Playoffs set to begin for many baseball, softball squads

Joseph Cyr & Kevin Sjoberg, Special to The County
7 years ago
Trying to dive back to first base is Hodgdon's Ben Tuttle as East Grand first baseman Wyatt Oliver awaits the ball during a May 17 game. The two teams meet in the playoffs today (Monday, June 5) at 4 p.m. (Joseph Cyr)

The regular season is now just a fond memory for baseball and softball squads as the final games have been played. The postseason begins today (Monday) and features a couple of preliminary playoff contests.

Baseball

Presque Isle, ranked 10th in Class B North with its 8-8 record, makes the trip south to take on No. 7 Gardiner, a team that plays out of the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference, at 4 p.m. Monday.

In Class D North, Hodgdon finished fifth with an 11-4 record and hosts a preliminary contest against No. 12 East Grand (5-8) at 4 p.m. Monday in Hodgdon. The Hawks beat East Grand twice during the regular season — 25-6 on May 8 in Danforth and 7-4 May 17 at home.

Katahdin (10-4) finished third in Class D North and earned a first-round bye. The Cougars face the winner of the prelim between No. 6 Shead (11-3) and No. 11 Central Aroostook (7-7), slated for Tuesday at 11 a.m. in Eastport. Both were close games, but Shead swept the two regular season matchups against CA, winning 7-5 on May 13 and 10-9 in 10 innings May 31.

Southern Aroostook (8-6) finished seventh in Class D North and will host No. 10 Deer Isle-Stonington (7-9) Tuesday, time to be determined. The Warriors did not face DI-S during the regular season.

Fort Fairfield is ranked first in Class D North and also earned a bye straight into the quarterfinals. The Tigers, the only undefeated baseball team in the state at 14-0, awaits the winner of the prelim game between No. 8 PVHS (10-6) and No. 9 Stearns (7-9). That quarterfinal will be played either Wednesday or Thursday in Fort Fairfield.

In Class C North, Houlton finished as the No. 2 seed with a 14-2 regular season record. The Shires earned a first-round bye. Houlton plays the winner of the prelim game between No. 7 Central (7-9) and No. 10 Sumner (4-12). The Shires did not face either squad during the regular season.

Ashland (6-8) and Washburn (2-11) did not make it into the Class D North playoffs. Ashland was 15th and Washburn 16th, with only the top 13 teams moving on. LCS/MSSM went 7-9 but also failed to qualify in Class C North, placing 15th. Caribou went 2-14 to place 16th and miss the Class B North postseason.

No. 10 Presque Isle upended No. 7 Gardiner 6-3 (see story) in a Class B North prelim played Monday in Gardiner. The Wildcats will next take on No. 2 Hermon in the quarters.

Softball

Ashland and Central Aroostook will square off for the third time this season in a Class D North prelim to be played at Ashland beginning at 4 p.m. Ashland (6-8) is the No. 8 seed and Central Aroostook (7-7) is No. 9. The Panthers won the first meeting in Ashland on May 13 by a score of 15-11, while the Hornets got revenge on May 31 with a 20-1 victory in Mars Hill.

Southern Aroostook (12-2) finished as the top-ranked team and earned a bye. The Warriors face the winner of the Ashland vs. Central Aroostook prelim. That quarterfinal game is likely to be played in Dyer Brook Thursday (time to be determined).

Also in Class D North, Hodgdon finished 9-6 and secured the No. 3 seed for the playoffs. The Hawks earned a first-round bye and face the winner of the prelim between No. 6 Woodland (9-6) and No. 11 Schenck (10-6). The Hawks quarterfinal game will likely be played Thursday, June 8, (time to be determined).

East Grand (8-5) finished seventh in Class D North and faces No. 10 Highview Christian (6-9) in a prelim contest. That game was scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday in Danforth.

Katahdin (4-10) snuck into the 13th and final playoff spot thanks to a couple of late-season wins. The Cougars must travel to Millinocket Tuesday for a 3 p.m. prelim game against No. 4 Stearns (11-5). The Cougars fell to Stearns twice during the regular season — 17-3 and 19-4.

In Class C North, No. 6 Orono (11-5) and No. 11 Dexter (6-10) meet up Tuesday and the winner of that prelim game takes on No. 3 LCS/MSSM in the quarterfinals later this week. Coach Jamie Albert’s Eagles drew a first-round bye after finishing 11-4 during the regular season.

Presque Isle shortstop Sydney Thompson tags out Caribou baserunner Riley McNeal to end the first inning of Wednesday’s game in Caribou. (Staff photo/Kevin Sjoberg)

Houlton (11-5) finished fifth in Class C North and also earned a first-round bye. The Shires travel to No. 4 Narraguagus (14-2) for a quarterfinal game at 3 p.m. Wednesday.  The two teams did not meet during the regular season.

Presque Isle, 6-10 and losers of its last four games, is ranked 10th in Class B North and plays at No. 7 Winslow (12-4), a KVAC team, Tuesday at noon in Winslow. It will be the first meeting between the two squads.

A pair of No. 12 seeds from Aroostook County travel for prelim games beginning at 3 p.m. Tuesday. Caribou, which started 0-8 before winning five of eight down the stretch to get into the playoffs, plays at No. 5 Medomak Valley of Waldoboro (14-2) in a Class B North matchup. Fort Fairfield, with a 4-10 record, plays at fifth-seeded Madawaska (9-5). The Owls won both regular season games by scores of 12-0 and 11-3.

Washburn finished with a 1-13 record in Class D North, placing 17th and not qualifying for the postseason.

Ashland has already advanced into the quarterfinals with a 10-9 win over Central Aroostook Monday (see story). The Hornets next square off against No. 1 Southern Aroostook in Dyer Brook on Thursday.

Fort Fairfield, with a 4-10 record, met fifth-seeded Madawaska (9-5). The Owls won both regular season games by scores of 12-0 and 11-3. Stearns, seeded fourth, awaits the winner in the quarterfinals.