EASTHAMPTON — The No. 27 Easthampton softball team lost a heartbreaking, extra-innings battle, 9-7, to the No. 38 Academy of Notre Dame in the MIAA Division 4 state tournament preliminary round on Friday night.
Heading into the seventh inning up 4-2, the Eagles struggled to shut the door and close the game out. The Lancers’ bats got going immediately, putting a run on the board before recording an out.
A triple and a passed ball with two outs scored two more runs in the top of the frame, with a double to right center field making the score 6-4 in favor of Notre Dame heading into the bottom half.
“We had two outs,” Easthampton head coach Joseph Roy said. “One [more out] would have won the game. I think what happened was when that girl hit that triple, it just kind of took the momentum away from us.”
Despite the momentum shift, the Eagles battled back in the bottom of the seventh to tie things up. Nuala Walsh came up with a huge pinch-hit single with no outs to come within one run.
The freshman later tried to score on a dropped third strike from third base, but was swiftly tagged out at home for a double play that shocked Easthampton. The team came up with another run to send it to extras, but that one left on the board haunted them.
“Our inexperience killed us,” Roy said. “Ninth grader… I’m not going to take anything away from her. She saw the ball, she thought it went past the catcher, and that killed us. Strike out, put out. If she was correct, she would’ve been the winning run.”
Even with the blunder, the Eagles made it to the eighth inning with the game tied 6-6. The Lancers’ bats came to the plate ready to go in the top of the extra frame, tallying a pair of singles to kick things off.
After a flyout and two stolen bases, Easthampton brought its infield in to attempt to prevent the runners on second and third from scoring. Those same infielders watched a soft bloop land behind them just barely in the outfield grass for a hit, driving in both runs in the process.
A walk and a double allowed Notre Dame’s ninth run to cross the plate, giving it a 9-6 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth. Lily Foster singled to lead off the inning, getting driven in two batters later by Meghan Bixby. The two-out rally quickly stopped there, with the Eagles comeback attempt coming up just short.
“They really showed up, in my opinion,” Roy said of the late game efforts. “It’s one thing that we never had last year, because they were always behind, down, and some of these girls needed to understand that, ‘You’ve [got to] do something about it… And that’s where their heart comes into play.”
Foster led Easthampton offensively in the loss, going 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored. Noey Ryan also had a multi-hit night, finishing 2-for-4 with one run scored of her own.
Summer Routhier threw all eight innings for the Eagles on Friday night, battling against a stubborn Lancers lineup. The junior picked up eight strikeouts, while contributing one run scored offensively.
Notre Dame was led by Caitlin Lafontaine, who had impressive stuff in the circle all night long. Through eight innings of work, she tallied 13 strikeouts while only walking one batter.
“[Lafontaine], she threw a heck of a game, she really did,” Roy said. “She wasn’t giving up anything easy. We did hit her good, they hit our pitcher pretty good, too, but we couldn’t capitalize on some opportunities.”
Despite the loss, the Eagles are looking back on this season positively, taking a huge step in the right direction. After a rebuilding year in 2025, the team showed that they will be a force to be reckoned with as they gain more experience.
The roster contains just one senior, meaning the majority of the youthful talent that brought them to the state tournament will be running it back at least one more time next season.
“I mean, considering what we did last year, we were only 3-17,” Roy said. “And to even make the playoffs, in both the state, and Western Mass., it’s an accomplishment for us. That was our goal. I give my team kudos for that. And hopefully, they learn from this game, so we move forward on the future.”
Smith Academy 27, Boston Collegiate Charter 11 — The Falcons smoked the Hurricanes in preliminary round in the Division 5 bracket.
Quinn Carlson and Nataly Slysz each racked up four RBIs for Smith Academy, while Carlson took the win in the circle, finishing with six strikeouts.
The Falcons will take on No. 3 Hopedale in the Round of 32 on Sunday.
First pitch is set for 4 p.m.
Belchertown 6, Ursuline Academy 5 — The Orioles managed to move on to the Round of 32 in Division 3 in the close win against the Bears.
Belchertown led 5-4 after three innings, then scored a critical run in the sixth, which wound up serving as the deciding tally as Ursuline got one back in the top of the seventh.
Emily Waller (1-for-3, two RBIs) was the top hitter for the O’s, while Lila Roy threw a complete game from the rubber, striking out eight.
The Orioles will meet fifth-seeded Apponequet Regional next.
Oliver Ames 8, Northampton 3 — The Blue Devils kept it competitive in their preliminary round defeat in Division 2.
Northampton closed out the season 11-9.
Montachusett RVT 20, Holyoke 1 — The Purple Knights scraped one run together in their five-inning, season-ending defeat in the preliminary round in Division 3.
Holyoke went 10-10 in 2026.
Baseball
Hampshire 7, Upper Cape Cod RVT 4 — The Raiders scored four runs in the first and never looked back in their preliminary round victory in Division 4.
Riley Florek and Joe Moro each laced three hits for Hampshire
The Raiders move on to a meeting with No. 7 Seekonk in the Round of 32, which is scheduled for Sunday at 11 a.m.
Danvers 4, Holyoke 3 — The Purple Knights gave the Falcons all they could handle in the preliminary round in Division 3.
Holyoke’s final record shook out to 12-8-1.
Boys volleyball
Granby 3, Randolph 0 — The Rams earned the sweep in the Round of 32 in Division 2.
Granby will head to No. 7 Marlborough in the Round of 16 next.
Marlborough 3, Belchertown 0 — The Orioles battled but came up short in the Division 2 Round of 32, losing 25-19, 25-17, 25-20.
Gavin Couchon tallied a team-high seven kills in the loss, along with 13 digs. Shea MacLean was close behind with six kills of his own, adding three blocks.
Belchertown’s loss finishes its season with an 11-11 record overall.
Boys tennis
Northampton 4, Marshfield 1 — The Blue Devils let just one point slip in its Round of 32 win in Division 2 at the JFK Courts.
Northampton will face off against No. 6 MASCO on Monday, June 1 at 4 p.m.
Weston 5, Belchertown 0 — The Orioles could not keep pace with the top-seeded Wildcats in the Round of 32 in Division 3.
Belchertown concluded the season 12-7.
Girls tennis
PVCICS 5, Sturgis West 0 — The Dragons eased into the Round of 16 in Division 4 after their shutout win.
A much tougher test awaits though as No. 1 Hamilton-Wenham will be PVCICS’ next opponent, which is set for Tuesday, June 2 at 4 p.m.
