TURNERS FALLS — The Turners Falls baseball team had scored eight runs in its first four games, but you’d never know it with the way it hit the ball on Wednesday against Hoosac Valley.
The Thunder mustered 13 hits in five innings, with each part of the order getting in on the action. Turners put two runs up in the second, tacked three on in the third, scored twice in the fourth before putting four runs on the scoreboard in the fifth to pull away with an 11-1 victory over the visiting Hurricanes in an independent contest at the Bourdeau Fields Complex.
The win was the second in a row for Turners (2-3), which beat Athol 3-0 on Tuesday.
“It’s a huge confidence booster for the guys,” Thunder coach Scott Minckler said. “We haven’t run-ruled a team in the last four or five years. To come out and get the bats going was nice. We’ve only had eight runs this season. Coming out today and putting 11 on the board is a boost for them to give them confidence going forward.”
With the bats rolling, Dylan Shinall held the Hoosac lineup down on the mound.
Shinall went all five innings on the bump for Turners, striking out eight and holding the Hurricanes (0-5) to just three hits.
“Alex Quezada pitched great [Tuesday] and Dylan came back and pitched well today,” Minckler said. “He’s somebody we had to slide into that spot. He wasn’t going to be our No. 2 [pitcher] but he’s stepped up and slid into that spot. He’s a lefty and he has a lot of movement on the ball. That messes the hitters up.”
Hoosac scored the opening run of the game in the top of the first inning. Michael Szabo led off with a single and Kale Kondel moved him to second with a single of his own. Gabe Bishop laid down a bunt and was thrown out at first, but Szabo took off for home and made it before the throw to give the Hurricanes an early 1-0 lead.
The Thunder took over from that point on. Derek Wissmann opened the second inning with a single and moved to third after Kainen Stevens blasted a double. Joey Mosca grounded to short which brought Wissmann home before Jackson Cogwell rocketed a double off the fence that plated Stevens to give Turners a 2-1 lead going into the third.
Quezada reached on a single in the third, moved over to second on a steal and used his speed to reach home from second following a Levin Prondecki groundout to make it a 3-1 game. Wissmann drew a walk before Stevens and Mosca knocked back-to-back singles to load the bases for Cogswell, who came through with a single that scored Wissmann and Stevens to give the Thunder a 5-1 advantage.
It was Shinall who got things going in the fourth for Turners, drawing a walk. He stole second, moved to third after Prondecki singled and both Shinall and Prondecki scored after Wissmann cracked a single that nearly made it over the fence that put the Thunder ahead, 7-1.
Turners put the game away in the fifth. Cogswell and Julian Kaiser got things going with consecutive singles before Ledwin Villafana came up and roped a double into the left center gap that brought Cogswell and Kaiser home. It was Villafana’s first varsity hit.
Shinall moved Villafana to third with a single and Villafana made it home on an error off the bat of Quezada. Shinall moved to third on the error and scored on a wild pitch to end the game.
“Ledwin Villafana had his first hit ever,” Minckler said. “That’s what I hoped when I put him in the DH spot. It’s a big confidence booster for the guys and for me as a coach. It’s great to see the things we’re working on at practice are starting to pay off on the field.”
The Thunder look to keep the win streak going on Monday, when they travel to Orange to take on Mahar.
Pioneer 8, Lee 0 — Ian Simpson has stepped up in a big way on the mound for the Panthers, as evidenced by his performance on Wednesday against the Wildcats.
Simpson tossed a seven-inning no-hitter, striking out 14, allowing just one walk with Lee getting only one other base runner on an error as Pioneer cruised to an independent win in Northfield.
“From last year to this year he’s a new person on the mound,” Panthers coach Kevin Luippold said. “He has so much confidence out there and has been right around the zone all season. All four of his pitches are working and he’s throwing well. Any team would be lucky to have him as their ace so we’re lucky to have him.”
Ethan Quinn tallied a single, a triple and drove in two runs at the plate for Pioneer. Braeden Tsipenyuk knocked a single and a double, Hugh Cyhowski recorded a trio of hits and RBIs while Peter Loud and Evan Tsipenyuk each brought in a run with a base hit in the victory.
