Matchups set for baseball playoffs

The high school baseball playoffs are scheduled to begin Thursday, and the Division I field has plenty of Greater Nashua teams among the high seeds.

Nashua North, Merrimack and Bishop Guertin all earned top four seeds in the tournament and Nashua South will also host a playoff game. In Division II, Bedford and Hollis/Brookline also got high spots in the postseason, and in Division IV, Wilton-Lyndeborough will get to play host on Thursday.

Division I

Nashua North (15-4) is the No. 1 seed for the second year in a row, and will host No. 16 Trinity (6-12) at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Holman Stadium in Nashua. The Titans won the regular-season meeting between the two, beating the Pioneers 5-0 on April 11. The winner will take on either No. 8 Nashua South (10-8) or No. 9 Manchester Central (10-8), who will play at 4 p.m. Thursday in Nashua. The Panthers won the lone meeting in the regular season, 8-5 on  April 22.

No. 4 Bishop Guertin (12-6) will host No. 13 Timberlane (7-11) at 4 p.m. Thursday at Holman Stadium. The Cardinals won the regular-season matchup 5-4 on April 15. The winner gets the winner of No. 5 Pinkerton (11-7) and No. 12 Winnacunnet (9-9) in the quarterfinals.

No. 3 Merrimack (13-5) will host No. 14 Keene (8-11) Thursday at 4:30 p.m. The Tomahawks defeated the Blackbirds during the regular season, winning 4-1 on May 24. The winner will face either No. 6 Concord (11-7) or No. 11 Exeter (9-9).

Also on that side of the bracket, No. 2 Salem (14-5) takes on No. 15 Manchester Memorial (7-11) in the preliminary round. The winner of that game gets the winner of No. 7 Dover (10-8) and No. 10 Londonderry (10-9).

All quarterfinal games will be played on June 4, with the semifinals scheduled for June 9 and 10 at Holman Stadium. The final is set for June 18 at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester.

Division II

Bedford (13-3) had its best regular season to earn the No. 4 seed in the tournament and will host No. 13 Merrimack Valley (8-7) at 4 p.m. Thursday. The two teams didn't play during the season. The winner will get either No. 5 Hollis/Brookline (10-6) or No. 12 Coe-Brown (8-8) in the quarterfinals. The Cavaliers and Bears will also meet at 4 p.m. on Thursday; H/B won the regular-season game on May 25, 4-1.

Portsmouth (16-0) is once again the top seed and will host No. 16 Sanborn (7-9), with the winner taking on either No. 8 Laconia (9-7) or No. 9 Kennett (9-8) in the quarterfinals.

On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 Goffstown (14-3), in its first year in the division after dropping down, will play host to No. 15 Pelham (8-8). The winner of that game will face the winner of No. 7 St. Thomas (9-7) and No. 10 Oyster River (8-8).

No. 3 Hanover (13-3) will take on No. 14 Con-Val (8-8) in the preliminary round, and the winner will face either No. 6 Lebanon (10-6) or No. 11 Pembroke (8-8) in the quarterfinals.

All quarterfinal games are scheduled for June 4, with the semifinals set for June 9 and 10 at Memorial Field in Concord. The final will be held at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium on June 18.

Division IV

Wilton-Lyndeborough (9-7) enters the tournament as the No. 7 seed and will host No. 10 Hinsdale (7-9) at 4 p.m. on Thursday. The teams played twice during the regular season, with each winning on the other team's field. The winner will face either No. 2 Colebrook (15-1) or No. 15 Derryfield (5-10) in the quarterfinals.

Also on that side of the bracket, No. 3 Portsmouth Christian (12-2) will host No. 14 Moultonborough (6-10), with the winner taking on either No. 6 Lisbon (10-6) or No. 11 Woodsville (7-9).

The No. 1 seed is Sunapee (15-1), which will host No. 16 Profile (5-11) in the preliminary round. The winner will take on the winner of No. 8 Pittsfield (8-8) and No. 9 Littleton (8-8).

No. 4 Gorham (15-3) will host No. 13 Epping (6-10) and No. 5 Newmarket (11-5) will take on No. 12 Pittsburg (6-10), with the winners facing off in the quarterfinals.

All quarterfinal games are scheduled for June 4. The semifinals are scheduled for June 9 and 10 at Plymouth State University, with the final set for June 18 at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium.