Turners Falls and Smith Academy are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2016, but likely not for long. The Thunder will be playing at home against the Falcons at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Turners Falls will be strutting in after a victory while Smith Academy will be coming in after a loss.
Turners Falls barely beat Mahar Regional the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Thunder never let the Senators get on the board and left with a 6-0 win on Monday. The victory continues a trend for the Thunder in their matchups with the Senators: they've now won three in a row.
Mahar Regional's batters probably weren't too happy with Kainen Stevens, who pitched a no hitter and racked up 11 Ks (he gave up a single walk). Stevens also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Turners Falls is undefeated when he allows at most three earned runs, but 0-3 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Jackson Cogswell was incredible, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. He has been hot recently, having posted two or more stolen bases the last three times he's played. Another player making a difference was Trevor Lyons, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI.
Meanwhile, Smith Academy fought the good fight in their extra-innings match against Mount Everett Regional on Monday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Eagles by a score of 9-7. The Falcons' defeat continues a trend for the team, making it three in a row.
Smith Academy saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Harrison LaFlamme, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. LaFlamme also put up an RBI, which was his first of the season. Garret Willard was another, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
Smith Academy's loss dropped their record down to 1-5. As for Turners Falls, the win got them back to even at 3-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Turners Falls has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Smith Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Turners Falls took their victory against Smith Academy when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 15-1 score. Will the Thunder repeat their success, or do the Falcons have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
