally be hitting the ball,” Gilbert offered. “We know what we’re capable of so it was nice to see us hitting the ball and scoring runs today.”
Norfolk Aggie cut into the deficit thanks to a two-run home run from Bree Clark in the top of the sixth that made it 8-3, but the Eagles got those runs back in the home half when Gilbert clubbed a two-run single to plate Shelby O’Leary (single) and Kaitlin Trudeau (fielder’s choice).
Lauren Ross struck out 12 batters in the circle over seven innings to pick up the victory, scattering four hits with no walks.
It was a much different game than the one the Eagles played in the state vocational final on Saturday. Trailing Bristol Aggie by a 9-6 margin in the bottom of the seventh, Franklin Tech scored three times to force extra innings, then walked it off in the bottom of the eighth.
“Saturday was certainly an emotional game. The girls battled back,” Gamache said. “Our roster is very, very young. A lot of freshmen and sophomores are playing big roles — we started five freshmen (on Sunday). Every time you get to be in a situation like that, you hope that experience pays dividends later on.”
Lilly Ross was 3-for-5 with a double in the win over Bristol. Gamache had two hits while Campbell, Lauren Ross and Gilbert all had a hit and drove in a pair of runs.
“It’s exciting,” said Gilbert of the big games her team has been playing. “I feel pretty confident in our team and I know everyone else trusts each other out there. Hopefully we can keep it going.”