ORANGE — The Mahar Regional softball team plays in a league that consists of perennial state champion Turners Falls High School and powerhouse Greenfield.
When Athol, Pioneer Valley Regional and Mohawk Trail Regional are in the mix for the Western Massachusetts Tournament, wins can be hard to come by.
That makes Friday’s game against Athol and Monday’s game against Frontier Regional vital for the Senators if they hope to qualify for the playoffs.
“It’s a big week,” Mahar coach Jerry Duguay said after his team’s game on Monday. “(Tuesday) has been our first practice in a week and a half. It’s been over one week. So we’re going to focus on hitting pitches for the end of the week.”
The Senators (7-8) are three wins shy from qualifying for the tournament after losing back-to-back games to Turners Falls. If the Senators lose to both Athol and Frontier, they will have to win out. However, one of the remaining three games is Greenfield (Tuesday), a team the Senators haven’t beaten in at least 15 years.
Athol defeated Mahar, 17-5, on May 2 and Frontier defeated Mahar, 17-1, on May 9. Mahar allowed nine unearned runs against the Red Raiders, while five were unearned against the Red Hawks.
The Senators feel more confident about winning their game against Athol.
And for argument’s sake, say the Senators beat Mohawk Trail (May 24) and Sci-Tech (May 29). If the Senators could win those two games, the team would have nine wins, proving how important it is for the Senators to defeat either Athol or Frontier.
(Mahar’s final game against Palmer on May 30 does not count toward its record.)
A win against either Athol or Frontier would ease the pressure down the stretch. The Senators would have defeated one of the toughest teams on their schedule, which could create a confidence boost.
But Mahar needs to fix its fielding woes. The Senators have committed 34 errors this season, averaging 2.61 per game. Fielding woes have cost the Senators. In their 5-3 loss to Easthampton, an error allowed the Eagles to extend the fourth and score four runs. The Senators also had seven errors in a 12-8 win over Hopkins Academy. The team has had three or more errors six times.
Fix the fielding and the team will have a chance. Then it comes down to timely hits and turning fundamental plays, which the Senators are capable of doing.
Athol is in the hunt for a playoff spot and needs to win three of its last five games to qualify. That means the Red Raiders will have something to play for against the Senators as well, which will sure bring out the best of the two rivals.
“It’s a big game for us, but also a huge game for Athol too,” Duguay said.