Softball roundup: Locals move on

An extra day of preparation seemed to help some area softball teams, as seven of the nine area teams competing in the playoffs Thursday moved on to their respective quarterfinals.

Alvirne, the second seed in Division I, moved on and will face No. 10 Merrimack, which pulled off one of three upsets, beating No. 7 Pinkerton. Nashua South, seeded 11th, pulled off a stunner of its own against Manchester Central, and No. 9 Bishop Guertin went all the way out to Dover to beat the No. 8 Green Wave.

In Division II, Hollis/Brookline and Souhegan both advanced, while top-seeded Wilton-Lyndeborough cruised into the Division IV quarterfinals.

Division I

A year after being upset in the first round, No. 2 Alvirne took care of business Thursday, knocking out No. 15 Timberlane 10-0. Taylor Carbone pitched a complete-game shutout, striking out 15, and hit two home runs and drove in five for the Broncos. Katie Donovan also had three hits and two RBIs and Jenna Giannelli hit a home run.

No. 10 Merrimack picked up a 10-2 win over No. 7 Pinkerton, a team the Tomahawks had lost to during the regular season. Brittany Camara went the distance and had two hits, including a grand slam. Bri Demers added three hits, including a home run and a triple, and Tory Hoemke also had three hits.

Merrimack's win sets up a quarterfinal matchup with Alvirne; the two teams will meet at 4 p.m. Saturday in Hudson.

On the same side of the bracket, No. 11 Nashua South defeated No. 6 Manchester Central 7-2 behind a complete game from pitcher Sarah Peterman. Mary Fontaine had two doubles and two RBIs and Erika Belair had a double and two RBIs to lead the offense. The Panthers will now face No. 3 Londonderry, which defeated No. 14 Exeter 6-5, in the quarterfinals Saturday at 4 p.m. in Londonderry.

Ninth-seeded Bishop Guertin held on for a 6-4 win over No. 8 Dover, thanks to a two-run sixth inning that broke a 4-4 tie. Kenzie McCabe and Jacklyn Dubois both had two hits for the Cardinals to back Lauren Bingham's complete-game effort. Bishop Guertin will take on No. 1 Salem, which knocked off No. 16 Keene 13-0, in the quarterfinals Saturday at 4 p.m. in Salem.

No. 12 Nashua North came up short against No. 5 Spaulding, seeing its season end in a 6-1 loss. The Titans kept the game close, but the Red Raiders scored three times in the bottom of the sixth to put the game away. Spaulding will take on No. 4 Concord, a 5-0 winner over No. 13 Manchester Memorial, in the quarterfinals Saturday at 4 p.m. in Concord.

Division II

No. 8 Hollis/Brookline needed some late-inning heroics from Kaitlyn Sliger to beat No. 9 Coe-Brown 7-6. Sliger, who had three hits and drove in four runs, drove in Sarah Drazin for the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Cavaliers will take on top-seeded Kennett, which defeated No. 16 Trinity 6-2, in the quarterfinals at 4 p.m. Saturday in North Conway.

On the other side of that bracket, No. 4 Goffstown pulled out a 1-0 win over No. 13 Plymouth, while No. 5 Portsmouth beat No. 12 Lebanon 14-3. Goffstown and Portsmouth will meet in the quarterfinals Saturday at 4 p.m. at Goffstown.

No. 6 Souhegan scored four runs in the fifth inning to defeat No. 11 John Stark 8-4. The Sabers will next take on No. 3 Laconia, which defeated No. 14 Sanborn 9-8, in the quarterfinals at 4 p.m. Saturday at Laconia.

In the biggest upset of the day, No. 2 Bedford fell victim to No. 15 Merrimack Valley, falling 4-3. The Bulldogs led 3-0 after two innings, but the Pride scored four times with two out in the top of the seventh to steal the win. Merrimack Valley will travel to face No. 7 Con-Val, which defeated No. 10 St. Thomas 13-1, in the quarterfinals at 4 p.m. on Saturday in Peterborough.

Division IV

No. 1 Wilton-Lyndeborough cruised past No. 16 Nute, 15-2, in the preliminary round and will take on No. 8 Colebrook, which defeated No. 9 Pittsfield 12-0, in the quarterfinals at 4 p.m. Saturday in Wilton.

Other winners in Division IV were No. 4 Profile, No. 5 Portsmouth Christian, No. 2 Woodsville, No. 7 Lin-Wood, No. 3 Groveton and No. 11 Littleton, which upset No. 7 Newmarket.

Dover girls can't get past Guertin - Foster's Daily Democrat

Red Raiders take care of Nashua North - Foster's Daily Democrat

High School Roundup - Foster's Daily Democrat

High School Highlights - Nashua Telegraph

PHS routs Lebanon in tournament opener - Portsmouth Herald

Seacoast Roundup - Portsmouth Herald

No. 8 Hollis/Brookline 7, No. 9 Coe-Brown 6 - Concord Monitor

No. 6 Souhegan 8, No. 11 John Stark 4 - Concord Monitor

No. 15 Merrimack Valley 4, No. 2 Bedford 3 - Concord Monitor