GIRLS’ LACROSSE
DIVISION III SEMIFINALS
No. 2 Bow (14-2) vs. No. 6 Kearsarge (12-4),
at Laconia High’s Bank of NH Stadium, 5 p.m.
HEAD TO HEAD: The Falcons won at Kearsarge in the season opener, 12-9.
PREVIOUS TOURNAMENT GAMES: Bow rolled past No. 7 ConVal, 18-8. The Cougars edged No. 3 Laconia, 7-6.
NOTES: Both teams have plenty to feel good about coming into this one, which figures to be entertaining. Kearsarge got a measure of revenge by taking out Laconia, the team that beat the Cougars in overtime in last year’s D-III title game. Bow has won 10 of 11 games with the only loss coming against top-ranked Derryfield. And both teams have go-to stars who have risen to the postseason occasion – Bow’s Taylor Darrell had nine goals and three assists in her team’s quarterfinal win, and Leslie Angus had three goals in Kearsarge’s quarterfinal victory, including the game-winner in double overtime.
BASEBALL
DIVISION I QUARTERFINALS
No. 6 Concord (13-6) at No. 3 Dover (15-4), 3 p.m.
HEAD TO HEAD: The Crimson Tide won in Dover, 3-0, on May 16.
PREVIOUS TOURNAMENT GAMES: Concord downed No. 11 Nashua North, 3-0. Dover had a first-round bye.
NOTES: After First Team Division I pick Griffin Gilbert threw a complete-game in Concord’s first-round win over Nashua North, the Tide will start Noah Wachter, a Second Team Division I selection, against Dover. The Green Wave will counter with its ace, Noah Griffin, a First Team D-I pick himself. Griffin is tough, but Concord can get offensive production from all parts of its lineup – Kurtis Stadnicki (two doubles, two RBI), Wachter (two hits) and Zach Miles (three walks, two runs) led the way in the first-round playoff win, while it was Ryan Tessier (three hits), Ethan Dupre (two hits) and Eric Sullivan (two hits) who had big games in the regular-season win against Dover.
DIVISION II QUARTERFINALS
No. 10 Bow (11-7) at No. 2 Souhegan (13-3), 4 p.m.
HEAD TO HEAD: The teams did not meet during the regular season.
PREVIOUS TOURNAMENT GAMES: Bow won at No. 7 Milford, 11-0. Souhegan had a first round bye.
NOTES: The Falcons showed they were more than ready for playoff baseball by jumping out to a 6-0 lead after three innings in their first-round win at Milford. Bow got big offensive days from Mac Kimball (2-for-2, three runs), Connor Blandini (2-for-3, two RBI) and Jack Corriveau (2-for-4, two RBI) in that game, and the Falcons will need to bring the same offense against Souhegan, the defending Division II champs. The Sabers will be rested and ready after their first-round bye, but they did lose twice in their final four games, including a 16-15 defeat against a Lebanon team that finished 6-10.
No. 6 John Stark (11-6) at No. 3 Windham (13-3), 4 p.m.
HEAD TO HEAD: The two teams did not meet during the regular season.
PREVIOUS TOURNAMENT GAMES: John Stark beat No. 11 Kingswood, 3-1. Windham had a first-round bye.
NOTES: The Generals were 6-5 on May 15 and in danger of missing out on the tournament, but they won four of their next five to earn a postseason spot, and they kept rolling with the win against Kingswood. Stark’s Noah Greene made sure that momentum never slowed when he connected for a two-run home run in the first inning of the first-round playoff game, which was enough support for starter Derek Goldrick (five innings, eight strikeouts) and reliever Jeremy Aubin (two innings, save). The Generals’ roll will certainly be challenged by Windham, a team that has only lost to No. 2 Souhegan (twice) and No. 1 Portsmouth.
DIVISION III QUARTERFINALS
No. 8 Newfound (11-6) at No. 1 Campbell (16-0), 4 p.m.
HEAD TO HEAD: The teams did not meet during the regular season.
PREVIOUS TOURNAMENT GAMES: Newfound edged No. 9 Prospect Mountain, 2-1. Campbell had a first-round bye.
