MIAA softball: Greenfield sets up championship clash with Turners Falls after semifinal rout of Hopedale (PHOTOS)
Published: 06-12-2025 9:10 PM |
WESTFIELD — After needing to come from behind against West Boylston to reach the MIAA Division 5 Final Four, the Greenfield softball team wasted no time taking command of its semifinal contest against third-seeded Hopedale on Thursday.
Greenfield’s MacKenzie Paulin struck out the side in the top of the first inning and the Green Wave got right to work at the plate, sending 11 out to bat in the frame and plating five runs to take the early lead.
That was all the run support Paulin needed, as she had a no-hit bid broken up in the top of the seventh. The senior finished with 18 strikeouts, walked just one and gave up two hits as second-seeded Greenfield made it back to the state championship game for the third time in four years with an 8-0 shutout at Westfield State University.
“It feels really good to be back in the championship game,” Paulin said. “It was our whole goal this year after losing in the quarterfinals last year. It’s been our motivation all year and to know we’re back feels good.”
The Green Wave (19-6) will face off against rival Turners Falls in the championship game at Sortino Field at UMass on Saturday, with first pitch set for 1 p.m. The two rivals clashed in the 2023 championship game, a game won by Greenfield – also at UMass.
Greenfield coach Ray Dodge said he felt better going into Thursday’s semifinal contest than he did the quarterfinal game against West Boylston because of the work his team did to prepare for what it’d see with the Blue Raiders.
The Green Wave took the game plan and executed to perfection.
“That was very nice playing with a lead,” Dodge said. “I told them yesterday that I felt better going into this game than I did going into the West Boylston game because of the work we did to get ready for this pitcher.”
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Anna Bucala got things started for Greenfield in the first with a leadoff single. Olivia Lemay walked and MacKenzie Paulin singled to load the bases, with Bucala then scoring on a wild pitch to give the Green Wave the opening lead.
With runners on second and third, Grace Laurie cracked a base hit to score Lemay and Paulin, Carson Farrell walked and Sophia Rotkiewicz cracked a single to drive in Laurie. Madison Lemay singled in Farrell and suddenly the Wave held a 5-0 lead going into the second.
“We came into this game knowing their pitcher would be great,” Bucala said. “We had our heads up and heads in it the whole game and we pulled it off.”
Greenfield struck again in the fourth. Bucala led off with a triple, Olivia Lemay walked, stole second and Paulin bashed a double into the gap to score two and give the Green Wave a 7-0 lead.
“The message before the game was that [Hopedale pitcher Emily Atwood] had a nasty changeup,” Dodge said. “We practiced being able to lay off it and hit it when we had to. They executed well. I’m pretty sure that girl isn’t used to seeing that many balls hit to the fence.”
The Wave closed out the scoring in the sixth as Paulin walked, Gloria McDonald — who smashed a double in the second — singled and Kayden Viencek brought Paulin in on a ground out to make it an 8-0 game.
Hopedale (18-6) had just one base runner — a walk in the second inning — going into the seventh when Atwood singled to open the final inning. Mackenzie Reynolds added a single in the seventh but Paulin recorded a strikeout to preserve the shutout.
Prior to the seventh, the Blue Raiders had put just three balls in play, and the Wave didn’t commit an error.
“I felt really good out there,” Paulin said. “Everything was working well and I felt like I was throwing hard. Every time the ball was put in play we were playing clean defense so I had confidence there. All my stuff was working well and Madi was working well behind the plate.”
A championship game always brings excitement, but the emotions run higher when an arch-rival is in the opposite dugout. Paulin said the Wave will be ready to go Saturday.
“The nerves will be amped up and we’ll all be excited,” Paulin said. “There will be a lot of adrenaline.”