AMHERST — The Greenfield softball team wasn’t going to be denied.

The defending MIAA Div. 5 state champion Green Wave were on a quest to repeat, but to do so had to get past archrival Turners Falls, which had beaten them twice during the regular season, in Friday’s state championship game.

It took two innings for the teams to feel each other out before Greenfield exploded in the bottom of the third, putting eight runs on the board to take an 8-0 lead. That one inning was the difference in the game, as both teams mustered two runs each from that point on. Green Wave ace MacKenzie Paulin held the Thunder to just two hits in the game, helping Greenfield take home its second straight Div. 5 title with a 10-2 victory at Sortino Field on the campus of UMass. 

“It’s a great group of kids,” Green Wave coach John Hickey said. “Going back-to-back is nothing short of extraordinary. It says a lot about these kids and who they are as people and players. I couldn’t be prouder of this group of girls. To do it back-to-back, it’s hard enough to get here, never mind get it done. It’s just awesome.” 

It’s a disappointing end for Turners, though head coach Gary Mullins noted the progress his team has made throughout the year in order to reach the title game. 

“I told the coaches no matter what happens today, this team has come a long way,” Mullins said. “I'll still be disappointed with a loss but we knew this was a good team we were playing.” 

Through two and a half innings, Greenfield first baseman Amber Bergeron’s single in the second inning was the lone hit of the game.

The Green Wave were able to put the ball in play in the bottom of the third, finally making contact against Thunder pitcher Madi Liimatainen to take command of the game. 

Ivy Rae got on with a leadoff walk and Brielle Widelo followed it up with a bunt. No throw came on the play, putting two runners on. Anna Bucala then walked to load the bases for Ainslee Flynn, and the catcher came through for Greenfield, blasting a triple to deep center field that cleared the bases and gave the Green Wave an early 3-0 lead. 

“It was the first pitch,” Flynn said. “I’ve been trying to go after first pitches and go after strikes early in the count. It paid off. I tried to do whatever I could for the team. That was our chance and the first time we had loaded the bases all game. Brielle’s bunt was amazing and that got the inning going. Our energy started off good but once we got on and got the rally going the energy went through the roof. That carried us through the rest of the game and helped us win.” 

The rally didn’t end there. Carly Blanchard was intentionally walked and Bergeron drew another free pass to reload the bases with one out. Greenfield senior Rachel Dodge grounded the ball to short, and following some hesitation in the field, beat a delayed throw to first with Flynn scoring in the process to make it a 4-0 game. 

Blanchard made it home on a wild pitch, Benitez walked to reload the bases and Bergeron raced home on a passed ball to make it a 6-0 game. Bucala came to the plate and dinged a single that plated Dodge and Benitez, and suddenly the Green Wave held an 8-0 lead going into the fourth.

“They're a good team,” Mullins said. “We gave them a chance with a few mental mistakes and they got a big hit that loosened people up. We went the other way and had some mental mistakes.”

With an eight-run cushion to play with, Greenfield was able to settle in and play its game the rest of the way. 

“We were more comfortable after that knowing we had the lead,” Paulin said. “We just had to take it out by out until the last inning.” 

The Green Wave threatened again in the fourth. Paulin reached on an error, Bergeron beat out a throw for an infield single and Dodge walked to load the bases, but Liimatainen got two of her nine strikeouts to close out the inning without giving up a run. 

The Thunder got to the plate in the top of the fifth without having a hit off Paulin. Liimatainen made sure to change that. 

Madisyn Dietz reached on a walk, bringing Liimatainen to the plate with a runner on. The sophomore waited for her pitch before blasting a ball that soared over the left field wall, landing in the netting and breaking up Paulin’s no-hit bid to breathe some life into Turners with the two-run home run that cut the deficit to 8-2.

The home run was the 100th hit of Liimatainen’s career, with two years left to add to that total. 

Holly Myers followed the homer with a single, but it would be the final hit Paulin surrendered, as the sophomore struck out the next two batters she faced to prevent the Thunder from further cutting into the lead. 

Bergeron opened the sixth inning with a single — her third hit of the game — and following walks from Benitez and Rae, the bases were once again loaded. Bucala came up and cracked a hit up the middle that scored Bergeron and Benitez, giving Greenfield a 10-2 advantage going into the top of the seventh. 

Following two losses to the Thunder in the regular season, it was a more relaxed Green Wave team going into Friday’s state title game. Players said they focused on their own performance rather than being intimidated by 10-time state champion Turners Falls — the perennial softball power in the area. 

“We came into this game more relaxed than the first two times we played them,” Bucala said. “We kept that going all game and it worked.” 

Paulin got a pair of strikeouts to open the seventh, putting her at 13 on the game, before getting Liimatainen to pop out to Blanchard at shortstop to close out the game and give the Green Wave their second state title in program history. 

The difference to Hickey between Friday’s game and the past two regular season meetings against Turners? Playing relaxed and playing to their potential. 

“We just had to put the bat on the ball and make plays,” Hickey said. “We had to make them make plays and put pressure on their defense. We just had to play to our ability. Not taking anything away from Turners but the first two times we played, we didn’t play to our ability and they played well. Madi is a heck of a player and a great pitcher. Tip our hat to them but today it’s about us.” 

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