NOTES: This season already qualifies as a remarkable turnaround for Newfound, which finished 1-15 last year. Not only did the Bears earn a home playoff game in a competitive division, they found a way to win in the postseason. Mike Doan allowed seven hits but only the one run in the win against Prospect Mountain, while Devon Kraemer-Roberts, Jarrod Fairbank and Logan Rouille each had a hit to pace the offense. Finding a way to win at Campbell, the undefeated top seed that won D-III titles in 2014 and 2015, won’t be easy, but the Cougars did lose in the first round last year to No. 16 Raymond.
No. 7 Mascenic (13-6) at No. 2 Belmont (15-2), 4 p.m.
HEAD TO HEAD: The teams did not meet during the regular season.
PREVIOUS TOURNAMENT GAMES: Mascenic downed No. 10 Berlin, 11-2. Belmont had a first-round bye.
NOTES: After losing the first two games of the season, Belmont has reeled off 15 straight wins and has to be considered one of the D-III favorites. The Raiders could start D-III Player of the Year Cole Contigiani on the mound, or they could go with Corey Derosier, a First Team D-III selection himself. Not only does Belmont boast pitching depth, the Raiders can also hit up and down the lineup and are averaging 8.1 runs per game. They should be feeling good about themselves, but the Raiders won’t be overconfident, not after losing at home in the quarterfinals last year as the No. 3 seed.
DIVISION IV QUARTERFINALS
No. 5 Pittsfield (14-4) at No. 4 Newmarket (13-3), 4 p.m.
HEAD TO HEAD: Newmarket beat the Panthers twice – 11-3 in the season-opener in Pittsfield and 4-3 in the rematch on April 24 in Newmarket.
PREVIOUS TOURNAMENT GAMES: The Panthers took care of No. 12 Moultonborough in six innings, 11-1. Newmarket had a first-round bye
NOTES: When these two met on April 24, it took nine innings to decide a winner. Noah McGlashing had two hits in that game, and the First Team D-IV pick had another pair of hits in Pittsfield’s playoff win. Casey Clark, Pittsfield’s other First Team D-IV selection, went 3-for-4 against Moultonborough on Thursday, while Devin Bedell and Garrett Hadley had two hits each. They will all need to contribute against Newmarket, which has 10 of its last 11 games.
No. 6 Hopkinton (12-5) at No. 3 Groveton (14-2), 4 p.m.
HEAD TO HEAD: The teams did not meet during the regular season.
PREVIOUS TOURNAMENT GAMES: Hopkinton survived against No. 11 Wilton-Lyndeborough, 3-2. Groveton had a first-round bye.
NOTES: The Hawks made a miraculous run to the D-III semifinals last year as the No. 18 seed, and it looks like they brought some of that playoff magic with them to D-IV. They trailed Wilton-Lyndeborough by two runs heading into the seventh inning of their first-round game, but Hopkinton got a two-run single from Ben McManus and a walk-off hit from Larsen Burack to reach the quarterfinals. This game will be a learning experience for both teams – not only did they not face each other during the regular season, they didn’t even have a single common opponent.
SOFTBALL
DIVISION II QUARTERFINALS
No. 9 Merrimack Valley (12-5) at No. 1 Souhegan (14-2), 4 p.m.
HEAD TO HEAD: The teams did not meet during the regular season.
PREVIOUS TOURNAMENT GAMES: The Pride used a balanced attack to knock off No. 8 Kennett, 6-2. Souhegan had a first-round bye.
NOTES: The Sabers have outscored their opponents, 64-10, over their last five games and have reeled off wins in 12 of the last 13 games. MV will have to slow down Souhegan’s offensive attack, which has scored 10 or more runs nine times this season and scores an average of 10.8 runs per night. MV’s Sam Hodkinson, who struck out nine over seven innings in the first round, has been solid in the circle all season and she’ll need to be effective again Saturday if the Pride want to move on. Ann Bascom and Alani Ramas will also look to build on multi-hit first-round efforts.
No. 7 Coe-Brown (13-4) at No. 2 Goffstown (15-3), 4 p.m.
HEAD TO HEAD: Goffstown cruised to a 12-2 victory on May 3.
PREVIOUS TOURNAMENT GAMES: Coe-Brown downed No. 10 Sanborn, 8-1. Goffstown trampled No. 15 Portsmouth, 11-1.
