GREENFIELD — It would be tough to put together a more impressive performance in the circle than the one Greenfield’s MacKenzie Paulin had on Friday.
Franklin Tech’s Kylee Gamache reached with a single in the top of the second inning of the Western Mass. Class C semifinal contest and Hannah Gilbert drew a walk in the fourth but that was the only time the fourth-seeded Eagles reached base. Kait Trudeau popped out in the sixth while every other batter who faced Paulin struck out, with the sophomore finishing with 20 punchouts on the day.
Offensively the No. 1 Green Wave scored three in the first, six in the fourth and one in the fifth to advance to the finals with a 10-0 victory at Vets Field.
“I felt really good and really on,” Paulin said. “All my pitches were working well and moving well. I felt really confident out there. Having [catcher Ainslee Flynn] behind the plate helps. She was calling a great game and made me feel really comfortable out there.”
Greenfield (15-5) advanced to face No. 3 Mount Greylock, which defeated Taconic 13-4 in Friday’s other semi, in the Western Mass. Class C finals. The Green Wave are searching for their second straight Western Mass. title, and head coach John Hickey said he was impressed with how his ace performed to get them there on Friday.
“Anytime your pitcher gives you 20 strikeouts and has great command of her pitches, it puts you in a great position,” Hickey said. “We’re excited to move on.”
Franklin Tech coach Joe Gamache knows you can’t win games when the bats aren’t going, and he credited Greenfield for holding down his lineup.
“We only came away with one hit and MacKenzie pitched phenomenal for them,” Gamache said. “They put the ball in play and hit the ball well. They had some timely hits. It wasn’t our best performance in the field.”
Following three straight strikeouts from Paulin to start the game, the Green Wave bats came to life to give them the early lead.
Anna Bucala and Flynn drew back-to-back walks to open the game, with both advancing a base following a Carly Blanchard groundout. Bucala scampered home after a ball in the dirt made it to the backstop before Paulin came up and smashed a double off the fence in center field to score Flynn.
Amber Bergeron followed and knocked a single to score Paulin, giving Greenfield a 3-0 lead.
After Gamache’s hit in the second, Paulin struck out the next seven batters she faced, not allowing the Eagles to get back in the game.
“I just tried to flush it and keep pounding it in there,” Paulin said. “That gave me more motivation to go hard at them.”
A big fourth inning put the Green Wave in total control. Ivy Rae and Gloria McDonald opened the frame with walks. Both stole a base and Bucala came up and drilled a single to bring both Rae and McDonald home and give Greenfield a 5-0 lead.
Bucala stole third and made it home on a passed ball to tack a sixth run on the board for the Green Wave. Flynn reached on an error before Paulin and Bergeron walked to load the bases for Rachel Dodge, who hit one into a tough spot in right field that allowed all three runners to score while Dodge made it to third, giving Greenfield a 9-0 lead going into the fifth.
McDonald got on with a walk in the sixth, stole second, moved to third on a ground ball from Brielle Widelo and scored off a Bucala groundout to finish out the Green Wave scoring.
Hannah Gilbert finished with five strikeouts for Franklin Tech in the circle.
After winning the Western Mass. title a season ago, Greenfield has been waiting all year for the chance to make it two in a row. That chance comes when the club takes on the Mounties Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Westfield State University.
“This is what we’ve been working for all year,” Paulin said. “Last year when we got there and won it, it felt so nice. Our team is pumped to be back in it.”
There won’t be any feeling out process between the Green Wave and Greylock on Wednesday, as both play in the Franklin County League West. The two squads faced off in the season-opener, a game Greenfield won 10-1, and on the final game of the regular season, with the Green Wave taking that game, 12-0.
While Greenfield had the advantage in the regular season, it knows it’ll be getting the best the Mounties have to offer in the title game.
“This is a team in our league,” Hickey said. “We know a lot about them and they know a lot about us. It should be a good matchup. We’re looking forward to it. There’s no pressure. They just have to go out there and play ball. Do what you’ve been taught since you were little, trust your judgment and instincts and get it done.”
It’s not the end of the road for the Eagles (17-3). They’ll play in the MVADA State Vocational Tournament, where they are the top seed and hosting Westfield Tech on Monday at 5 p.m. Franklin Tech then will play in the MIAA Div. 5 state tournament, with plenty of opportunities to fix the mistakes made on Friday.
“The good news is we still have more softball to play,” Gamache said. “We can clean up some of the mistakes we made today and hopefully we’ll hit a little bit better in the coming games.”
Frontier 2, McCann Tech 1 — The Redhawks gained some momentum heading into the MIAA Div. 5 state tournament on Friday, snapping a 10-game losing skid with a non-playoff win over the Hornets in South Deerfield.
Frontier scored both of its runs in the first. Delaney Fifield smashed a solo home run while Sophia Pinardi singled to drive in Skyler Steele. Ashley Taylor struck out seven and allowed just three hits in the victory.