WESTFIELD – Four years ago, eighth graders Kelsey Richardson and Kaitlin Lavoine burst onto the scene and were key pieces on the 2018 Greenfield High School softball team that won the program’s first Western Mass. title in 32 years.
Now, the two seniors are trying to do one better.
Lavoine was 4-for-5 with a triple and three RBIs, and Richardson slashed two hits and scored a run on Wednesday to help the top-seeded Green Wave punch their state final-ticket via an 11-2 win over No. 21 Frontier in the MIAA Division 5 semifinals at Westfield State University.
Greenfield has never won a softball state title. The team’s two seniors might be just the pair to help change that.
“It’s huge to go in my first year [in 2018] being the youngest one on the team, essentially like, ‘OK, I don’t really know what this team’s about,’” explained Richardson. “And now, here I am in my senior year with the best team I could ask for. It’s really one of those going in strong, ending strong kind of feelings.”
Richardson was the first baseman on that 2018 club, and Lavoine patrolled the outfield when Greenfield won its first sectional title since 1986 via a 2-1 victory over Wahconah.
That 1986 team was also the last Greenfield club to play in a state final. That’ll change on Friday, when Greenfield tangles with No. 3 West Boylston at Sortino Field on the campus of UMass (3 p.m.).
“I’m really looking forward to it,” Richardson said. “Win or lose, this is it. I couldn’t be more proud of this team. Senior year, going out for my last time at Greenfield, it’s going to be special on Friday.”
Richardson, the team’s starting catcher and clean-up hitter, said she had high expectations for this year’s Greenfield team from the very beginning. Lavoine hits leadoff and plays center field.
“Beginning of the year, I was kind of scoping it out at captain’s practice and after seeing the girls we had signed up and coming in, I really thought we had a chance,” she said. “I think all but two of us play year-round travel ball. We all play together, I’ve known these girls my entire life. From the beginning, I knew we were going somewhere.”
Now that somewhere is the season’s final game.
“I can say one thing about our two seniors, they’ve been great leaders and great mentors,” Greenfield coach John Hickey said. “It’s a close-knit team.”
Eight of the nine batters in Greenfield’s lineup scored a run on Wednesday. It’s not a surprise, particularly the bottom of the order which has produced all season long.
In the win over Frontier, 7-8-9 hitters Anna Bucala, Brie Widelo and Ellis Benitez combined for four RBIs, three hits and three runs scored. Bucala’s two-run triple in the bottom of the second got the Wave on the board for the first time, and set the tone for what amounted to a six-run inning.
“I always joke about it with the team because often when you’re doing research on a team, you look at the bottom of the lineup and you figure you might be able to ease up and get through the last few hitters,” Richardson said. “But you can’t ease up on us. If one person is down, there are eight more coming at them to pick her up. There’s no cooling us down.”
Hickey concurred.
“One through nine, they all can hit,” he said. “Bottom of the lineup for us has been doing it all year and they continue to do it. It makes us a tough out.”
Some of the Greenfield players watched upcoming opponent West Boylston when the Lions blanked Turners Falls, 2-0, in the other Div. 5 semifinal on Tuesday.
“They’re definitely a good team but we’re not afraid of them,” Richardson said. “We’re all in, leaving it all out there. We’ve got nothing to lose.”
Greenfield swept its season series with Turners Falls, earning an 8-4 win on April 21 and a 16-4 victory on May 12.