EASTHAMPTON — For four innings, Friday’s matchup between defending MIAA Division 5 state champion Greenfield and Div. 4 quarterfinalist Easthampton was a pitcher’s duel. 

Greenfield ace MacKenzie Paulin and Easthampton star Rosie Follet kept both teams off the board through the first three innings, allowing just one hit between them during that time. 

It was the Eagles that got on the board first, but a fifth-inning explosion from Greenfield gave the visitors the lead. They were able to hold off the Eagles to secure a 6-1 win, improving their record to 9-2 on the season. The loss was just Easthampton’s second loss of the season, dropping them to an identical 9-2. 

It took the visitors a bit to get their bats going, but once they started to see a few of Follet’s pitches, they managed to lock in during their at bats. Greenfield finished the game with six hits, most of them coming in the top of the fifth inning when they did all their damage on the scoreboard.

Follet struck out five batters but also walked five and allowed six earned runs. 

“Just jumping right on the first pitch (helped). I think we were taking too many pitches in the beginning of the count,” Paulin said. “I think just talking to each other about what we're seeing (helped), and then once we saw her a couple of times, we really pulled through.” 

Ainslee Flynn led the Green Wave with two hits, including one during the team’s fifth-inning explosion. Paulin drilled a triple to bring in two runs and plated herself, and Carly Blanchard roped a two-run homer that stretched all the way over the center field fence.

“I've been kind of in a slump so that felt really good. It's always exciting to hit one out,” Blanchard said. “I felt like it was going to hit the fence, because it’s been happening a lot, but it went over.” 

The difference for Greenfield was its ability to string together multiple hits to drive in runs. Easthampton was able to connect with Paulin at times – the hosts finished with three hits and drew a walk – but Paulin struck out 10 batters total.

Follet and Lauren Morse were able to team up to score the Eagles’ lone run in the bottom of the fourth that staked the club to a 1-0 lead. Morse singled and stole second, and with two outs Follet drilled a line drive to left field to bring her home. Besides that, Easthampton wasn’t able to line up any other consecutive hits. 

“In softball, I think it's really just one hit and then it just keeps on going and going. I think they just got a little break and they just kept going and strung them together,” Morse said. “I think we had very difficult time stringing our hits together. We were making contact but it was hard for us to put it together and score.” 

Easthampton head coach Corey Robinson wanted his team to focus on having quality at-bats against Paulin. They knew she was a top-notch pitcher and could give them a preview of what they could see in the postseason. Though they were able to hit her at times, Greenfield’s defense was stingy and Paulin had the edge one-on-one. 

“We wanted to focus on good at-bats against MacKenzie. MacKenzie is a great pitcher…. We didn't battle enough. I told them, one run’s not gonna get it done,” Robinson said. “We’ve got to put more runs on the board. We haven't really faced people like that this year.”

They’ll face a battery of tough pitchers moving forward, but games against teams like Greenfield are what will prepare the Eagles for tougher games in the postseason. Though the result wasn’t what they wanted on Friday, they’ll be able to learn from this moving forward. 

“You gotta play games like this. Win or lose, obviously I don't want the outcome too much on the wrong side, but these are small steps toward the finale at the end. If you pad your schedule with cupcakes, you're gonna get knocked out early in the playoffs,” Robinson said. “You gotta face these good teams. You gotta see what you're about. I think they got a taste of that today and it’s humbling.” 

Hannah Bevis can be reached at hbevis@gazettenet.com. Follow her on Twitter @Hannah_Bevis1.]]>