Greenfield, Turners to play for state softball title, unbeaten Pioneer baseball looks to cap perfect season

GREENFIELD, MA (FRANKLIN COUNTY NOW) — The two teams have been rivals for years. They have dominated the state Division 5 softball field, strong-arming other teams from reaching the top. And now, they will face each other for the championship.

The Greenfield Green Wave rode a dominating performance from pitcher Kenzie Paulin and an offense that suddenly is hitting on all cylinders in an 8-0 victory over the Hopedale Blue Raiders in the MIAA Division 5 Semifinals at Westfield State University on Thursday.

Paulin took a no-hitter into the seventh and final inning before settling for a complete-game two-hit shutout with 18 strikeouts.

The second-seeded Wave took control right out of the gate, with Paulin striking out the side in the first inning, and Greenfield then scoring five runs in their half of the first. With Paulin throwing as well as she has all season, the game was, for all intents and purposes, over.

The top-seeded and defending state champion Turners Falls Thunder, who rallied from a 4-0 deficit in their semifinal against Georgetown to beat the Royals 8-7 in eight innings, will look to capture the program’s 12th state title, and do it at the expense of their rivals. The title game is set for Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at Sortino Field at UMass-Amherst.

The game will mark the final showdown between two of the best pitchers this area has ever seen: Greenfield’s Paulin and Madi Liimatainen of Turners Falls.

Greenfield defeated Turners Falls two years ago for their second consecutive championship, with Paulin outdueling Liimatainen.

The Pioneer baseball team looks to cap a perfect season with the first state baseball title in school history. The top-seeded Panthers take on #2 English High School of Boston in the Division 5 final at Noon Saturday at Polar Park in Worcester.

The Panthers will be attempting to claim the third state title in boys sports this school season: the soccer team won it all in the fall while losing just twice, while the basketball team rolled to a perfect 26-0 season in which they were never seriously challenged.