Ed. Note: For the complete South Portland-Deering baseball and Scarborough-Massabesic girls’ lacrosse game stories, with photos and box scores, see theforecaster.net)

Believe it or not, it’s time to think postseason.

The tennis singles tournament is in full swing with the team postseason set to commence. Track will host its conference championships this weekend with the state meets looming June 7. While baseball, softball and boys’ and girls’ lacrosse are still playing, the end is in sight for those sports as well.

Here’s a look at what’s transpired and what’s to come:

Tennis

The preliminary and qualifying rounds of the girls’ singles tournament were held at Deering High School Wednesday.

Cape Elizabeth’s Liv Clifford qualified by virtue of a 6-1, 6-0 win over Gorham’s Molly Vanluling. Scarborough’s Megan Nathanson ousted Yarmouth’s Sarah Oberink, 8-4, then beat Biddeford’s Michelle Cote, 6-0, 6-0, to advance. Teammate Laura Henny also moved on by downing Freeport’s Katelyn O’Neil in a walkover and Gorham’s Whitney King, 3-6, 5-2, retired with an injury.

Cape Elizabeth’s Kate Miklavic beat Portland’s Georgia Drew, 8-0, in the preliminary round, then was ousted by Sage Winter of Marshwood, 2-6, 2-6.

Cape Elizabeth’s Erin Whitcomb lost to Portland’s Alyssa Vaccaro in the preliminary round, 0-8. Scarborough’s Bryce Nitchman was beaten by Bonny Eagle’s Hilary Kenney in a walkover. South Portland’s Danielle Proctor was ousted by North Yarmouth Academy’s Corinne Poitras, 0-8. South Portland’s Leah Barry-Sandelin lost to NYA’s Marina Stam, 0-8, and a third Red Riot, Michelle Foster, was eliminated by Thornton Academy’s Eva Sachs, 0-8.

The boys’ preliminary and qualifying rounds were held at Waynflete and Cape Elizabeth.

Scarborough’s Ogden Timpson qualified after beating Thornton Academy’s David Parran, 6-0, 6-0. Cape Elizabeth’s Gabriel Torres moved on after beating Thornton Academy’s Andrew Paradis, 6-0, 6-0. Teammate Eli Breed beat Portland’s Curran Clere, 8-3, then ousted Bonny Eagle’s Nicholas Bean, 6-0, 6-0. Cape Elizabeth’s Luke Gilman also won two matches to advance, beating Yarmouth’s Rhys Eddy, 8-0, and Massabesic’s Justin Langlois, 6-0, 6-1.

Scarborough’s Roy Garland won his first match, 8-0, over Gorham’s Erik Andreasen, then lost to Thornton Academy’s Victor Menezes, 1-6, 0-6. South Portland’s Ian Mitchell ousted Cheverus’ Matthew McCormick, 8-1, then lost to Deering’s Tyler Butler, 1-6, 1-6. Teammate Tyler Gagne downed Massabesic’s Kyle Duffy, 8-2, then lost to Windham’s Jordan Crowley, 2-6, 0-6.

South Portland’s Rowen Varga was ousted in the first round, 1-8, by Windham’s Dominick Cancelarich.

Looking ahead, the tournament continues Friday and Saturday at Colby College in Waterville. In the boys’ competition, Scarborough’s Timpson is seeded sixth and Cape Elizabeth’s Torres is ranked 10th. The semifinals and finals will be Monday, June 2 at Bates College in Lewiston.

In doubles action, Cape Elizabeth’s Conner Sullivan and Jack Tierney won the Western Maine Conference boys’ tournament, beating Russell Barnard and Matt Hutcheon from Falmouth, 6-2, 0-6, 6-4.

In team action, Cape Elizabeth’s boys, the defending Class B state champion, was 9-2 and first in the Western Class B Heal Points standings entering its final match against Yarmouth. In Western A, Scarborough took an eight-match win streak, a 10-1 record and the No. 4 ranking in the Heals into its finale against Thornton Academy. South Portland was 2-9 and 14th (only 11 teams make the playoffs) entering its final match against Biddeford.

On the girls’ side, Cape Elizabeth was fifth in Western B at 7-4 going into its finale versus Yarmouth. In Western A, Scarborough was sixth at 8-3 with only a match at Thornton Academy remaining. South Portland was 4-7 and 11th (12 teams make the playoffs) going into its finale versus Biddeford.

The team tournament begins Tuesday with the preliminary round. The quarterfinals are June 5 and the semifinals June 7, with all rounds being played on the home court of the higher seed. The regional finals are June 12 at Bates College in Lewiston. The state finals are June 14, also at Bates.

Baseball

South Portland and Scarborough’s baseball teams remain red-hot.

The Red Riots led the Western A Heals at press time with an 11-2 record following wins over visiting Massabesic (6-0), at Deering (12-1) and at defending champion Westbrook (6-3). Brad Sowerby threw a three-hitter against the Mustangs, as Chris Foley paced the offense with three hits. Against the Rams, Robert Graff earned the win with a five-hitter, striking out 10, and Sam Troiano had three hits, while Jon Vickers scored three times and drove in two runs.

