The NHIAA softball and baseball playoffs start this week, and many of the local high schools teams look poised to make a run after wrapping up the regular season. The official playoff brackets were released Tuesday morning, and here’s a look at what’s ahead.
Mascenic peaking
at the right time
The Vikings picked the right time to get hot, finishing the season on a four-game win streak including victories over Conant and Campbell. Mascenic (9-7) is the 11th seed in Division III.
Against Campbell on Thursday, sophomore right-hander Shea Zina struck out a career-high and likely Mascenic school record 19 batters in a dominant two-hit shutout.
“My offspeed pitches were working pretty good,” Zina said. “My fastball, I was able to get it down. It was a little high at the beginning but I got my control, felt good.”
Zina seemed to get stronger as the outing went on.
“That’s usually what happens, I start out slow and then it picks up at the end,” Zina said.
Zina would also go 2-3 at the plate with an RBI; Sean Agonis (2-3) drove in two runs and Jackson Cocozella went 2-3 with a triple and two runs scored.
The Vikings kept it going to finish the season Friday at Hillsboro-Deering with a 12-2 win, kicked off by a ten-run first inning. Zina went 2-3 with three RBI and two stolen bases; TJ Hiott (2-5) drove in two runs, and Justin Smith (3-4), Cocozella (3-3) and Dylan Vaillancourt (2-2) had multi-hit games.
Landen Vaillancourt, Isaac Rodier, Dylan Vaillancourt and Cocozella pitched for Mascenic.
The Vikings travel to No. 6 White Mountains (11-6) on Thursday.
“I think we’ll make a run, feeling good,” Zina said. “We’ve just got to keep playing how we are, play our Mascenic baseball.”
Conant trending downward
The Orioles, meanwhile, hit the skids in the final week of the season, losing three games – albeit to tough teams. After losing to Mascenic Tuesday, Conant completed a postponed game with Hopkinton, losing 10-2 and then traveled to Campbell Friday and came back with an 8-4 loss.
The Cougars chased Orioles starter Troy Aho (7 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K) after scoring seven runs in the first two innings; Gavin Motuzas relieved and threw four innings of two-hit ball allowing one unearned run.
Motuzas (2-4) drove in two runs and Preston Kirby and Aho drove in one each.
Even with the three-game skid, Conant (9-7) positioned themselves just ahead of Mascenic for the No. 10 seed in Division III and will take a trip to No. 7 Bishop Brady (10-6) on Thursday. Conant beat Brady 5-4 on a walkoff grounder by Nick Germano earlier this season.
WLC locks down fifth-seed
The Warriors finished the regular season at 12-4 after a convincing win over Derryfield on Wednesday.
Warrior coach Dave Finch started all five of his seniors – Neal Brennan, Shane Partridge, Owen Hughes, Cody Tetreault and Owen McGettigan – in their last regular-season home game, and Finch’s last as well, as he said he’ll retire after this spring.
Derryfield went up 3-0 early against WLC’s modified lineup.
“That was a little concerning,” Finch said. But before he had to make any drastic changes, the starters put up an eight-run second inning; eventually, all 14 Warriors got in the game and ended up winning it by the ten-run rule, 13-3.
Neal Brennan pitched six innings, allowing three runs, six hits, five strikeouts and three walks. Sean Brennan went 3-3 with a single, double and triple, and Owen Hughes and Lucas Johnson had two hits each.
WLC takes the fifth-seed in Division IV. WLC will host No. 12 Lisbon (6-10) on Thursday at 4 p.m. The Warriors did not face Lisbon in the regular season, which Finch said can actually be a boon in the postseason.
“It’s tough to beat a team three times in a season,” Finch said. “The problem with that is your guys are overconfident because you already beat them twice. Sometimes the unknown is better, because the players are more focused.”
If the Warriors get through Lisbon, they’ll likely find some stiffer competition from the top of the division. No. 1 Woodsville ended the season undefeated; No. 2 Pittsfield’s 17-1, and the No. 3 and No. 4 teams, Sunapee (14-2) and Newmarket (14-2) both beat WLC soundly in the regular season. The Warriors will need a signature win if they’re going to get back to the Final Four for the second straight season after beating up on the weaker teams all year. In WLC’s 12 wins, they outscored opponents 167-16, with four shutouts; in their four losses, they were outscored 33-8.
“If we play really well and lose, I can deal with that,” Finch said. “When you get hammered and you don’t play well, that’s frustrating.”
Wilton-Lyndeborough will look to ride the hot bats of Shane Partridge and Troy Brennan, who’ve been the Warriors’ most consistent hitters all season. Partridge finished the year with a .533 batting average, and Brennan hit .518.
ConVal drops two in final week
The Cougars finished at 13-5 despite dropping two tight contests to end the regular season. ConVal lost 2-0 to Hollis-Brookline on Wednesday and then lost 4-3 on a walkoff by Souhegan on Friday.
“The games really could have gone either way,” said ConVal head coach Mike Marschok. “I think the kids are playing well. I think they’ll have a good attitude the rest of the way.”
