AMHERST, MA (FRANKLIN COUNTY NOW) — In one of the greatest single days in Franklin County sports history, the Turners Falls High School softball team and Pioneer Valley Regional School baseball team won State Division 5 Championships on Saturday.
Turners won a 12th state title, extending its state record, with a thrilling 2-1, 10-inning victory over Greenfield at Sortino Field at UMass-Amherst.
Marilyn Abarua singled home Madi Liimatainen in the bottom of the 10th to walk it off for the Thunder. Greenfield had broken up a scoreless tie in the fourth inning on a single by Sophia Rotkiewicz, scoring Gloria McDonald. Janelle Massey tied it up with a one-out double in the sixth, scoring Abarua.
From there, the teams traded rallies until Turners was finally able to bring the instant classic to a close with Abarua’s heroics.
At Polar Park in Worcester, the Pioneer Panthers lost a late lead against English High of Boston and was three outs from seeing its perfect season spoiled. But the Panthers rallied in the seventh inning to tie the game at 4, only to see English score a run in the top of the 8th to reclaim the lead at 5-4.
The Panthers then tied it back up at 5 in the last of the 8th, and when a throw home in an infield grounder sailed over the catcher’s head, the championship was Pioneer’s.
The win completed a perfect 26-0 season, and was the third state championship this school year for Pioneer, following boys soccer and boys basketball titles.