TURNERS FALLS — Fresh off a Western Mass. Class D championship, the Turners Falls softball team carried that momentum into the MIAA Div. 5 state tournament on Monday. 

Hosting 31st-seeded Academy of Notre Dame in the Round of 32, the No. 2 Thunder had their bats going early and often. 

Madi Liimatainen hit a pair of inside-the-park home runs in the first two innings, helping Turners build a 5-0 lead after two. The Thunder tacked five on in the third before ultimately walking away with an 11-0 victory at Gary Mullins Field. 

“We made some contact today,” Turners coach Gary Mullins said. “We kept the strikeouts down. When you hit the ball good things happen and they made some mistakes we capitalized on. It worked out for us. You need to find a way this time of year.” 

The Thunder (17-5) will host No. 18 Norfolk Agriculture in the Round of 16 on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. Norfolk knocked off No. 15 Mount Greylock, 19-17, in the Round of 32. 

“They hit the crap out of the ball,” Mullins said of Norfolk. “I don’t know how they got 20 runs off Greylock. We scored four runs and 11 runs against Greylock. You look at Norfolk’s schedule and they score a lot of runs.” 

Liimatainen was rolling in the circle on Monday. The junior finished with 12 strikeouts, allowing just two hits while walking only one. 

“She was very good today,” Mullins said. “She gives us a chance every day.” 

Liimatainen got the scoring going by driving a ball to center in the first, and when the ball bounced past the Lancers fielder, Liimatainen was able to use her speed to make her way around the bases to give Turners a 1-0 lead. 

An error put Marilyn Abarua on in the second and seventh grader Autumn Thornton drove her in with a double. Mia Marigliano followed with a double of her own to drive in Thornton to add to the Thunder lead. 

Liimatainen then came to the plate and hammered a shot to left field which made it to the fence and she once again used her speed to wheel around the bases, giving Turners a 5-0 edge going into the third. 

An error put Anne Kolodziej on to open the third and Ella Kolodziej followed with a successful bunt. Abarua was walked, loading the bases for Thornton. She made Notre Dame pay, smashing a double that cleared the bases to put Turners ahead, 8-0. 

Marigliano bashed a triple to score Thornton, with Marigliano thrown out at home. Liimatainen then knocked a triple and Janelle Massey sent her home with a sacrifice fly to center, giving the Thunder a 10-0 lead going into the fourth. 

A fielder’s choice after Massey put the ball in play allowed Marigliano — who singled — to score in the fourth to add to the Turners lead. 

Notre Dame (11-9)  forced the game to go the full seven innings as Caitlin LaFountaine — who struck out six — kept the Thunder off the board in the fifth and sixth. Jacqueline Martineau doubled in the second while LaFountaine singled in the seventh for the Lancers.