Turners Falls edges Amesbury to capture another state title

AMESBURY — Turners Falls catcher Madi Liimatainen sprinted to her spot behind the plate for the home half of the seventh inning of Thursday’s Div. 3 state championship game and commanded her pitcher Jade Tyler, “Hey! Me and you, let’s go!”

As if the bottom of the seventh was going to be any different than the previous 6 1/2?

Tyler, on the mound, and the eighth-grader Liimatainen, at the plate, dominated the day, lifting Turners Falls to its fourth state title in the last seven years. This one came in the most dramatic fashion, 5-4, with Tyler inducing her sixth strikeout of the day to strand a pair of Amesbury runners in the seventh.

Tyler shackled the host Indians, who averaged 13 runs a game in their 16-0 season going into Thursday, holding them to just five hits for the win.

She got some incredible help defensively, with each of her three outfielders coming up with season-saving catches.

“They made the most unbelievable plays in the outfield,” said Amesbury coach Jacquie Waters. “You just don’t see that often. It changes the game. They were unbelievable … game-changers.”

With two Indians on and two outs in the Amesbury third, junior Olivia Stafford somehow ran down an Olivia Levasseur missile to the gap that had two-run double written all over it.

In the Indians’ fifth, center fielder Skylei Lapan tumbled through the temporary fence and somehow hauled in an Olivia DeLong bomb to rob the Indians’ slugger of her second home run of the afternoon.

Both of those kept the score at 3-1 Thunder.

Finally, it was freshman Holly Myers in right that moved toward the line and laid out, stealing at least a leadoff double away from Levasseur in the Amesbury sixth.

“Woo, man, I didn’t know we could make those catches, and we made three of them today,” said Turners Falls coach Gary Mullins, whose team moved to 4-3 in the last seven state title games.

Liimatainen staked Turners Falls to a 2-0 lead in the first with a two-run triple and provided huge insurance in the top of the seventh with a two-run double, making it 5-1. Each of those rockets to the gap came with two outs and two strikes.

“Today she had a great batting practice. I could tell, this kid might hit one,” said Mullins. “All of a sudden, whack. She can be a terrific player for us. Huge, huge, huge. She came up big.”

Still, Amesbury showed its class, piecing together a rally in the seventh.

With one out, Lauren Celia singled, and an out later Ella Bezanson drew a walk.

DeLong, down to her last strike, then scalded a double to right, making it 5-3. Levasseur was next, and her infield grounder was kicked, plating DeLong to make it 5-4. Isabelle Levasseur then walked before Tyler finished the job, ending the rally and closing out the title win.

“We were very fortunate to beat a very good softball team. They’re good. They’re very, very solid,” said Mullins of an Amesbury team that allowed just 13 runs in 17 games on the season and returns its two top pitchers plus seven other starters.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3xdzWWG