The NHIAA spring season enters the final stage this week with the first few postseason competitions slated and the remainder of the tournament brackets announced and ready to start Monday.
Mascenic, Conant set for opening round matchup
The Orioles and Vikings will square off for a fifth time this season on Monday, as the NHIAA’s random draw places the two rivals together for a Round One game to open play in Division III, Region Two.
Mascenic is 4-0 against Conant this spring.
The winner of Monday’s game will play at Bishop Brady in the next round – a tough draw, as the Vikings found out Friday when they traveled to Concord and lost to the Green Giants 16-8 for just their second loss of the season.
Delaney Traffie (2-3, 3 RBI), Xaria Talbot, Leah St. John (2-3, 3B), Ella Pearson and Lyla Buxton drove in runs for Mascenic.
Lexis Vautour allowed six earned runs in the complete game loss.
Mascenic (10-2) plays a pair against Hinsdale to close out the regular season this week.
Conant, meanwhile, finished the week strong, with a 2-1 win over Keene’s JV team thanks to a no-hitter from pitcher Graecen Kirby,
The Orioles only managed four hits on the day, but scored twice in the third inning, as both Rylee Herr and Teagan Kirby scored on passed balls.
Teagan Kirby, Kaylee Karns, Herr and Bella Hayes had hits for Conant.
The Orioles (6-6) finish up with two games against WLC this week.
The Warriors are also preparing for their own tournament game, a home contest against rival Sunapee on June 2 to open the Division IV playoffs.
WLC lost a close one to Hinsdale Friday, 10-9, rallying from down 10-2 in the top of the sixth but coming up just short, head coach Scott Dowling said.
Abby Dowling (2 H, 2B, 3 SB, 2 RBI) and eighth-grader Kelsey Crouse (3 H, 2B, SB, RBI) stood out offensively.
ConVal gets opening-round bye
The Cougars pulled both a home playoff game and an opening-round bye for the Division II playoffs, and will host Stevens or Bow on Wednesday, June 2.
ConVal is on top of their game as the postseason nears, with a pair of wins over Manchester West last week giving them victories in five of their past seven games.
The Cougars beat West on the road Wednesday, 11-5, thanks to a big second inning that saw Rylee Blanchette, Mackenzie Gauthier and Lily Mandel triple, leading to five runs in the frame.
Mandel threw a complete game for the win with 11 strikeouts and no walks and went 2-4 with two triples and an RBI. Senior Breanna Hutchinson went 3-4 with a triple, three runs and two RBI, and Morgan Bemont (4-5, 2 R, 3 RBI) also drove in runs for the Cougars.
On Friday, CV beat West 2-1 behind another complete game win from Mandel, bolstered by a splendid catch by senior second baseman Anna Bartsch on a line drive up the middle with two outs as the Cougars fought to hold the lead in the sixth inning.
ConVal (6-4) hosts Campbell Tuesday.
19K no-hitter for WLC’s Sean Brennan
Junior Sean Brennan threw a no-hitter and struck out 19 Pacers in Wilton-Lyndeborough’s 5-0 win over Hinsdale on Friday. Brennan would add a triple and a double, and twin brother Troy slammed a home run and hit a double as WLC won their third straight game.
WLC (3-5) hosts Conant Tuesday.
The Warriors host Derryfield to open the Division IV playoffs on Monday.
ConVal shut out
The Cougars only mustered three hits against Manchester West Friday, as coach Matt Harris said West’s slow pitching velocity threw off ConVal’s bat speed.
Brady Carpentiere, Zack Boyd and Austin Sloan (2B) had hits for ConVal. The Cougars (1-8) managed a first-round bye in the Division II playoffs and will host either Bow or Lebanon on June 3.
Conant win would set up Mascenic showdown
Conant’s baseball team drew a road opener for the Division III playoffs and will play at Bishop Brady on Monday; the winner of that game will play at Mascenic on June 3. The Orioles are fresh off a 7-4 win over Keene’s JV team on Friday, where Conant got two RBI apiece from Colson Seppala (2-3, 2 2B) and Griffin Labonte.
Labonte got the win, despite allowing three runs in one inning pitched; Garrett Somero, Kace Aho and Luke Lambert combined for four scoreless innings.
Conant (4-6) is at WLC Tuesday.
Mascenic, meanwhile, improved to 8-2 last week after another gem from senior pitcher Shea Zina, who threw a two-hitter with 11 strikeouts as the Vikings beat Monadnock 4-1 Thursday. Joe Cocozella closed the final third of an inning with a game-ending strikeout.
Joe and Jack Cocozella each drove in a run for Mascenic.
ConVal wins, will host playoff game
The Cougars dismantled Milford on Friday, 18-7, as attacker Hayden Kaltsas had herself a day, scoring a game-high five goals, including three straight to end the first half. Madelynn Plourde and Julia Donovan scored three goals apiece and Sarah Holdredge made 10 saves.
ConVal (5-4) was scheduled to play at Campbell Monday after press time and host them on Thursday for the regular season finale. The Cougars will host a playoff game on June 2 at 5 p.m. against Manchester Memorial-West to open the Division II tournament. June 2 will be a busy day at ConVal, as the Cougars’ boys’ lacrosse team will host Pembroke, also at 5 p.m., and the softball team starts their playoff game at 4 p.m.
Conant, ConVal, WLC set for tournaments
The WLC girls’ tennis team pulled off their first win of the season Wednesday, beating Stevens 5-2. Elisabeth Jacob (8-4), Erin MacDonald (8-0) and Senja Sours (8-2) all won at singles, and the teams of Jacob/MacDonald and Madeleine Straw/Sours won at doubles.
The Warriors dropped their final match of the season to Moultonborough, 9-0, last Friday.
WLC opens the Division III tournament with a home match against Trinity Friday at 2:30 p.m.
Conant will play their own DIII tournament opener on Friday with a road match at Pelham.
The ConVal boys’ tennis team landed a first-round bye in the Division II tournament and will host the winner of Souhegan and Hollis-Brookline next Tuesday, June 1.