Baseball roundup: Upsets all over
Upsets were the theme for Thursday, as four of the seven area teams were knocked out of the baseball playoffs by lower seeds.
Upsets were the theme for Thursday, as four of the seven area teams were knocked out of the baseball playoffs by lower seeds.
Nashua High School North made it through to the Division I quarterfinals, but Nashua South, Merrimack and Bishop Guertin were all done in by teams seeded lower. Same goes for Hollis/Brookline in Division II, while Bedford and Wilton-Lyndeborough (Division IV) advanced.
Division I
Top-seeded North cruised past No. 16 Trinity 19-1 Thursday night at Holman Stadium. Joe Breen had three hits, including a grand slam, and three RBIs in the first two innings of the Titans' win, while North used starter Kyle Turner for just one inning, relying instead on three relievers to get through the blowout.
The Titans will host No. 9 Manchester Central in the quarterfinals, after the Little Green came to Nashua and knocked out No. 8 South 10-7. Nick Reed drove in two with a double and Dan McCormack had two hits and a RBI, but it wasn't enough for the Panthers. North and Central will meet at 4 p.m. Saturday in Nashua.
No. 4 Bishop Guertin saw its season come to an end against No. 13 Timberlane, 11-5. The Owls broke open a one-run game with seven runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Garrett Kelly had two hits and drove in a run in the loss. Timberlane will travel to face No. 12 Winnacunnet, which upset No. 5 Pinkerton 5-0, in the quarterfinals Saturday at 4 p.m. in Hampton.
The final upset belonged to No. 14 Keene, which defeated No. 3 Merrimack 9-5 in the preliminary round. Patrick Parker had three hits and two RBIs for the Tomahawks, but it wasn't enough. The Blackbirds will face No. 6 Concord, which held off No. 11 Exeter 9-6, in the quarterfinals Saturday at 4 p.m. in Concord.
No. 2 Salem advanced with a 7-2 win over No. 15 Manchester Memorial, while No. 7 Dover got a 4-3 win over No. 10 Londonderry. Salem and Dover will meet in the quarterfinals at 4 p.m. Saturday in Salem.
Division II
No. 5 Hollis/Brookline led by one going into the seventh, but No. 12 Coe-Brown scored twice in the top of the inning and held on for a 7-6 win. Ian Fay and Jeremy Heard each had two hits for the Cavaliers. Coe-Brown will now face No. 4 Bedford, which defeated No. 13 Merrimack Valley 10-7, in the quarterfinals Saturday at 4 p.m. in Bedford.
No. 1 Portsmouth cruised into the quarterfinals with a 10-0 win over No. 16 Sanborn. The Clippers will host No. 8 Laconia, which defeated No. 9 Kennett 5-3, Saturday at 4 p.m.
On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 Goffstown shutout No. 15 Pelham 8-0, while No. 7 St. Thomas knocked off No. 10 Oyster River 11-1. The Grizzlies will host the Saints in the quarterfinals at 4 p.m. Saturday in Goffstown.
No. 14 Con-Val pulled off the final upset of the day, knocked off No. 3 Hanover 7-4. The Cougars will travel to face No. 6 Lebanon, which defeated No. 11 Pembroke 5-3, in the quarterfinals Saturday at 4 p.m.
Division IV
No. 7 Wilton-Lyndeborough kept its season alive with a 4-1 win over No. 10 Hinsdale. Patrick Martin tossed a complete game for the Warriors, striking out 12. W-L will now travel to face No. 2 Colebrook, a 5-3 winner over No. 15 Derryfield, for a quarterfinal game Saturday at 4 p.m.
Other winners in Division IV include No. 1 Sunapee, No. 8 Littleton, No. 4 Gorham, No. 5 Newmarket, No. 3 Portsmouth Christian and No. 6 Lisbon.
High School Highlights - Nashua Telegraph
Owls stunner - Eagle Tribune
Seacoast roundup - Portsmouth Herald
Clippers earn 10-0 win in baseball tourney opener - Portsmouth Herald
Bats come alive just in time - Concord Monitor
No. 12 Coe-Brown 7, No. 5 Hollis/Brookline 6 - Concord Monitor
No. 4 Bedford 10, No. 13 Merrimack Valley 7 - Concord Monitor
Seawards to Dover's rescue - Foster's Daily Democrat
