(Ed. Note: For the complete Scarborough-Cheverus baseball, Cape Elizabeth-Scarborough and Cape Elizabeth-Falmouth boys’ lacrosse and Cape Elizabeth-Falmouth, Cape Elizabeth-Gorham and Scarborough-Waynflete girls’ lacrosse game stories, with box scores and photos, see theforecaster.net)

It feels like the spring sports season has just began, but many teams have already completed half of their schedule. That means that it’s time to start paying attention to the Heal Points and possible playoff positioning with the postseason just a few weeks away.

Here’s a glimpse at what occurred over the past week and how things stand:

Baseball

South Portland’s baseball team won its first six games, capped by a dramatic 1-0 home victory over Cheverus Saturday. Ace Henry Curran recorded 19 of his 21 outs via strikeout and singled in Hayden Owen for the game’s only run. Tuesday, the Red Riots fell to 6-1 and second to Thornton Academy in the Western Class A Heal Points standings with an 11-1 five inning loss at preseason favorite Marshwood. South Portland scored first, then the bottom fell out. The Red Riots were home against Windham Thursday, visit Thornton Academy Saturday and welcome Sanford Tuesday of next week.

Scarborough snapped a 19-inning scoreless streak last Thursday at Cheverus, yet still lost, 7-1.

“Mix in a few errors, a few bad bounces, that’s kind of how our season has gone so far,” said Red Storm coach Ryan Jones. “Our pitching has been fantastic. That’s one component I haven’t been worried about. I know we have the talent.”

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Scarborough got back in the win column Saturday with a 7-4 home victory over Sanford. The Red Storm evened their record at 4-4 Tuesday with a 4-0 win at Massabesic, as Mitch Wedge threw six shutout innings, allowing just three hits. Scarborough (14th in Western A) was home against Noble Thursday, hosts Westbrook Saturday and goes to Windham Thursday of next week.

In Western B, Cape Elizabeth was 5-3 and third in the Heals at press time. Last week, the Capers beat visiting Freeport, 8-1, lost at Fryeburg Academy, 5-3, and won at home over Yarmouth, 6-1. Monday, Cape Elizabeth prevailed at Gray-New Gloucester, 5-1. Marshall Peterson earned the victory and Tim Brigham and Nate Ingalls both had a pair of hits against the Falcons. Brigham doubled twice and scored twice and Ingalls got the victory against the Patriots. The Capers hosted defending Class B champion Greely Wednesday, welcome Kennebunk Friday and Lake Region Monday and go to Poland Wednesday of next week.

Softball

Scarborough’s softball team extended its regular season unbeaten streak to 32 games and improved to 7-0 with recent wins at Noble (18-4) and Massabesic (16-3 in six innings) and at home over Sanford (6-1). Against the Knights, Abbie Murrell homered twice and drove in four runs. Sophia Burnham had three hits and got the victory and Brittany Plowman and Kaleigh Scoville had three hits apiece. Scarborough scored six times in the sixth at the Mustangs. Scoville had four hits, including a home run, and four RBI and Maggie Murphy hit a three-run home run. In the win over the Spartans, in a game much closer than the final score, Lilly Volk threw a four-hitter and freshman Chloe Griffin had three hits, drove in two runs and Ashley Gleason had two hits and two RBI. After hosting Deering Wednesday, the Red Storm (first in the Western A Heals) visit McAuley Friday, go to Marshwood Monday and welcome Cheverus Wednesday of next week.

South Portland has won four in a row and improved to 5-3 after triumphing at Deering (10-1) and McAuley (9-4) and at home over Marshwood (14-3). Laurine German and Sarah Micucci each had three hits, including a home run, and Stephanie Aceto threw a one-hitter against the Rams. Miranda Gleason singled, doubled and homered and Paige Carter had three hits in the win over the Lions. After going to Cheverus Wednesday, the Red Riots (fifth in Western A) host Windham Friday, play at Westbrook Monday and welcome Biddeford Wednesday of next week.

In Western B, Cape Elizabeth was 5-4 and ninth in the Heals at press time following wins over visiting Freeport (16-2, in five innings) and at Gray-New Gloucester (14-5) and a 15-3, five inning loss at Fryeburg Academy. The Capers scored 11 first inning runs against the Falcons. Tess Haller had three hits, including a home run, and Megan Nicholson and Ashley Tinsman also had three hits. Cape Elizabeth was home against Greely Wednesday, welcomes Kennebunk Friday and Lake Region Monday, then goes to Poland Wednesday of next week.

Boys’ lacrosse

South Portland’s defending Class A state champion boys’ lacrosse team took a 5-0 record and an overall 95-19 goals differential into a showdown Wednesday at Thornton Academy, in a rematch of last year’s thrilling regional final. The Red Riots romped last week over a pair of teams expected to give them a game, downing visiting Westbrook (17-5) and host Kennebunk (19-4). Eben Babbidge and Jack Fiorini had four goals apiece against the Blue Blazes. In the win over the Rams, Kam Andrews and Jack Fiorini both had six goals, while Andrew Whipple had six assists. South Portland (first in the Western A Heals) has a crossover game at home against two-time defending Eastern B champion Yarmouth Friday (see theforecaster.net for game story) and welcomes Deering Tuesday.

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Cape Elizabeth, the two-time defending Class B state champion, extended its win streak to 25 with wins over visiting Scarborough (10-4) and at Falmouth (19-11). The Capers overcame a slow start against the Red Storm and relied on four goals from Owen Thoreck and a superb defensive effort, which held Scarborough scoreless for two-and-a-half quarters.

“It feels great to come out and compete with a good team and come out with a ‘W,'” senior defenseman Noah Wolfinger said. “I feel good about our guys. We’re improving each week.”

“We stuck to our plays, got the ball to the shorty and dodged on their shorty and it worked out,” Thoreck said.

“It’s good to be tested and to compete,” added Capers coach Ben Raymond. “Scarborough’s a quality team. They’re well-coached. They’re athletic. We’d much rather have competitive games.”

In the win over the Yachtsmen, Cape Elizabeth shot to a quick 5-0 lead, but Falmouth roared back to tie the score at 7-7, 8-8 and 9-9. Then, the Capers closed the third period on a breathtaking 7-0 run and pulled away behind seven goals and three assists from Ben Shea and six goals from Griffin Thoreck.

“We let them come back, then we buckled down and started taking off again,” Shea said. “We knew what we had to do. We ran our plays and they worked. When we work as a unit, we’re hard to stop.”

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“Falmouth has a special place in our heart,” Griffin Thoreck said. “They’re a great team. We love coming here. It’s always a battle. It’s great to win on the road.

“We always expect a quality game from Falmouth, especially here,” Raymond added. “I’m happy the game was that tight. We can’t relax. We have to continue to get better.”

Cape Elizabeth (6-0 and first in Western B) has a pivotal showdown at defending Eastern A champion Brunswick Saturday morning (see theforecaster.net) and hosts Greely Tuesday.

Scarborough won, 16-10, at Deering and fell, 10-4, at Cape Elizabeth last week. Sam Neugebauer had four goals and Braeden Kane and Cam Nigro each had three in the victory. In the loss, the Red Storm shot to a quick 2-0 lead, but then were held scoreless for 31 minutes and 3 seconds and despite two goals from Nigro and 17 saves from goalie Isaac Rico, fell to 3-3.

“Cape’s just crisper in the things they do,” said Scarborough coach Joe Hezlep. “We could have done a better job. We didn’t give ourselves enough of a chance time-of-possession-wise.”

The Red Storm (third in Western A) hosted Cheverus Wednesday and welcome Windham Tuesday.

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Girls’ lacrosse

On the girls’ side, Scarborough made history last week. After bouncing back from their lone loss with a 17-5 victory at Portland, the Red Storm beat visiting powerhouse Waynflete for the first time in program history, 7-4, Saturday. Scarborough shot to a 3-0 lead, but then went scoreless for 23 minutes. The Red Storm rediscovered their offense, got two goals apiece from Sydney Hersey and Kaitlin Prince and 10 clutch saves from goalie Sami Shoebottom and held on.

“We came to play today,” said Bailey Adams, who had a goal and an assist. “Mentally, we were ready. We believe in ourselves. This means a lot to our program. It proves we’re here to play.”

“The difference in this game was we shot and got it back, we turned it over and got back,” Prince said. “We didn’t let it get in our heads. Yeah, we didn’t score for 23 minutes, but I think we had the possession most of those 23 minutes.”

“I think my defense played really solid, which helped a lot,” Shoebottom said. “We didn’t give Waynflete anything.”

“It was a really big win,” added Red Storm first-year coach Michaela Wipfler. “The girls showed up today. They were excited, wanted it and that showed on the field. Every year, this is a big game for us. The girls were motivated.”

Scarborough improved to 4-1 Tuesday with a 13-2 victory at Gorham. Emma Smith had four goals and Adams, Prince and Abby Corbin all scored twice. The Red Storm (first in the Western A Heals at press time) hosted Thornton Academy in a playoff rematch Thursday, go to defending Class B champion Yarmouth Friday and welcome Marshwood Tuesday.

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South Portland was 2-3 and sixth at press time after a 13-7 loss at Gorham and a 12-9 home win over Brunswick last week. Aimee LaPlante had three goals against the Rams. In the victory, Mary Cronin and Maddie Hasson both scored four times. The Red Riots (sixth in Western A) hosted Portland Thursday, go to Cony Saturday and visit Deering Tuesday.

