It didn’t take long for the Turners Falls softball team to take command of its MIAA Div. 5 Round of 32 contest against Bristol County on Monday.
It all got started in the first inning for the No. 3 Thunder, who had the first 12 runners that went to the plate reach base. Those base runners resulted in Turners taking an 11-0 lead after one.
Madi Liimatainen locked things down in the circle, holding the No. 30 Chieftains without a hit while striking out 10 and allowing just three walks as the Thunder advanced to the Round of 16 with a 15-0 five-inning victory on Monday at Gary Mullins Field.
“We capitalized on the walks,” Turners coach Gary Mullins said. “I took a ride down there to watch [Bristol County] play at UMass Dartmouth and they have good athletes. Madi was just overpowering today.”
Morgan Dobias had a big day at the plate for the Thunder (15-7), knocking a single, a double and driving in four runs. Liimatainen helped herself with two hits and three RBIs at the plate, Mia Marigliano tallied a pair of hits and an RBI, Madisyn Dietz singled, doubled and knocked in two runs, Holly Myers doubled and Janelle Massey recorded a hit and an RBI in the win.
Next up for Turners is a showdown with No. 19 Lenox. That Round of 16 contest is scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m. in Turners.
Greenfield 3, Ware 1 — Caleb Thomas brought his best stuff to the mound on Sunday in the MIAA Div. 5 Round of 32 against Ware.
The sophomore went the distance and held No. 7 Ware to just one run which was unearned, striking out five and allowing just three hits to help the No. 26 Green Wave pull off the upset with a 3-1 victory.
Greenfield moves on to face No. 10 Westport, who defeated No. 23 Mount Everett, 3-2, on Monday. That Round of 16 contest will take place at 4 p.m. on Wednesday in Westport.
“Caleb pitched a great game for us,” Green Wave coach Tom Suchanek said. “He kept his composure and got stronger as the game went on. They made a few errors and we were able to capitalize on them.”
Michael Pierce crushed a triple to score two Greenfield runs in the third. Caleb Thomas put the ball in play on the ensuing at bat and Pierce scored on the fielder’s choice to close out the Green Wave scoring.
Luca Siano finished with two hits while Deven Dubie, John Marchefka and Jackson Campbell each had a hit in the win.