Seemingly on a collision course with Austin Preparatory School for the third time in as many years, the Turners Falls High School softball team received a bit of a surprise Tuesday night. After defeating Hopedale High School, 4-1, to advance to the program’s fifth consecutive MIAA Div. III title game, the Thunder found out later that Austin Prep would not be joining them after the two teams met in tight ballgames each of the past two seasons.
Instead, after a surprising 9-0 win over Austin Prep in the other state semifinal, South champion Abington High School (23-2) will be the opponent for Turners (21-3) as it seeks its fourth consecutive state championship this afternoon at 1 p.m. at Worcester State University’s Rockwood Field.
After making history and moving into sole possession of first place all-time with nine state softball titles after last year’s 2-1 win over Austin Prep, Turners aims for No. 10 against Abington. A win would be the fourth straight state crown, as the Thunder also grabbed wins over Austin Prep in 2016 (2-0) and Millis High School in 2015 (5-3).
“I was a little surprised,” admitted Mullins of Austin Prep’s loss. “I thought they would be (in the finals). But Abington got in the way.”
No matter where Turners goes, it can’t escape a reference to rival Greenfield High School. Abington’s mascot is also the Green Wave, and the program handed Austin Prep its first loss of the season Tuesday night to advance to today’s championship. Senior pitcher Tori Young kept the high-scoring Cougars, which averaged 11 runs per game during the postseason entering the state semifinal, off the board while allowing just one hit to go with six strikeouts.
“They’ve got all the tools,” lauded Mullins of Abington. “They’ve got quality pitching, a couple lefties, they can bunt … they run well and hit, put a lot of pressure on you.”
Abington’s path to today’s state final saw the Green Wave carve a path through the 17-team South sectional tourney with four victories. The team outscored its opponents by a 37-3 margin, including a 2-1 victory over Joseph Case High School in the final.
Abington was realigned from Div. II this spring. The Wave reached the Div. II South sectional final a year ago before falling to Norton High School. Abington last reached the state tournament in 2016 when it won the Div. II South tourney before falling in the state semifinals to Tewksbury Memorial High School.
“We have to make plays,” said Mullins of his club, which will serve as the away team in today’s game. “We can’t hurt ourselves and we can’t give any extra outs to a good team like that.”
Turners enters on the heels of a clean game against Hopedale, where it did not commit an error behind freshman pitcher Jade Tyler. First baseman Lexi Lacey had 12 putouts, and Mullins lauded the play of third baseman Abby Loynd and shortstop Taylor Murphy defensively.
Turners’ defense was not necessarily a strength this spring, but the Thunder are picking a great time to put it all together. Mullins said with the work his side puts in throughout the spring, reaching the state title game is a well-deserved reward.
“There’s no secret, absolutely no secret, to it,” said Mullins of the program’s key to success. “You have to invest the time. You win in this game by repeating ground balls and fly balls over and over again. Our kids are still giving us a good two hours a day. They’re so dedicated. And right now, they’re enjoying the fruits of their labor.”
While the stakes are as high as they can get today, Mullins expects his team to be ready to go.
“We haven’t changed the game that they’re playing,” he offered. “It’s still the same game that we’ve been playing since April. The opponent is a little better, but when you work as hard as they have and put in as many hours as they have, you just have to use your brains and believe in yourself and you’ll have a shot.”
Turners’ last loss in the state tournament came in the 2014 Div. III final against Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational-Technical High School. Despite playing in a state title game for the fifth consecutive year, Mullins cautioned that there’s no guarantee of future success.
“It’s the opportunity for them to enjoy a great prize but you may not get that opportunity again,” he said. “Just because you’re a freshman, doesn’t mean you’re going to get three more opportunities in the (state final). You have to take advantage of the chances you get.”
Today’s game is the first of a tripleheader at Worcester State. The Div. II title game between Leicester High School and Greater New Bedford follows at 3:30, with the Div. I tussle between Wachusett Regional High School and Taunton High School closes things out at 6.