Another chapter of the Greenfield-Turners Falls rivalry will be written on Friday.
This one, however, will have stakes that have never been seen before.
Under the old MIAA state tournament format, it wasn’t possible for the Green Wave and Thunder to play in a state final – only one Western Mass. school advanced to the state tournament in each division.
That all changed two years ago, when the MIAA went to a statewide format, leaving open the option of two Western Mass. schools facing off in the finals. Greenfield and Turners nearly met in last year’s MIAA Div. 5 softball championship game, but West Boylston knocked off the Thunder in the semis while the Green Wave went on to win the championship, the first in program history.
Greenfield wasn’t satisfied with just the one title, however. The Green Wave looked like they didn’t skip a beat throughout the season, winning the Western Mass. Class C title before cruising into the Div. 5 state semifinals as the No. 1 seed, where they faced off with Tahanto.
Turners Falls on the other hand had an uncharacteristically slow start to the season, losing its first two games of the year to Easthampton and Hopkins by a combined score of 25-3.
With veteran coach Gary Mullins at the helm and a strong leadership group, the Thunder turned things around, going on to win a fierce Franklin County League West before taking home the Western Mass. Class D title. Turners — the No. 3 seed — waltzed into the Div. 5 quarterfinals, earned a hard-fought win against a talented Franklin Tech team to reach the semis again and square off with Hopkins Academy for the third time this season.
The Thunder took a big lead and held off a late Golden Hawks surge to secure a spot in the finals with a 9-7 win. The Green Wave played the game right after at Westfield State, pulled ahead of Tahanto and made sure it’d be an all-Franklin County final, securing a spot with an 8-2 victory.
Greenfield and Turners will square off at 3 p.m. Friday at Sortino Field on the campus of UMass to decide the state champion. It’s the first time the two historic rivals — which sit just four miles apart on opposite sides of the Connecticut River — will compete with a state title on the line. The Green Wave are hoping raise their second consecutive state title banner while the Thunder are seeking their 11th state championship while playing in their 18th final in program history.
“We’re all happy and excited to have the opportunity to play for a state title again,” Green Wave coach John Hickey said. “The girls are ready. We’re looking forward to a nice day of softball against our rival. It should be fun for all.”
This will be the third time the two teams have played this season, with No. 3 Turners (17-7) winning both matchups. Mullins has been at this for a long time though, and said he understands the challenges of trying to beat a talented team like Greenfield (20-5) three times in one season.
“We had a nice couple of practices and the kids are focused,” Mullins said. “We’ll see what happens. We’ll show up. The third game against a team is always difficult but we’ll do our best.”
When you see the pitching each team boasts, it’s easy to understand why the two powerhouses are meeting up in the finals.
It’s not often you see two 500-strikeout pitchers face off. It’s even rarer that both have accomplished the feat before their sophomore years have come to an end.
Greenfield’s MacKenzie Paulin and Turners Falls’ Madi Liimatainen have been outright dominant throughout the postseason. Paulin, who tallied her 500th career strikeout during the win over Tahanto, has allowed a mere 12 hits during seven postseason games dating back to the start of the Western Mass. tournament. In those seven games she has struck out 96 batters while the Green Wave have given up a total of seven runs.
Liimatainen has posted similar eye-opening numbers. In seven tournament games she has struck out 85 batters, scattered 21 hits while the Thunder have given up 12 runs in that span. Each ace has two shutouts to their credit in that frame.
“Both pitchers are really good,” Hickey said. “It’s going to be a battle of wills.”
It’s been the Green Wave bats that have been more productive this postseason, but not by much. Greenfield has scored 79 runs in its seven postseason games, good for an 11.3 per game average. Turners has put 53 runs across, good for 7.6 per game.
The difficulty with facing the Green Wave lineup is that they can hit one-through-nine – Anna Bucala, Ainslee Flynn, Carly Blanchard, Paulin, Amber Bergeron, Rachel Dodge, Ellis Benitez, Ivy Rae and Brielle Widelo have all been tough outs throughout the postseason.
Getting timely hits, like they have all season, is something Hickey said will be one of the keys on Friday.
“Timely hitting, good defense and good base running,” Hickey said. “We just have to be solid and make plays when it’s time and take advantage of the opportunities when we have them.”
Turners has veteran experience at the top of its lineup, led by Liimatainen, Holly Myers, Morgan Dobias and Cady Wozniak. The bottom of the order is littered with younger players like Janelle Massey, Addison Talbot, Marilyn Abarua, Mia Marigliano and Madisyn Dietz who have improved leaps and bounds throughout the year and provided a spark for the Thunder at the plate. Every player will be asked to step up under the brightest lights.
“We’re going to have to score a lot of runs with the way Greenfield is hitting the ball,” Mullins said. “They’ve been in a great groove at the plate.”
Mullins said the Thunder will try to soak up all the information gained during the first two meetings with Greenfield and apply those lessons on the field. Turners has improved greatly throughout the year, and Friday’s game will offer another glimpse into just how much the Thunder have progressed.
“You try to learn from every game you play,” Mullins said. “You also try to learn something about your opponent. We have a good idea of what they’re about. We’ll have to make plays and hit the ball, as they’re very good at those things. We’re moving in the right direction as a team.”
With the pressure of playing in a state championship game amplified thanks to the Greenfield-Turners rivalry, Hickey said he is preaching to his team to treat it just like any other game and focus on their own performance.
“It’s the same thing going into every tournament game,” Hickey said. “People say we have to do this, we have to do that. Nothing changes. It’s the final game. We’re either going to win or lose. The winning team is going to be the one with timely hitting and who makes less mistakes.”