What is predicted to be the warmest day of the spring will see a busy day of quarterfinal contests, as three softball games and five baseball games involving teams from the region are planned.
Thursday’s schedule is as follows:
Softball
No. 3 LCS/MSSM (11-4) hosts No. 6 Orono (12-5) at noon in a Class C North rematch of last year’s quarterfinal, won by the Eagles. The Red Riots moved on thanks to a 10-9 victory over No. 11 Dexter on Tuesday.
Fort Fairfield baseball coach John Ala shares some advice with senior Jon Bernard during a recent home game. The Tigers, the No. 1 team in Class D North with a 14-0 record, hosts PVHS of Howland Thursday at 4 p.m. in the playoff quarterfinals. (Kevin Sjoberg)
No. 1 Southern Aroostook (12-2) hosts No. 8 Ashland (7-8) at 2 p.m. in a Class D North quarterfinal. The Hornets advanced with a 10-9 win over No. 9 Central Aroostook Tuesday, while SA beat Deer Isle-Stonington 10-9 Tuesday. The Warriors beat Ashland 12-11 and 7-1 during the regular season.
No. 3 Hodgdon (9-6) hosts No. 11 Schenck (11-6) at 2:30 p.m. in another D North quarterfinal. The Wolverines upset No. 6 Woodland in the prelim round. Hodgdon did not play Schenck during the regular season.
Baseball
No. 5 Hodgdon (12-4) hosts No. 13 Schenck (5-12) in a Class D North quarterfinal at 2:30 p.m. The Hawks beat No. 12 East Grand (5-9), 17-7 in the prelims, while Schenck upset No. 4 Woodland (11-4), 14-10 Tuesday.
No. 1 Fort Fairfield (14-0), the lone undefeated baseball team in the state, welcomes eighth-seeded Penobscot Valley of Howland (11-6) for a 4 p.m. Class D North quarterfinal contest. PVHS recorded a 7-1 win over Stearns in Tuesday’s preliminary round.
No. 3 Katahdin (10-4) hosts No. 6 Shead (12-3) at 4 p.m. in another D North contest. Shead advanced with an 8-4 win over No. 11 Central Aroostook Tuesday. Katahdin and Shead did not meet during the regular season and did not face any common opponents.
Also in Class D, No. 7 Southern Aroostook (9-6) travels to No. 2 Bangor Christian (11-5) for a 4 p.m. game to be played at Husson University. The two squads did not meet during the regular season. Admission will be charged at this game to cover the cost of renting the Husson field. The cost is $2 for students and $4 for adults.
In Class B, No. 10 Presque Isle (9-8) travels to play No. 2 Hermon (13-3) at 4 p.m., with a semifinal berth on the line. The Hawks swept the Wildcats in a May 27 doubleheader in Presque Isle by scores of 8-0 and 5-4. PI had advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-3 upset win over No. 7 Gardiner Monday.
