Hitting Up and Down the Lineup Leads 'Canes to Regional Final

ADAMS, Mass. – Izabela Tart Monday hit her 11th home run of the season in the cleanup spot for the Hoosac Valley softball team.

 

But that was not the big takeaway from the Hurricanes’ 12-2 win over Hopkins Academy in the Western Massachusetts Class D Semi-Finals.

 

The big story was the bottom of Hoosac Valley’s lineup, which went 8-for-16 with five RBIs from spots 6 through 9 in the batting order.

 

Gianna Witek went 3-for-4, drove in a pair of runs, scored three times and stole a base as the No. 6 hitter as Hoosac Valley (18-2) won its eighth straight game and set up a date against top-seeded Turners Falls in Wednesday’s regional final.

 

No. 7 hitter Ella Bissaillon went 3-for-4 with an RBI on a day when every Hurricane in the lineup had at least one hit.

 

“Nice game all around, definitely,” Hoosac Valley coach Mike Ameen said. “We extended our lineup, and that helps. When your back end hits as well as the front end, you’re pretty tough to beat.”

 

After Hopkins got a run in the top of the first, Hoosac Valley answered emphatically right away in the bottom of the frame.

 

Genevieve Lagess hit a two-out double, and Tart drove the ball over the fence in right field to make it 2-1.

 

The Hurricanes were up 3-1 when they scored four in the bottom of the third.

 

Lagess and Hannah Lord singled ahead of Witek’s RBI single. Lord scored on an error, and Witek raced home when Bissaillon reached on an infield single and took second on an overthrow.

 

Bissaillon ended up scoring when Trinity Bracket reached on an error, making it 7-1.

 

The Hurricanes put the game out of reach with five hits and five runs in the sixth inning. No. 8 hitter Ashlyn Lamke had the big blow, a two-run single to drive in Lord and Witek.

 

While the offense piled up the runs, Gracelyn Wright held Hopkins at bay.

 

After surrendering an unearned run in the first, Wright allowed no more damage until the top of the seventh, with her team ahead by 11 runs.

 

“I saw [from Wright] what I’ve seen every game for the last two years,” Ameen said. “That girl gives me seven innings, and she battles. She’s out there being tough. She trusts her defense, and she cheers on from the bench. She’s a team captain and a leader, it’s just another game for her.”

 

On Tuesday, Hoosac Valley goes back to the Western Mass finals for the first time since 2022, when they knocked off Turners Falls at Westfield State, 5-4, to claim the title.

 

“I’ve been coaching for 28 years now, and I’ve been hearing about Turners Falls for 28 years now,” Ameen said of the 10-time state champions. “I go into every game thinking it’s going to be a tough game, especially against a team like that with that history and that coaching staff. Their program is always tough, and they expect to win.

 

“That’s going to be a tough game for us, but we’re going to show up and do our best.”