In Western B, Cape Elizabeth had a week to remember. After completing a suspended game with an overtime victory over Greely, the Capers went to undefeated Falmouth last Wednesday and trailed almost the whole way before rallying to tie on Kirsten Rudberg’s goal and winning it, 7-6, on Mariah Deschino’s late free position. Goalie Kate Bosworth made a dozen saves.

“I think it’s a huge turning point for our team,” Rudberg said. “This game gives us the confidence we need to go forward.”

“We came in knowing (Falmouth would be) a very good team and we stuck to our game and competed,” Deschino said. “We had the motivation, but at times we doubted we’d come back. We hoped and we knew we had to. We ended up doing it.”

“We came out and we really wanted it,” said Bosworth. “I was so excited about the defense tonight. I knew the offense would pull through.”

“I’m so proud,” added first-year Capers coach Alex Spark. “It was a fight to the very end. We had unforced turnovers early in the game that put us down a couple goals, but halftime brought us back. The girls focused on the last 25 minutes.”

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Saturday, Cape Elizabeth downed visiting Gorham, 13-8, to improve to 4-1. Emma Landes led the way with five goals.

“It’s been a great week,” Landes said. “We’ve practiced our composure, worked as a team and trusted each other and I think that’s made the difference. It’s been a great confidence booster.”

“It feels good having such a big win in the middle of the week then coming up against a team like Gorham who fights to end and luckily win a tough battle,” Spark said.

Wednesday, the Capers (fourth in Western B) went to undefeated, top-ranked Kennebunk (see theforecaster.net for game story) for a pivotal showdown in a rematch of last spring’s thrilling regional final. Monday brings a visit from Waynflete.

Outdoor track

Scarborough hosted in an outdoor track meet Tuesday.

The boys were first and South Portland came in second (Sanford also took part). The Red Storm got wins from Griffin Madden in the 110 hurdles (15.89 seconds), Andrew Sholl in the mile (4 minutes, 43.58 seconds), Chris Dionne in the 200 (24.78), Maxim Doiron in the 300 hurdles (42.36), Will Fowler in the two-mile (10:36.89), Jerry Kenney in the 400 (53.91), Jacob Bloom in the 800 (2:04.96) and their 400 (45.97) and 1,600 (3:43.53) relay teams. The Red Riots got wins from Michael Cuesta in 100 (11.86), triple jump (44 feet-10 inches) and long jump (21-3.5), Steven Smith in the racewalk (7:43.0), Daniel Guiliani in the discus (161-10) and shot put (64-9.5) and Darien McMahen in the javelin (132-6).

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The Scarborough girls downed Masssabesic, McAuley and Westbrook, behind wins from Ellen Shaw in the 100 hurdles (16.67) and the 300 hurdles (52.59), Gaby Panagakos in the 400 (1:04.69), Bethany Sholl in the mile (5:36.01), Elizabeth Gentile in the discus (97-5), Kacey Foerster in the pole vault (8-6) and Sarah Rinaldi in the long jump (14-11).

Cape Elizabeth joined Fryeburg Academy and Old Orchard Beach at Gray-New Gloucester last Friday. The boys were first and the girls came in second.

The boys got wins from Anthony Inhorn in the racewalk (9:32.74), Zoeth Chalat in the pole vault (8-0), Devon Sanford in the shot put (40-7), Nate Weare in the discus (125-6) and their 3,200 relay team (9:48.32). The girls got first-place finishes from Eva Brydson in the 800 (2:34.68), Liv Palma in the mile (5:50.13), Morgan Carpenter in the 300 hurdles (52.64) and triple jump (33-6), Anni Ball in the long jump (14-6), Katie Oberholtzer in the high jump (4-4) and their 3,200 relay team (11:53.39).

Tennis

Cape Elizabeth’s defending Class B champion boys’ tennis team improved to 6-2 after recent wins over Fryeburg Academy (3-2), Kennebunk (4-1) and Freeport (5-0). The Capers girls are 6-2 after 5-0 wins over Fryeburg Academy, Kennebunk, Lake Region and Freeport. Cape Elizabeth had a showdown against defending Class A champion Falmouth Thursday. 

Scarborough’s girls suffered their first loss last week, 3-2, to Portland, then beat Westbrook (5-0) and Windham (3-2) to improve to 5-1. The boys improved to 4-2 by downing Westbrook (5-0) and Windham (3-2).

South Portland’s boys fell to 3-3 after 4-1 losses at Deering and Cheverus. The Red Riots girls were 2-4 at press time after home losses to Deering (3-2) and Cheverus (4-1).

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Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.

Sidebar Elements


South Portland’s Brad Sowerby delivers a pitch during the Red Riots’ 2-1 win at Deering last week.

Cape Elizabeth’s Owen Thoreck sends Scarborough’s Anthony Quintiliani flying during the Capers’ 10-4 win Saturday.

Scarborough’s girls’ lacrosse team celebrates Saturday’s 7-4 win over Waynflete, the Red Storm’s first ever victory over the Flyers.


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