NOTES: The Bears have a strong core of eight seniors, so it’s no surprise they found themselves back in the quarterfinals after falling in the first round a year ago. But Goffstown won’t be an easy out. In a rematch of the 2015 championship game, the Grizzlies look to have a slight edge despite losing their regular-season finale to Souhegan, which snapped a nine-game win streak. Coe-Brown, which has won eight of 10, produced plenty of offense in its first-round victory, and the Bears will need all of the runs they can get Saturday. Goffstown is second in D-II with five shutouts this season and gives up a stingy 2.2 runs per game.
No. 6 Pembroke (13-4) at No. 4 Pelham (14-3), 4 p.m.
HEAD TO HEAD: Pembroke beat the Pythons, 4-1, at home on May 24.
PREVIOUS TOURNAMENT GAMES: The Spartans shutout No. 11 Windham, 4-0. Pelham posted a come-from-behind 8-5 victory over No. 14 John Stark.
NOTES: After getting off to a 2-3 start, Pembroke has rattled off wins in 11 of its last 12 games, while putting up single-game run totals of 15, 13 and 24 over that stretch. Pelham can score at a high clip, though, and puts up about nine runs per game. The Pythons have only been held to one run or less three times this season and went 1-2 in those games. To have a chance, Pembroke will need solid efforts from pitcher Steph Berube, who picked up the win the last time these two teams met, and Olivia McCarty, who has been an offensive force for Pembroke this season.
DIVISION III QUARTERFINALS
No. 8 Franklin (12-5) at No. 1 White Mountains (16-1), 12:30 p.m.
HEAD TO HEAD: White Mountains beat the Golden Tornadoes, 11-2, on April 24.
PREVIOUS TOURNAMENT GAMES: Franklin outlasted No. 9 Newfound, 5-4, in eight innings. The Spartans advanced with a 4-3 win against No. 16 Berlin.
NOTES: The regular-season loss to White Mountains started a four-game losing streak for the Tornadoes that left them at 3-4. But Franklin bounced back by winning nine of its last 10, and eight straight, including the extra-inning playoff win that set up this rematch of last year’s D-III title game, a 3-2 win for White Mountains. Franklin’s Hailey Haskins earned the pitching win against Newfound, and she connected for an eighth-inning triple that sparked the game-winning rally. Mackenzie Weatherbee (two hits, game-winning RBI triple) and Ryley Haskins (two hits) also rose to the occasion for the Tornadoes in their playoff win.
No. 5 Bishop Brady (14-4) at No. 4 Conant (13-4), 2 p.m.
HEAD TO HEAD: The teams did not meet during the regular season.
PREVIOUS TOURNAMENT GAMES: Brady beat No. 12 Winnisquam, 4-1. Conant squeaked past No. 13 Gilford, 7-6.
NOTES: After losing three straight to end the regular season, Brady was able to turn things around in the first round behind a complete-game pitching performance from Lily Rivera. The senior pitcher kept the Winnisquam bats quiet for most of the day and then escaped a bases-load situation in the seventh to finish off the win. The Green Giants are averaging a whopping 10.8 runs per game, but they were held in check against Winnisquam until the sixth inning when they scored three times, the big hit a two-run single from Emily Manning. Conant took an early 5-1 lead in its first-round game against Gilford, but had to hold off a late rally to escape with the one-run win.
No. 6 Belmont (13-4) at No. 3 Campbell (14-3), 4 p.m.
HEAD TO HEAD: The teams did not meet during the regular season.
PREVIOUS TOURNAMENT GAMES: Belmont blanked No. 11 Newport, 6-0. Campbell rolled past No. 14 Stevens, 21-0.
NOTES: Both teams come into this quarterfinal matchup red hot. Not only did they both post dominant, shutout victories in the first round, but Belmont has won eight of its last nine and Campbell is riding a 12-game winning streak. Belmont pitcher Julianna Estremera was on her game in the playoff win against Newport, striking out 13 and allowing just two hits during seven innings of work, while Jordan Sargent (two RBI), Taylor Lavallee, Chantel Martin, Makenzie Donovan and Lizzie Fleming all contributed to the offensive effort.