It’s hard to believe that in a little less than a month the preliminary playoff round for six spring sports will begin.
Of those six sports, softball is one of them with the opening games scheduled for June 1 as the higher seeded schools will host in the first two rounds until there’s only four teams left standing. The Concord-area looks to see some of its schools host those playoff games and the way things are going for some, it wouldn’t be out of the question to say some games on neutral sites may happen.
We’re only at the start of May, however, but the halfway mark of the spring as arrived and with that comes a look at the 14 area teams across all four division. It’ll start with D-I Concord and work down by division through alphabetical order.
Division I
Concord (9-0)
The Crimson Tide hold a unique distinction not just in their division but across the entire state of New Hampshire; they’re one of nine teams with an undefeated record through more than five games. Concord have had extra motivation this season after falling short in the D-I state title game last season to Salem and with essentially that whole roster back for this year, things have been rolling for the Tide.
Four of Concord’s wins have came against teams with .500 or better records, highlighted by a 14-7 road win against Londonderry (8-1) on April 27. It has games against Timberlane, Goffstown and Exeter in the second half of the season which should be good tests heading as the three teams currently have a combined record of 22-5.
Division II
Bow (3-4)
Under first-year coach Jen Boyden, the Falcons have righted the ship as of late. After four consecutive losses to open the season where it only scored 15 total runs, Bow scored 24 in its April 25 road win at Hanover – its first of the season. Since then the Falcons have gone on to win two more in a combined 30-3 totals against Pelham and Milford.
Should Bow string these recent wins into a consistent habit, it could be one of the better teams in the second half stretch of the regular season. But it’ll be a difficult path as the Falcons have games against ConVal, Coe-Brown and John Stark in the next few weeks.
Coe-Brown (8-0)
Next to the Crimson Tide for the best start in the capital area are the Bears. They’ve outscored opponents 89-13 and along the way have shutout three opponents. A potential blemish could’ve occurred on April 26, however. Coe-Brown was in a 4-3 deficit at John Stark when the game was postponed in the top of the fifth because of inclement weather. It’s worth noting that the Bears batters’ were taking advantage of the poor weather and had scored all their runs in the fifth, and when the game was called, they had runners on second and first base with two outs.
That game is scheduled to finish on May 19 and Coe-Brown eyes an undefeated Merrimack Valley team for a game on May 6.
John Stark (4-1)
Speaking of the Generals, they too have one of the better starts within Division II and the looked the part in that aforementioned game against Coe-Brown. With a front-heavy schedule that included games against Merrimack Valley, Pembroke and Kingswood, to make it out with just once loss is a good sign for John Stark.
The Generals, who finished in the top four after getting bounced in the semifinals by Milford, will finish their Coe-Brown game on May 19 and see more premier programs in the second portion of the season including Hollis-Brookline (5-1) and ConVal (5-3).
Merrimack Valley (6-0)
After a week off courtesy April vacation, the Pride roared back to life with a walkoff win against Pembroke on Monday to remain undefeated. Three of MV’s five wins have came by four runs or less including a 10-7 final against Bow before the break. But all you need is one more than the next team, right?
The back half of MV’s schedule should provide a more clear look at the program with a major tilt against Coe-Brown on Friday followed by a road trip to Hollis-Brookline and back-to-back days against Kingswood.
Pembroke (4-4)
The Spartans have provided an up-and-down first eight but there’s one thing for certain – when they’re on, they’re one of the most grounded, talented teams in the division. Highlighted in its 14-4 over Kennett on April 25, Pembroke has the pieces to make the second half of the season a little smoother in its favor.
Those pieces have to come together, however, as the schedule doesn’t provide many favors. Games against Kingswood, Oyster River and a rematch against Merrimack Valley all await the green and white.
Division III
Belmont (3-2)
The Raiders snapped a two-game losing streak on Monday with an impressive 29-3 unloading against Lebanon. Through five games, Belmont has performed well against teams that have struggled, and have struggled against teams that have performed well. It does have a victory over Division II Laconia, but the 12-0 and 13-0 losses to Campbell and Newfound are tough.
Belmont has potential for some good matchups in the back half of the schedule, however, with games against White Mountains (4-3), Conant (4-3) and St. Thomas (4-2).
Bishop Brady (1-4)
Bishop Brady picked up its first win of the season in a cool 2-0 game against Winnisquam on April 20, but since then it’s been looking for number two. The Giants recently played a talented Hopkinton team close, but lost 8-3 and have prided their way through games to keep them close.
Win number two is on the horizon for Brady, though. They take on Hillsboro-Deering which should be a competitive game between both squads, and on Thursday they travel to Mascenic (1-3).
Hillsboro-Deering (2-4)
The Hillcats started the season winning two of their first four, but have since been on the wrong end of the scoreboard. Their schedule is top-heavy having already played Gilford, Hopkinton, Monadnock and Campbell, but the second portion brings good tests including Bishop Brady and Mascenic.
HD’s two wins came against Lebanon and Raymond by a combined 29-4.
Hopkinton (7-1)
Hopkinton’s quest back to the state championship has taken off to a strong start through the first half of the season. Its only loss, a 3-0 game against Prospect Mountain (8-0), has provided a glimpse that even though Hopkinton’s one of the best, there’s still room to improve.
The Hawks are in the midst of a seven-game road stretch that will continues Wednesday when they travel to Mascoma Valley (1-7) and concludes Friday for a potential playoff matchup at Campbell (6-0). Friday’s game is a regular season rematch of the 2021 state championship, where the Hawks lost 18-6.
Kearsarge (1-4)
Kearsarge’s offensive spotlight shinned bright in its 16-12 win over Mascoma Valley on April 15, but since then its been dimly lit. The Cougars have scored just one run in the following games, but with favorable schedule in the coming weeks and persistent work at practice, they can have the turnaround they’d like to experience.
That favorable schedule consists of games against Lebanon, Inter-Lakes and Mascoma Valley for the second time. The three have a combined record of 2-18.
Winnisquam (2-3)
At two wins and three loss, Winnisquam statistically is already having a better season than last year through five games. The Bears two wins, a 25-11 final over Lebanon and a 20-1 score over Division IV Franklin, served as early confidence boosts but after three consecutive losses those wins can be looked back on as a formula.
Winnisquam’s next few games provide good opportunities for great wins against tough opponents including St. Thomas, Gilford and White Mountains, all of which have winning records.
Division IV
Franklin (0-5)
Even though the season has swept Franklin so far, there’s been a consistency in the final scores. It’s generated runs against tough competition, given experience a young team (nine underclassmen) and there haven’t been cancelations.
The Tornadoes could get into the win column real soon as they host Farmington (0-4) on Wednesday.
Pittsfield (4-1)
Pittsfield rattled off three wins to open the season before a 10-day break led it to its first loss, a 4-3 final to Portsmouth Christian. In those first three games, the Panthers outscored their opponents 45-8 including a season-high 18 runs scored against Franklin.
The Panthers still have a long ways to go with 11 games remaining on a schedule that concludes May 26.