The Cougars took a 3-1 lead into the seventh inning at Souhegan before the Sabers tied it up and then won it in the bottom of the ninth. Casey Jordan started and pitched three innings before giving way to Connor Buffum.
“They both pitched well,” Marschok said.
ConVal is the fifth seed in the Division II tournament and hosts No. 12 Hanover (8-8) on Thursday, the first home playoff game for ConVal in years.
“It’s a playoff game, its going to be a tough game,” Marschok said. “Round one is tough, I don’t care if you’re a 15-seed or an 8-seed.”
It’s ConVal’s first playoff appearance since 2016, when the Cougars were the ninth seed and won their first-round game before losing to Portsmouth in the second round. Despite minimal playoff experience for the current roster, Marschok said he thinks ConVal’s success in basketball and soccer this year prepared those players for the big stage.
“I think their experience there is going to carry over,” Marschok said.
Warriors nab No. 2 seed
Lexi Balam threw a five-inning no-hitter in her final regular-season game as the Warriors beat Derryfield 12-0 to lock down the No. 2 seed in Division IV.
Balam struck out seven and walked none while batting 3-4 with an RBI.
Emma Skelly, whose bat will likely be key to the Warriors’ postseason chances, broke out, going 2-4 with four RBI to lead WLC at the plate. Rachel Christino (3-4) drove in two runs and Sam Yurcak and Brooke Lane drove in one apiece.
WLC (14-2) trails only undefeated No. 1 seed Epping (16-0) in Division IV. The Warriors have a first-round bye and then host the winner of No. 7 Sunapee (10-6) and No. 10 Newmarket (9-7) on Saturday.
Mascenic cruises in final week
The Vikings are back in the playoffs as the No. 2 seed after winning four games last week to finish at 14-2.
On Wednesday, Shelby Babin hit a grand slam and Labrie had a homer of her own to end the game at Fall Mountain, 10-0. Sam Hughson and BrookelynLabrie each drove in runs; Emma Knisley went 3-4 and stole two bases and Jasmine Williams was 2-2 with a stolen base.
Labrie struck out 12 over seven inning s, including her 700th career strikeout, and allowed only one hit.
Mascenic got a huge win over Campbell on Thursday, beating the visiting Cougars – one of two teams to hand the Vikings a loss this season – 6-1.
Labrie struck out 12 batters and allowed two hits and one unearned run on an outfield error in the top of the seventh inning.
Braelyn Case had a big two-RBI double to put Mascenic ahead for good, and Becka Staton (2-3) drove in a run as well.
The Vikings went on to run-rule Hillsboro-Deering 15-0 in the season finale Friday. Babin (2-4, 2 RBI), Staton (1-2), Brookelyn Labrie (1-2), Hughson (2-3, 2 RBI), Saige Wescott (1-1), Bella Knisley (1-2) and Xaria Talbot (1-3, 2 RBI) drove in runs as the Vikings put together 15 hits.
Labrie struck out ten in her final regular season game to put her at 728 career.
Mascenic will host No. 15 Trinity (6-10) in the opening round of the Division III playoffs on Wednesday. The Vikings beat the Pioneers 13-1 in the first game of the season.
Conant ends on two-game skid
The Orioles lost to Mascenic and Campbell last week to drop to 8-8 on the year.
Conant traveled to Campbell Friday to face a Cougar team that looked ripe for the picking after losing to Monadnock and Mascenic. Conant loaded the bases in the first inning but failed to score. Centerfielder Silas Bernier threw Marrisa Carignan out at the plate in the bottom of the first to quell Campbell’s initial threat, but the Cougars plated three in the bottom of the second and never looked back.
Tessa Spingola (3-3) tripled and scored on a groundout by Bernier, and Brenna Welch’s bases-loaded walk sent Teagan Kirby home for Conant’s other run as Campbell won it 6-2.
Manea Aho allowed six runs in six innings with six hits and five strikeouts.
Conant looks to have the 11th seed in Division III, which would mean a trip to No. 6 Belmont (13-3) for rematch with last year’s runner-up. The Raiders beat Conant in the first round last year before eliminating Mascenic in the semifinals and losing to White Mountains in the title game.
If the Orioles get their vengeance on Belmont, they’d move on to face the winner of No. 3 White Mountains and No. 14 Fall Mountain, another tough draw.
“If you’re going to win, beating them shows you earned it,” said Conant head coach Wiley Billings.
ConVal finishes
out of the playoffs
The Cougars’ season ended with a pair of losses to Hollis-Brookline and Souhegan.
On Wednesday, ConVal lost to H-B 15-2. The Cougars put together their pair of runs in the third inning, when Nisse Anderson and Maddie Carpentiere singled and were driven in by Makenzie Anderson and senior Taylor Jarest.
Jaden Hubbard-Lemay pitched a complete game for ConVal.
On Friday, ConVal lost to Souhegan, 15-3. Nisse Anderson tripled and scored; senior Hayley Cheviot drove in two runs, and Hubbard-Lemay drove in the other and pitched a complete game.
ConVal’s final record is 2-15.