Frontier 13, Easthampton 1 (5) — The first meeting of the season between the Redhawks and the Eagles saw Frontier come away with a tightly contested 6-5 win.
Frontier made sure it wouldn’t be that close the second time around.
The Redhawks exploded for 10 runs in the second while Liam Skribiski-Banack and Max Skribiski-Banack combined to allow just four hits as Frontier ran away with a Suburban League West victory in five innings on Wednesday in Easthampton.
“I’m satisfied with the win,” Frontier coach Chris Williams said. “We had no strikeouts [at the plate], we played another solid day on defense and we were peppering hits around the field.”
Liam Skribiski-Banack tossed the opening three innings, allowing just four hits and striking out two. Max Skribiski-Banack came on for the final two innings, not allowing a hit and striking out four.
Liam Skribiski-Banack helped himself at the plate, knocking two hits that brought in two runs. Miles Ferreira had a pair of hits and knocked in a run, Grayson Loos doubled to bring in two runs, Wyatt Edes had a hit and an RBI, Eathon Bryant tallied a hit while Tyler Cusson drove in three runs in the victory.
Greenfield 6, Palmer 3 — Michael Pierce came through with a pair of hits, including a triple, and drove in a run as the Green Wave came away with an independent victory against the visiting Panthers at Vets Field on Wednesday.
Caleb Thomas drove in a pair of runs with a single for Greenfield.
Deven Dubie went the distance and got the win on the mound for the Green Wave.
Drury 7, Franklin Tech 2 — The Blue Devils put four runs on the board in the first and held the Eagles scoreless until the seventh inning, with Franklin Tech falling in an independent contest in Turners on Wednesday.
The Eagles stranded runners on third three different times in the defeat.
Sam Knight blasted a double to right field in the seventh that brought in Tech’s two runs. Ryan Demers had a pair of hits while Mason Lehtomaki came on to hold the Blue Devil offense to just three runs in four and two-thirds innings work.
Mount Everett 4, Mahar 1 — The Eagles built a 3-0 lead after five, holding the Sens to five hits as Mahar fell in an independent contest in Orange Wednesday.
Jayden Delgado blasted an RBI double while Lucas Isrow doubled and singled and Will Barnes, Milo Troisi hit safely in the loss. Sam Connors struck out eight on the hill for the Senators.
Greenfield 11, Frontier 4 — Ellis Benitez and Brielle Widelo each knocked three hits and drove in a run, helping lead the Green Wave to a Franklin County League East win at Vets Field in the first showdown of the season between Greenfield and the Redhawks.
Ainslee Flynn blasted a single and a double and brought in a pair of runs while Rachel Dodge cracked a pair of doubles and drove in two runs in the victory. MacKenzie Paulin got the win in the circle, going the distance, striking out 13 and scattering six hits.
Ashley Taylor struck out four for Frontier in the loss. Skyler Steele knocked a pair of hits, Delaney Fifield doubled while Taylor and Hailey Hutkoksi hit safely for the Redhawks.
Franklin Tech 24, Mahar 3 (5) — Hannah Gilbert continues to excel at the plate for the Eagles, knocking two home runs and a triple to bring in seven runs as Tech walked away with a Franklin County League West triumph in Orange in five innings on Wednesday.
Shelby O’Leary and Kylee Gamache each tallied a single, a double and two RBIs for Tech. Kyra Goodell cracked three hits, one a double, and drove in a pair of runs, Gianna DiSciullo had two hits including a double and drove in a run, Kait Trudeau recorded two hits while Lily Ross, Kendra Campbell and Norah Drowski each had a hit and an RBI in the win.
Ross struck out six while Gilbert tallied eight strikeouts in the circle.
Multiple Deerfield Academy teams earned wins on Wednesday. In girls lacrosse DA beat NMH, 16-5, while in boys lacrosse the Big Green defeated Trinity Pawling, 15-6. In girls tennis DA beat Suffield, 7-0, while its girls water polo team beat Sacred Heart, 15-5, and Hamden Hall, 10-5.
In boys tennis the Big Green fell to Loomis, 4-3, while DA’s softball team lost to Cushing, 11-1. The Big Green baseball team lost to Worcester, 3-0, while DA’s ultimate team lost to Williston, 15-10.