Turners Falls rallies from 6-run deficit to stun Georgetown, reach MIAA D5 title game

Turners Falls’ Marilyn Abarua, shown here last month, smacked the game-winning hit to lift the top-seeded Thunder to an 8-7 win over Georgetown in the MIAA Division 5 semifinals on Wednesday in Lowell. STAFF PHOTO/JEFF LAJOIE
Published: 06-11-2025 8:56 PM
Modified: 06-12-2025 7:51 AM |
LOWELL — The defending MIAA Division 5 softball state champions showed championship mettle on Wednesday.
Top-seeded Turners Falls went into Wednesday’s D5 semifinal contest against No. 4 Georgetown on a mission to get back into a position to win the 12th state title in program history, but the Royals — which lost to the Thunder in the championship game last spring — looked anything but the underdogs early at UMass Lowell.
Georgetown threw a haymaker to open the game by putting three runs on the board in the first inning, then hit a home run in the third and tacked two more on in the fifth to hold a commanding 6-0 lead. The Thunder chipped away, putting three on the board in the bottom of the fifth before exploding for four runs in the sixth to take a 7-6 lead. In a flash, they were just three outs away from booking a return trip to the title game.
Still, the Royals wouldn’t go away. Elizabeth Barbarick opened the top of the seventh with a solo home run to tie it, and Turners was unable to answer in the bottom of the frame, sending the game to extras.
Thunder ace Madi Liimatainen kept Georgetown off the board in the top of the eighth and in the bottom of the frame, Mia Marigliano and Liimatainen drew consecutive walks to put two on for Marilyn Abarua.
The senior came through, knocking a base hit to right field that plated Marigliano from second and send Turners to the championship game for the third time in four years with an 8-7 comeback victory.
“I was just thinking how I needed to get a hit here,” Abarua said. “Madi and Mia did their job to get on base and it was my turn to make the winning play. I’ve done it before and thought I just had to do it one more time here. [The pitch] was a changeup so I just went for it. I stopped thinking because when I think too much I make mistakes.
“It wasn’t easy,” Abarua added. “I was almost going to cry out there. It’s my senior year and I want to win states.”
Article continues after...
Yesterday's Most Read Articles






Turners (21-4) will take on the winner of Thursday’s semifinal between No. 2 Greenfield and No. 3 Hopedale in the state championship game. The date and time of the title game is still to be determined.
“This is a phenomenal win for our kids,” Thunder coach Gary Mullins said. “I brought them up between innings and told them to keep scratching away, not roll over and show a little fight. Little by little we started to execute some things. We had a couple nice bunts, a couple nice hits and the ball started rolling. I’m extremely satisfied with their effort.”
Just when it looked like all the momentum was with the Royals (20-4), the Turners offense got going in the fifth. Marigliano got the rally going with a one out single, Liimatainen walked and Abarua smacked a single to drive in Marigliano and put the Thunder on the board.
Janelle Massey walked to load the bases and Autumn Thornton grounded out but scored Liimatainen in the process. With runners on second and third, Maddie Dietz put down a bunt, beat out the throw to first and scored Abarua at the same time to cut the lead to 6-3 going into the sixth.
Liimatainen — who finished with 13 strikeouts in the circle — kept Georgetown off the board in the sixth and the Thunder got right back to work at the plate.
Ameliya Galbraith led off with a single and Madison Haight followed by knocking the ball to shortstop. The Georgetown fielder was off the bag on the throw to get Galbraith at second, and everyone was safe.
Marigliano walked to load the bases for Liimatainen, who smashed a ball to third. The throw to get Galbraith at home sailed high, allowing McKenzie Stafford, running for Haight, to score and cut the lead to 6-5.
Massey grounded out with runners on second and third but Marigliano was able to score on the play to tie the game. With two outs, Thornton hit a dribbler to first and beat the fielder to the bag while Liimatainen scored on the play to give Turners a 7-6 lead going into the seventh.
“I had confidence,” Abarua said. “We were down six [runs] but we’re Turners. We can get back. I wasn’t giving up on this one.”
Even after Barbarick’s home run in the seventh, the Thunder’s belief never wavered.
“My only thought was ‘we got this,’” Liimatainen said. “We didn’t come this far to not keep going. I told the team before we got here that we have two more games to play but we have to get through today first. It was a really good team win today. Not one person carried the team. Marilyn did at the end but there were so many hits before that at bat. It shows we’re working well together as a team.”
Georgetown’s Maddie Grant opened the game with a base hit, moved to second after Ava Fair walked and scored the opening run off a single from Gillian Figueroa to give the Royals the lead.
Jenna Johnson then blasted a double to clear the bases and give Georgetown a 3-0 advantage after one.
After a scoreless second, Barbarick opened the third for the Royals and crushed a solo home run over the right field fence to give Georgetown a 4-0 lead.
“When they hit the home run to make it 4-0 I thought the door might be shut,” Mullins said. “We kicked it back open.”
The Royals tacked two on in the fifth. Barbarick walked and Fair singled to put two on for Talya Mariani, who singled to knock in Barbarick. An error later in the inning brought Fair in to give Georgetown a 6-0 lead going into the bottom of the fifth.
Grant pitched all eight innings for the Royals, striking out nine.