“(Deering) hung around,” Graff said. “We adjusted our approach at the plate and got better hits.”

“We knew we had potential,” Vickers said. “Last year, it didn’t turn out the way we wanted. This year, we’re doing a lot better. We’re just trying to stay on top of the ball and hit line drives. It was everybody today. We knew Robert would pitch a great game.”

The Red Riots got a two-hitter from Henry Curran in the win over the Blue Blazes. After hosting Sanford Thursday, South Portland plays its home finale versus Thornton Academy Saturday and closes the regular season at Gorham Tuesday.

“We’re worrying about finishing strong,” South Portland coach Mike Owens said. “The top four seeds are important because you get a bye. Ultimately, because of the depth of the tournament, we just want to play our best baseball at the end of the season. We want to peak going into the playoffs.”

Scarborough, meanwhile, has gone 7-1-1 since starting the season 0-4 and at 7-5-1 is fifth in Western A. The Red Storm beat visiting Sanford (9-4) and host Westbrook (5-0) before playing to a 4-4, 12-inning tie at Thornton Academy Tuesday. Ben Greenberg and Matt Hartl both had multiple hits versus the Spartans. Greenberg threw a two-hitter and doubled at the Blue Blazes and Austin Pemberton had three hits. Scarborough led, 4-0, at the Golden Trojans, but the hosts rallied and after five extra innings didn’t resolve anything, bad weather forced the game to be called and the teams to split the Heal Points. Ben Irish had three hits and Alex Lacognata and Matt Hartl were superb in relief. The Red Storm hosted Gorham Thursday, play at Noble Saturday, then close at Marshwood Monday.

In Western B, Cape Elizabeth was 4-9 and 11th at press time (only 10 teams make the playoffs in the region) after beating visiting Poland (5-4), then losing at home to Wells (2-1, in eight innings) and Kennebunk (2-0). The Capers rallied from a 4-2 seventh inning deficit to beat the Knights, as Nate Ingalls tied the game with a two-run triple and scored the winner on Matt Denison’s sacrifice fly. Nick Moulton had two hits and Tim Brigham was the hard-luck loser against the Warriors. Cape Elizabeth managed just one hit against the Rams, as Marshal Peterson, who only gave up two, was the hard-luck loser. The Capers were at Falmouth Wednesday, go to Wells Friday and close at home versus Greely Monday.

Softball

Perfection remains the theme for Cape Elizabeth and Scarborough’s softball teams.

The Capers have a stranglehold on the top spot in Western B after improving to 13-0 behind recent wins over visiting Poland (2-0) and Kennebunk (18-6, in five innings). Katie Rabasca threw a six-hit shutout and Michaela Pinette had a two-run single to help beat the Knights. Cape Elizabeth got three hits and three RBI from Hannah Saturley against the Rams. Ashley Tinsman added three hits and Rabasca and Tess Haller both had a pair. The Capers were at Falmouth Wednesday, go to Wells Friday and close at home versus Greely Monday.

In Western A, the defending champion Red Storm are first in the Heals at 12-0 after downing host Cheverus (4-0) and visiting Windham (13-3). Alyssa Williamson threw a one-hitter at the Stags and Sophia Burnham paced the offense with three hits. In the win over the Eagles, Williamson homered twice and tripled, Chloe Gorey had four hits and drove in a pair and Abbie Murrell earned the win. Scarborough is looking to close out its fourth undefeated regular season in eight years. After going to Westbrook Wednesday, the Red Storm host Biddeford Friday, play at Portland Monday and close at South Portland Wednesday of next week.

Speaking of the Red Riots, they were sixth in Western A at press time at 10-3 after dropping a 5-4 heartbreaker at Biddeford and beating visiting Portland, 12-0 (in five innings). In the loss, on a Tigers’ walkoff home run with two outs in the seventh, Laurine German and Sarah Micucci both had multiple hits. Stephanie Aceto threw a three-hitter against the Bulldogs, as Paige Carter had three hits, including a home run, and Miranda Gleason and Abby Young also had three hits. South Portland goes to Gorham Friday, welcomes Bonny Eagle Monday and closes at home versus Scarborough Wednesday.

Boys’ lacrosse

Cape Elizabeth’s defending Class B state champion boys’ lacrosse team remained undefeated (10-0) and first in the Western B Heals with recent wins over host York (15-1) and visiting NYA (9-3), which is the last team to beat the Capers. Ben Shea scored four times against the Panthers in a game delayed twice by bad weather, as Cape Elizabeth close the contest on a 7-0 run. The Capers host Yarmouth Friday and close at rival Falmouth Wednesday, in a game which could determine the top seed for the playoffs.

In Western A, South Portland is also perfect (9-0) and first in the standings after a 22-6 home win over Portland. In that one, the Red Riots only led by two at halftime, then erupted behind five goals apiece from Thomas Leddy and Duncan Preston and four from Jack Fiorini. South Portland was at Massabesic Wednesday (seeking the first 10-0 start in program history), hosts Bonny Eagle Monday, then closes Thursday of next week with a highly awaited showdown at four-time defending Class A champion Scarborough.

