Softball teams are preparing for this week’s playoff games. For a while, there was a question of whether those would actually be this week’s playoff games.
The forecast has brightened a little, but as of Monday night, rain was still in the forecast for today and Wednesday. Four local teams are scheduled to play this afternoon and several more are slated to play Wednesday and Thursday.
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One of today’s preliminary-round games in Eastern B has No. 8 Gardiner hosting No. 9 Winslow at 4:15 p.m. Both teams are 9-7 and Winslow posted a 7-3 victory over the Tigers during the regular season.
“When we played them in the regular season, I think we had like four makeup dates, so we ended up playing them at 9:30 a.m. on their prom day,” Winslow coach Beth Fisher said. “So we probably didn’t see the real Gardiner team, but they still played well. It should be a really good matchup.”
Nokomis (11-5) is the No. 6 seed in Eastern B and hosts No. 11 Mt. Desert Island (10-6) at 4:15 p.m., today. The Warriors are in the postseason for the first time since 2008, which makes it the first playoff game for everyone on the roster.
“They felt they should have gone in higher, so that’s an inspiration,” Nokomis coach JD McLellan said. “The kids are pretty excited. They’re pumped up.”
In Western B, No. 10 Oak Hill (9-7) is at No. 7 Cape Elizabeth (13-3) in a prelim at 4 p.m., today. Between the two teams, Oak Hill has the only victory against a team that finished the season with a winning record. The Raiders beat Winslow by a 5-2 score on May 21.
“If we keep our errors to none or one or two, that’s when we tend to win ballgames,” Oak Hill coach Allyson Collins said. “Our offense has definitely taken off the last few games, so if we can tighten up our defense, I think we’ll be OK.”
No. 5 Gray-New Gloucester plays No. 12 Falmouth in another prelim today, and the winner faces No. 4 Maranacook (12-4) on Thursday in the quarterfinals.
In Eastern A, top-ranked Cony plays Thursday against the winner of today’s preliminary-round game between No. 8 Hampden and No. 9 Mt. Ararat. The Rams defeated Mt. Ararat by scores of 8-0 and 14-0, and Hampden in a 13-0 rout.
No. 2 Messalonskee (13-3) hosts No. 6 Brewer at 4 p.m., Wednesday. The Eagles rallied for a 3-2 victory over Brewer on opening day, then played one of their poorest games of the season in a 10-4 loss to the Witches on May 12. Messalonskee coach Leo Bouchard said if the game is rained out Wednesday, it will be made up Friday, because Messalonskee’s graduation is Thursday night.
“I think we’re very closely matched,” Bouchard said. “The key for us is not making errors. The girls are ready to play. They can’t wait for Wednesday to come.”
No. 4 Erskine (12-4) hosts No. 5 Oxford Hills (11-5), at 5 p.m., Thursday in a quarterfinal. There were a total of four runs scored in the two meetings between the teams with Erskine winning 2-1 and Oxford Hills taking a 1-0 decision in the rematch despite a two-hitter by Erskine pitcher Alyssa Gartley.
Erskine coach Holly Tripp said the 5 p.m. start is because both schools have senior activities this week, plus the Vikings have a fairly long drive to South China. Tripp said defense is a key for the Eagles, and that defense has looked good lately, save for a 17-8 loss to Cony in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A semifinals on Friday.
“The girls are really recognizing that,” Tripp said, “and they’re like, ‘Oh, Lord, we must not do that again.’ “
The matchup between No. 3 Bangor (11-5) and No. 6 Skowhegan (10-6), which will be played at 3 p.m., Thursday, is at the other end of the offense/defense spectrum. Bangor beat Skowhegan 13-10 in the first meeting, and the Indians won the rematch 8-5.
Madison, the No. 1 seed in Western C, will host a quarterfinal Thursday against the winner of today’s prelim between Wiscasset and St. Dominic. Madison owns victories by scores of 11-1 over Wiscasset and 13-1 over St. Dom’s.
No. 2 Monmouth (12-2) hosts No. 7 Sacopee Valley (6-10) at 3:30 p.m., Thursday. Sacopee Valley has been inconsistent, but does own a victory over Greely, the No. 2 seed in Western B.
Hall-Dale, the No. 5 seed with an 8-8 record, has shown it can play with anybody, and will take on No. 4 Dirigo (10-6), at 4 p.m., Thursday. In the regular-season meeting, Dirigo tied the game at 2 by scoring a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning, but Tasha Brown brought home Olivia Maynard with a double in the bottom of the seventh for a 3-2 win.
With only five teams in the playoffs, Western D has no prelims and only one quarterfinal. That’s between No. 5 Vinalhaven and No. 4 Greenville, and the winner will get top-seeded Richmond on Saturday. Richmond shut out Greenville twice, although the second game was only 3-0 and defeated Vinalhaven in two games by a combined score of 36-1.
Also on Saturday, No. 2 Rangeley (11-3) plays No. 3 Buckfield (10-6). The Lakers lost 1-0 at Buckfield, but won the rematch, 6-2 at home.
Matt DiFilippo — 861-9243
mdifilippo@centralmaine.com
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