HOULTON, Maine — The regular season is now a fond memory for baseball and softball squads, but there is still much work to be done as all eight teams in the Houlton Pioneer Times’ coverage area qualified for the playoffs this spring.
For baseball, Houlton finished with a 7-7 record on the season, which earned the Shires the No. 6 seed in Class C North. Houlton gets a first-round bye, but must travel to No. 3 Central of East Corinth (10-6). The two squads did not face each other during the regular season.
In Class D North, Hodgdon finished with an 11-3 record and secured the No. 3 seed. The Hawks earned a first round bye and will not play until Thursday. Hodgdon awaits the winner of Tuesday’s preliminary game between No. 11 Stearns and No. 6 Katahdin. Katahdin finished with a 10-4 record and did not face Stearns during the regular season. The Cougars did face Hodgdon twice, with the Hawks winning both contests, 13-3 and 13-1.
Southern Aroostook finished 6-8 and is 12th in Class D North. The Warriors must travel to Howland Tuesday to take on No. 5 Penobscot Valley in a preliminary playoff.
The semifinal round takes place Saturday, June 8, followed by the D regional championship on Tuesday, June 11, and the C championships Wednesday, June 12. The regional championships will be played at Mansfield Stadium in Bangor. The State C championship also will be played at Mansfield Stadium, while the D state title game will be played at St. Joseph’s College in Standish.
Softball
Houlton finished 3-11 in Class C North, but still managed to sneak into the playoffs. The Shires travel to No. 7 Sumner (6-10) on Tuesday in a preliminary round contest. The two did not face each other during the regular season.
In Class D North, Katahdin finished as the top seed with an impressive 13-1 record. The Cougars earn a first-round bye and will take the field Thursday, June 6, against the winner of the No. 8 Central Aroostook-No. 9 Woodland prelim. Katahdin beat Central Aroostook 12-0 and 13-3 during the regular season. The Cougars did not face Woodland.
Southern Aroostook finished 12-2 on the year and are the No. 3 seed in Class D North. The Warriors also earned a first-round bye and will face the winner of No.6 Deer Isle-Stonington/No. 11 Jonesport-Beals in the quarterfinals on Thursday. SA did not face either team during the regular season.
Hodgdon finished 5-9 on the year and nabbed the 12th and final seed in the region. The Hawks take on No. 5 Ashland (9-4) in a preliminary playoff Tuesday. The two teams did not meet during the regular season.
The playoffs continue Saturday, June 8, with semifinals games. The D regional championship will be held Tuesday, June 11, at Coffin Field in Brewer, while the C championship takes place Wednesday, June 12, also in Brewer. The D state championship game will be held at St. Joseph’s College in Standish, while the C title game will be played in Brewer.
