HADLEY — The Hopkins Academy softball team punched a ticket to its first-ever Western Mass. final in style on Friday afternoon, run-ruling No. 6 Lenox in the Class D semifinals. 

The Golden Hawks cruised to a 14-2 win in five innings backed by strong defense and a late offensive surge to put the game out of reach. That might have been helped in part by a challenge from Hopkins head coach Paula Cristoforo, who told her team that if they scored 10 runs in the fifth inning, she’d shave her head. They only got seven, but she did tell them that she’d cut her long blonde hair if they plated five runs, and she’ll stay true to her word. 

“I knew that when they came at warmups, we were ready,” Cristoforo said. “Sometimes you just get a feeling inside of you and you just feel like they're ready.” 

Izzy Palmisano and Daisy Venditti both singled and scored in the first inning to get two runs on the board for the Golden Hawks, but Hopkins was only able to get a run in each of the next two innings. Leading 4-0, Lenox started to make a push in the fourth inning, scoring twice and forcing a pitching change. Hopkins starter Kaelyn Zakaitis was replaced by eighth-grader Cassie Dion, who closed the game out. 

“Coming in in the middle of the game and being able to throw, for an eighth-grade girl she has such great composure on the mound. She doesn't let anything shake her or rattle her,” Cristoforo said. “I'm always proud of all my girls, but in particular a shout out to Cassie for great pitching.” 

Palmisano finished with two hits and three runs, Venditti had two hits, including a double, and two runs, and Cassidi Mushenski, Maggie Potter and Lily Ellia all scored twice in the win. 

The Golden Hawks will face a tough opponent in the final – Turners Falls, a perpetual softball powerhouse. The two teams went toe-to-toe at the beginning of the season, a matchup that the Golden Hawks won, 17-3. They expect a closer game this time around, but will be ready.

“It's just a matter of going out there and everybody believing that we can beat them,” Cristoforo said. “Their pitcher is wonderful, Turners is an amazing team. To go against a team like that, it's really just an honor for us to be able to be on the same field with them and play with them again in Western Mass.”

The Class D championship game will be at Westfield State University on Tuesday, with the first pitch scheduled for 5 p.m. 

Class B semis

No. 2 Pittsfield 7, No. 3 Easthampton 5 — The scoring started early between the Generals and the Eagles on Friday, with Easthampton putting four runs on the board in the top of the first. But Pittsfield responded with five runs of its own in the bottom of the frame. 

Both squads scored a run in the second but the Eagles didn't score after, with the Generals advancing to the Class B championship game with a victory in Pittsfield. 

Abby McClaflin knocked two hits in the game, her second a triple. She now sits at 150 hits in her career. Jessica Cloutier knocked a single, a triple and brought in two runs, Sophia Faginski tallied a hit and an RBI while Haley Routhier hit safely in the loss. 

Rosie Follet struck out two and scattered six hits for Easthampton. 

Track & field

MIAA Div. 4 Championships, Day 1

Camilla Brewer leaped to a state title on Friday afternoon in Hingham, setting a new personal best of 36 feet, 6 inches in the triple jump at the Division 4 meet.

Brewer went into the event seeded third overall with a mark of 35-8 and obliterated it, securing both a 10-inch personal best along with the win and a trip to All-States. 

Amherst also had a day in the field events, with three athletes placing first or second in their respective throwing events. 

Just like they did at Western Mass., Amherst’s Logan Alfandari and Moniha Krouch went 1-2 in the discus. Alfandari won the state title with a throw of 157-3 while Krouch picked up second with a mark of 144-1. 

Amherst’s Courtnegail Rose came into the discus as the No. 22 seed and finished as the state runner-up. Rose launched the discus to a 109-3 mark to secure second place. 

Kira French made it to the podium in the 400-meter hurdles for the Blue Devils, placing sixth with a time of 1:11.13. Two other Northampton athletes competed in the event, with Odessa Glanesin finishing 15th (1:13.86) and Lila Hensley placing 24th 1:16.34.

Amherst’s Elizabeth Sawicki placed fifth in the pentathlon with a score of 2,150 points, just three points ahead of sixth place. Northampton’s Ayla Mourad also competed in the pentathlon and placed 10th (1638).

Two Amherst boys made the podium in the 800 run, with David Pinero-Jacome crossing the line in sixth with a 1:58.58 and freshman Nicolas Lisle finishing right behind him in 1:59.57. Finishing just shy of a medal was Northampton’s Jack Kamins, who placed 10th (2:00.92). Amherst’s Diego Lopez (14th, 2:01.62), Northampton’s Davis Wheat (18th, 2:02.70) and Amherst’s Miguel Pinero-Jacome (19th, 2:03.06) and Owen Platt (2:06.42) also competed in the 800. 

Northampton’s Teddy King-Pollet also medaled on Friday, finishing eighth place in the two mile run with a  time of 9:51.44. Amherst’s Will Larson crossed the line in 10:32.29 for 24th place and teammate Sam Woodruff finished 28th in 10:38.73. 

Amherst’s Ruby Austin placed 18th in the 200 dash (27.63) ahead of Northampton’s Coco Haenlin in 28th (28.60). 

Northampton’s Juan Jose Adams-Causton placed 14th in the 200 (23.62) while teammate Rowan Hodgson placed 25th (24.12). 

Ella Hoogendyk placed 20th in the triple jump for Northampton (31-9.5). 

Boys lacrosse

 Class B semis

No. 1 Pope Francis 12, No. 4 South Hadley 7 – Goalie Bennett Allen was a monster in net, gobbling up 26 saves for the Tigers, but it wasn’t enough against a relentless Pope Francis team.

Ethan Roy scored a hat trick and added an assist and Avery Haber netted a pair for South Hadley. Noah Marion and Owen Dawson also had one goal and one assist each. 

Girls lacrosse

Class C semis

No. 3 Pope Francis 15, No. 2 Granby 11 – The Cardinals upset Granby on Friday, jumping out to a 9-5 lead in the first half and staving off the Rams comeback effort. 

Ella Laliberte notched eight points (7G, 1A) and Kalli White had a hat trick for Granby. Faith Ramos made four saves in net. 

Non-playoff games

Softball

Northampton 16, Smith Academy 3 – Northampton’s Kaliya Valentin struck out 11 batters and recorded two hits and two RBIs in a non-playoff matchup against Smith Academy. Caroline Riordon had two hits, two runs and an RBI and Sasha Rodriguez recorded two hits and four runs. 

For Smith Academy, pitcher Keighley Gworek had two strikeouts, Keene Jeffress had a pair of hits and Haley Springman drilled a triple in the loss. 

Frontier 2, McCann Tech 1 – The Redhawks snapped a 10-game losing streak in a tight contest against McCann Tech. 

Pitcher Ashley Taylor struck out seven and allowed three hits in seven innings

Frontier scored both its runs in the first inning, propelled by a Delaney Fifield solo home run and an RBI single from Sophia Pinardi that scored Skyler Steele. 

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