PLYMOUTH – Franklin scored first to take an early lead and scored late when the pressure had built. The Golden Tornadoes made routine and spectacular defensive plays. They got excellent pitching and hit the ball hard all game.
They played like a championship-caliber team, but in the end that wasn’t enough. Not against a team like White Mountains, not in the Division III softball title game.
“I figured it would be a one- or
two-run ball game and figured it would be close, pretty much a pitcher’s duel,” Franklin Coach Skip DuBois said. “We hit the ball hard, we certainly had no problem with that, just for a while we were hitting it at people. But we took the lead, we just couldn’t hold it, and that’s why they’re undefeated, they’re a good team.”
The top-ranked Spartans scored with two outs in the bottom of the seventh for a 3-2 win that caps a 20-0 season with the D-III crown. White Mountains won the title in 2012 but had lost in the last three championship games, all to Campbell, before snapping the streak on Saturday against No. 2 Franklin (18-2).
“You don’t even know,” Spartans Coach Forrest Hicks said when asked if those three losses made Saturday’s win sweeter. “First I was happy not to see Campbell, I celebrated that for two days.”
That celebration might have felt a little premature when the Tornadoes took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second at a wet Plymouth State University.
Hanne Nichols reached on an error to lead off the inning and took second on the play. She went to third on a fly ball to right from Breanna Styles and scored on a sacrifice fly to center from Meghan Johnston.
The Spartans tied things in the fourth despite Franklin flashing some leather in the frame – a smooth pickup at third from Anna Sylvestre on a bunt attempt and a hustling catch behind third from shortstop Hailey Haskins. In between that defense, White Mountains got a flare down the left field line from Amaya Dodier (2-for-4, run, RBI) that turned into a double for the Spartans’ first hit of the game. Katlyn Coulter followed that with an RBI double to center to make it 1-1.
Franklin broke the tie in the sixth on a two-out single from Haskins (2-for-3, RBI) that plated Mariah Haney. She had walked to lead off the inning, took second on a ground out, went to third on a wild pitch and scored when Haskins roped one to left.
Given the way Kaylee Marshe was pitching, that one-run lead looked like plenty. The Franklin senior had good speed and movement on her pitches for all seven innings and finished with nine strikeouts while giving up two walks and four hits.
“I thought (Marshe) pitched very well,” DuBois said. “You’re not going to shut out, and you’re certainly not going to no-hit, a team like White Mountains, so I’m very happy with her performance. And also considering the wet day, and granted they changed the balls, but these pitchers had to constantly deal with a wet ball, and that’s impressive for both of them.”
Indeed. Franklin did make good contact against Coulter, but she only gave up two hits and two walks, while striking out four.
The Spartans tied things up for Coulter, again, in the bottom of the sixth. And once again they did it after Franklin turned in a defensive gem, this one a running, backhanded catch from Nichols on a ball that looked like it was already past her and destined for the fence.
After the catch from Nichols, Franklin pitched around the dangerous Coulter, putting her on base on four pitches. Courtesy runner Hannah Kirk then stole second and scored on a double from Tristan Enderson to tie it.
The Spartans also got busy, championship busy, with two outs in the seventh. Katlyn Nelson battled for a two-out walk and then Dodier, who stole home in the seventh inning of the semifinals to force extra innings, came through with the title-winning single to plate Nelson with the game winner.
“Amaya Dodier was awesome,” Hicks said.
It felt like a sudden end for the Tornadoes, who played above and beyond expectations all year.
“They need to know we’re proud of them. They accomplished more than us as coaches, what our expectations were,” DuBois said. “But the big thing is I told them before the game, no matter what happens, I want your heads high. I expect tears, that comes with the game, but there’s no hanging heads because … there are so many kids who play high school, and even college ball, and never get here.
“As they grow older, they’ll appreciate this.”
(Tim O’Sullivan can be reached at 369-3341 or at tosullivan@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @timosullivan20)