High Schools: Frontier softball powers its way past South Hadley and into Class B semis

Frontier’s Skyler Steele puts the bat on the ball against Turners Falls earlier this season. 

Frontier’s Skyler Steele puts the bat on the ball against Turners Falls earlier this season.  STAFF PHOTO/JEFF LAJOIE

Frontier’s Sophia Pinardi (15) hits an RBI single against South Hadley in the top of the sixth inning Friday in South Hadley.

Frontier’s Sophia Pinardi (15) hits an RBI single against South Hadley in the top of the sixth inning Friday in South Hadley. STAFF PHOTO/DAN LITTLE

Staff Reports

Published: 05-20-2024 9:07 PM

In recent years, the Frontier softball team has stepped up its game in the postseason. 

That continued on Monday, when the sixth-seeded Redhawks traveled to South Hadley to take on the No. 3 Tigers in the Western Mass. Class B quarterfinals. 

Frontier didn’t look like an underdog, building a 7-0 lead in the sixth inning before walking away with a 9-3 road victory to advance to the sectional semifinals. 

The Redhawks will take on No. 2 Hampshire, the defending champs, in the semifinals at a date and time to be determined. The Raiders knocked off No. 7 Wahconah, 12-0, in their quarterfinal game. 

Frontier’s Olivia Machon knocked two singles and a double, Gabby Adams recorded two hits adn an RBI, Ashley Taylor drove in two with a double while Sophia Pinardi singled and doubled in the win. 

Delaney Fifield doubled, Hailey Hutkoski and Raine Wonsey each tallied a hit and an RBI, Whitney Campbell singled while Taylor went the distance in the circle and struck out a pair for Frontier. 

Class C quarters

No. 2 Franklin Tech 3, No. 7 Lenox 0 — Hannah Gilbert pitched a gem for the Eagles, tossing all seven innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out 16 as Tech advanced to the semis with a victory over the Millionaires at Nancy Gifford Field. 

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The Eagles will host No. 3 Drury in the semis, the Blue Devils coming off an 18-1 victory over SICS in the quarters. 

“It was a good start to the postseason,” Franklin Tech coach Joe Gamache   said. "It was a competitive game. Hannah pitched really well and defensively, we made the plays we needed to make. Offensively we manufactured a couple runs. It was a great win that gives us a little taste of what winning a game like this is like.” 

Gilbert helped herself with a pair of hits and an RBI at the plate while Cordelia Guerin blasted an RBI double for the Eagles. Kait Trudeau and Gianna DiSciullo hit safely while Kylee Gamache drove in a run in the win. 

Class D quarters

No. 3 Hoosac 11, No. 6 Mohawk Trail 2 — The Warriors were unable to pull off the upset in Cheshire, falling to the Blue Devils in the quarterfinals on Monday. 

No. 1 Turners 1, No. 8 Mount Everett 0 — Madi Liimatainen helped the Thunder survive in the quarters, as the junior threw a no-hitter, striking out 15 and walking five as Turners escaped to the semis with a victory at Gary Mullins Field. 

Turners’ lone run came in the third. 

Liimatainen knocked a triple at the plate while Addison Talbot and Ella Kolodziej hit safely in the win. 

Baseball

Class C quarters

No. 1 Drury 9, No. 8 Franklin Tech 1 — The top-seeded Blue Devils took down the Eagles in North Adams on Monday. 

Class D quarters

No. 1 Pioneer 10, No. 8 Granby 0 (5) — The Panthers roared out to a 7-0 lead after one and didn’t look back, cruising into the semis with a victory over the Rams in Northfield Monday. 

Hugh Cyhowski struck out five and didn’t allow a hit in two innings work before Ben Werner struck out four and allowed three hits in three innings on the hill for Pioneer. 

Alex McClelland singled, tripled and knocked in three runs, Ethan Mauthe tallied a pair of hits and RBIs, Cyhowski cracked a hit and drove in two while Jackson Glazier knocked an RBI double for the Panthers. 

No. 4 Turners Falls 6, No. 5 Mount Everett 2 — Waiting for Pioneer in the semis is the Thunder, which walked away with a win over the Eagles in Turners on Monday. 

Joey Mosca went the distance on the mound, holding Mount Evereettt to four hits while striking out five. Mosca and Alex Quezada each cracked a pair of hits and RBIs for Turners, Jackson Cogswell doubled while Dylen Richardson, Cam Burnett, Deven Sloan and Brody Girard hit safely in the win. 

Non-playoff games

Softball

Ware 16, Athol 3 — Jenna Bonenfant hit safely in the Bears’ loss to Ware on Monday. 

Boys tennis

SICS 3, Turners 2 — Mike Boyle picked up a 6-2, 6-1 triumph in No. 1 singles while Noah Koloziej earned a 6-3, 6-3 win in No. 2 singles for the Thunder on Monday in a loss to the Bulldogs in Turners. 

Girls tennis

Frontier 3, Renaissance 2 — Hashini Ratnatunge won in No. 1 singles (6-2, 3-6, 6-4) and Ella Sibley took No. 2 singles (6-0, 6-1) in the Redhawks’ win in South Deerfield Monday. 

Esther Ehle and Kayla Fagan closed out the win with a 6-2, 6-4 triumph in No. 2 doubles. 

Weekend results

Baseball

Turners 6, Athol 4 (9) — For the first time since 1993, the Thunder baseball team won their league championship. 

Saturday’s game between Turners and the Bears was for the Bi-County North title, as both teams entered with 8-1 records in league play. 

Athol pulled ahead 4-1 after two innings but the Thunder scored one in the third, one in the fifth and one in the top of the seventh to force extras. After neither team scored in the eighth, Dylen Richardson and Alex Quezada knocked hits to put runners on and both scored on wild pitches. Turners closed things out in the bottom of the frame to take home the league title with a 6-4 triumph. 

Richardson came on to pitch in the third for Turners and went the rest of the way, allowing just one hit and striking out six. Logan Cormier went 8 2/3 innings for Athol, striking out seven and scattering nine hits. 

Richardson added two hits at the plate, Quezada singled, doubled and drove in three runs, Cam Burnett knocked two hits and drovein a run, Brody Girard smacked two hits while Julian Kaiser hit safely for the Thunder. 

Noah Wein and Ethan Heuer had Athol’s two hits, Heuer driving in two runs in the loss. Eli Wein added an RBI for the Bears.