The Red Storm were 6-3 and third in Western A behind South Portland and Thornton Academy entering Wednesday’s game at Gorham. Scarborough goes to Biddeford Saturday, then plays host to the Red Riots Thursday of next week.

Girls’ lacrosse

Cape Elizabeth’s girls’ lacrosse team was fourth in the Western B Heals at press time with a 5-3 record after a 17-13 win at Wells Friday. Abby McInerney scored five times, while Kirsten Rudberg added three goals. Kinnon McGrath started her first game in goal and had 12 saves. After playing at Greely Wednesday, the Capers visit Falmouth Saturday afternoon, welcome Marshwood Monday and close at home versus nemesis Waynflete Friday of next week.

Scarborough fell to 5-4 and fourth after last week’s 8-5 home loss to defending Western A champ Massabesic. The Red Storm got two goals from Kaitlin Prince, but suffered through a 27 minute, 19 second scoring drought as they lost at home to the Mustangs for the first time.

“We just didn’t have the scoring opportunities because their defense was stellar,” said Red Storm coach Marcia Wood. “The girls were trying to get the passes inside, but their sticks were in the air. We found the only way to beat them was to try and do a fastbreak, but we threw the ball away. We just could not put one in.”

Scarborough was scheduled to play at defending Class A champion Cheverus Tuesday, but that was game was postponed by bad weather and hadn’t been rescheduled by press time. The Red Storm were at Westbrook Wednesday and host Biddeford Monday.

South Portland was sixth in Western A at press time with a 5-5 record after a 12-8 home victory over Deering, a dramatic 8-7 overtime win at Brunswick and an 8-6 loss at Windham. Against the Rams, Shae O’Brien had four goals, while Colleen Fleming and Maddie Hasson added three apiece. The Red Riots rallied from a 6-1 deficit against the Dragons and got three goals from Brianne Maloney, including the winner in overtime. In the loss, goalie Lily SanGiovanni made 18 saves. South Portland was home against Massabesic Thursday and closes the regular season at Noble Tuesday.

Outdoor track

The outdoor track regular season came to a close last weekend.

Scarborough played host to the Cumberland County championship, which also included South Portland, the Portland schools, Gorham, Westbrook and Windham.

Both the Red Riots and Red Storm excelled as Scarborough won the boys’ meet, with South Portland coming in second.

The Red Storm got wins from Jerry Kenney in the 200 (23.67 seconds), Alex Karam in the 800 (2 minutes, 5.67 seconds), Edward James in the pole vault (12 feet), Mike Pino in the shot put (50-6) and their 400 (45.57) and 3,200 (8:27.38 relays).

The Red Riots got a victory from Michael Cuesta in the triple jump (43-3.5).

In the girls’ competition, South Portland finished first and Scarborough was second.

Red Riots winners included Callie O’Brien in the 100 hurdles (17.08) and 300 hurdles (49.9), Lauren Magnuson in the 100 (13.43) and 200 (27.22), Shannon Conley in the 800 (2:23.50) and the mile (5:15.84) and their 400 (52.41) and 1,600 (4:16.25) relays.

The Red Storm got wins from Laura Volan in the two-mile (11:46.73), Mina Puig in the pole vault (9-0) and Sarah Rinaldi in the high jump (4-10) and the triple jump (31-10.25).

Cape Elizabeth finished its season battling rivals Falmouth, Greely and Waynflete at Yarmouth. The Capers boys were second to the Yachtsmen, while the girls came in fourth (Falmouth took first first).

The boys got wins from Mac Huffard in the racewalk (10:30.45), Kyle Kennedy in the mile (4:44.52), Nathan Weare in the discus (113-1) and Deven Roberts in the high jump (5-10). The girls didn’t have an event winner, but the 3,200 relay team was runner-up (11:02.61).

This coming Saturday, the Southwestern Maine Activities Association championship will be held in Scarborough. The Western Maine Conference championship meet will be contested at Lake Region.

On June 7, Scarborough and South Portland will vie for Class A state glory at Windham, while Cape Elizabeth competes at the Class B meet in Brewer.

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

Sidebar Elements


South Portland senior Cosmo Romano struggles to keep his balance after tagging out Deering’s Kevin Goldberg on a pickoff play Saturday. The Red Riots pulled away late to beat the Rams, 12-1.

Scarborough senior Ainsley Jamieson takes a shot during the Red Storm’s 8-5 home loss to Massabesic last week.

Cape Elizabeth’s Jillian Petersen competes in the mile at last week’s regular season-ending meet.

Cape Elizabeth’s Jack Tierney (second from left) and Conner Sullivan (third from left), joined by Capers coach Andy Strout, defeated Falmouth’s Russell Barnard (far right) and Matt Hutcheon (second from right), who were joined by coach Bob McCully, 6-2, 0-6, 6-4, to win the Western Maine Conference boys’ doubles championship last weekend.


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