Kyle Beaulieu and the Souhegan baseball team will try to give Portsmouth its first loss on Monday.
While boys and girls tennis begins its playoffs this week, the regular season wraps up for baseball, softball and lacrosse with some big games still on the schedule.
One of those takes place at 4:15 p.m. on Monday, when Portsmouth (13-0) travels to Amherst to take on Souhegan (12-1) in baseball. The Sabers are looking to continue to legitimize their status as contender, and snapping the Clippers’ 56-game winning streak would go a long way toward boosting Souhegan’s spot in the standings.
Also on Monday, the Souhegan (9-5) and Bishop Guertin (11-2) girls lacrosse teams meet in Nashua in a non-division game at 4 p.m. Both teams are done their respective division schedules and will play a game that will hopefully prepare both for the playoffs.
In softball, Wilton-Lyndeborough (12-0) will likely face its toughest test left in the regular season, when it heads to Newmarket (9-5) for a 4:30 p.m. start. The Warriors have already defeated the Mules once this season, 11-0 on May 3 in Wilton.
Salem (14-2) and Merrimack (9-7) will take the field at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, while Portsmouth (10-3) and Souhegan (8-4) will battle to improve their standing in Class I softball at 4:15 p.m.
Both the Hollis/Brookline boys and girls lacrosse teams play their final regular-season games in Division III. The boys (7-4) head to Kearsarge (9-3), for what is annually a good game, for a 4:30 p.m. start. The girls (11-0) head to Pelham (8-3) for a 5 p.m. game, looking to finish their division record undefeated.
Wednesday brings a Nashua lacrosse showdown between the South (6-6) and North (4-8) girls. Both teams will be trying to solidify their playoff position when they meet for the final regular season game at 5:30 p.m. at North.
Also on Wednesday, both the baseball and softball teams from Hollis/Brookline and Bedford will meet at 4:15 p.m. in Bedford. The Bulldogs baseball and softball teams won the first time around, as both put together late inning comebacks.
The baseball teams from Merrimack (6-11) and Bishop Guertin (5-11) will also meet at 4 p.m. on Wednesday in Nashua. The winner will still have an outside shot at making the Class L tournament, while the loser will likely have its playoff hopes dashed.
Thursday features two non-division lacrosse games between powerhouse programs. On the boys side, Bishop Guertin will host Duxbury (Mass.) at 7 p.m. at Stellos Stadium. On the girls side, Hollis/Brookline hosts Pinkerton at 4:15 p.m.
Friday brings the second meeting – and final regular season game – between the baseball and softball teams from Souhegan and Milford. The Sabers won the first baseball matchup, needing a late rally, while the Spartans won the softball game. The teams will meet at Keyes Field in Milford at 4:15 p.m.
Also on the baseball field, Hollis/Brookline will try to gain some ground in Class I when it takes on St. Thomas Aquinas at 4:15 p.m. in Hollis.