Freeport’s Alexa Koenig slides into third base with a triple during Monday’s 5-5 tie against Poland.

Freeport’s boys’ tennis players stole the show at last weekend’s Western Maine Conference doubles championship, as the final proved to be an all-Falcons event. Sullivan Smith, left, and Aaron Rusiecki won the title, defeating teammates Gage King and T.J. Whelan.

Greely’s Katie Bennert races in for a shot during the Rangers’ 15-7 home win over Freeport last week.

Yarmouth’s Natalie Teare fights for the ball in traffic during the Clippers’ 17-7 home win over St. Dom’s last week.

The final regular season push is underway and local teams remain in the thick of things.

Here’s a look back at an eventful week and a glimpse at what’s to come as the month of May dwindles.

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Baseball

Greely’s baseball team remained red-hot behind a masterful pitching performance last week.

The Rangers improved to 8-2 and third in the Class B South Heal Points standings after 6-1 wins at Sacopee Valley and at home versus Gray-New Gloucester. Connor Sullivan threw a no-hitter against the Patriots, retiring the final 18 batters of the game in the process. Sullivan allowed just one walk and one hit batter and struck out six. Will Lyden drove in two runs and Will Neleski had two hits and an RBI. In the win over the Hawks, Neleski earned the win with a complete game three-hitter. He struck out 11. After playing a makeup game at Lincoln Academy Tuesday, Greely visits Lake Region Thursday, hosts Cape Elizabeth Friday, welcomes Wells Saturday, hosts Lake Region Monday, then finishes the regular season at Wells Wednesday of next week.

Freeport was 9-3 and fifth in Class B South following a 7-0 loss at Yarmouth and a 3-2 win at Morse last week. Little went right for the Falcons against the Clippers.

“We made nine errors and had 13 fly outs at the plate,” lamented Freeport coach Kyle Goodrich. “It just wasn’t our day. They beat us fair and square.”

In the win, Shea Wagner earned the victory with a complete game effort, striking out eight batters. After hosting Poland in a makeup game Tuesday, the Falcons go to Fryeburg Academy Wednesday, visit Gray-New Gloucester Friday and close at home versus Yarmouth Tuesday of next week.

Speaking of Yarmouth, the Clippers improved to 6-5 and 10th in Class B South after downing visiting Freeport (7-0), host Gray-New Gloucester (15-1, in five-innings) and host Cape Elizabeth (5-2). In the win over the Falcons, Toby Burgmaier went the distance to earn the victory.

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“I was good at mixing eye levels today and hitting my spots,” said Burgmaier. “This game will build confidence for us heading toward the playoffs.”

Aaron Belesca and Jack Romano each had three hits and Aidan Hickey hit a two-run double in the win over the Patriots. Against the Capers, Jason Lainey earned the victory, Will Dickinson hit a two-run double, Hickey had two hits and Romano doubled home a run. Yarmouth visits Wells Wednesday, hosts Fryeburg Academy Thursday, goes to St. Dom’s Saturday, travels to Freeport Tuesday and closes at home versus Lake Region in a makeup game Wednesday of next week.

In Class A South, Falmouth improved to 6-4 and 12th (12 teams make the playoffs in the region) after wins over visiting Gorham (2-1, in 12-innings), host Westbrook (13-6) and host Biddeford (8-0) and an 8-3, eight-inning home loss to Scarborough. Ike Kiely had three hits, including the walk-off game-winner, against the Rams. Sam Manganello had two hits in the loss. Against the Blue Blazes, Ike Kiely had two doubles and two triples, Brady Coyne, Sam Kidder and Garrett Tracy added three hits apiece and Manganello had a two-run double. Tracy threw a shutout to beat the Tigers and Kiely hit a two-run single, while Coyne and Gus Ford added two hits apiece. The Yachtsmen went to Cheverus Tuesday (see theforecaster.net for game story), host Bonny Eagle Thursday, welcome Sanford and Noble in a doubleheader Saturday, host Thornton Academy Monday, then close at Kennebunk Tuesday of next week.

In Class C South, the Waynflete/North Yarmouth Academy co-op team fell to 2-8 and 11th in the Heals (10 teams make the playoffs) following losses last week to visiting Buckfield (4-2) and at Richmond (7-6) and a loss Monday at Old Orchard Beach (3-1). Waynflete/NYA visits Traip Academy Friday, hosts Old Orchard Beach Saturday and closes the regular season Wednesday of next week versus Sacopee Valley.

Softball

Turning to softball, the Cheverus/NYA co-op team improved to 7-4 after wins last week at Kennebunk (11-9) and at home over Gorham (10-1). Sydney Plummer had two hits and two RBI in the victory over Gorham. The Stags (seventh in the Class A South Heals at press time) went to Massabesic Tuesday, play at Portland Wednesday (see theforecaster.net for game story), welcome Marshwood in a makeup game Thursday, host Noble Friday and finish the regular season at home versus Deering Tuesday of next week.

Falmouth dropped to 0-13 and 17th in Class A South after losing at Deering (6-5, in nine-innings), at two-time defending Class A champion Scarborough (17-0, in five-innings) and at home to Gorham (14-3). Liberty Ladd hit a triple against the Red Storm. The Yachtsmen go to Massabesic Wednesday, visit Kennebunk Thursday and close at home versus Marshwood Friday.

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In Class B South, Freeport was 5-7-1 and clung to the 11th and final playoff spot at press time after a 5-3 win at Yarmouth, a 15-0 (five-inning) setback at Morse and a 5-5 home tie versus Poland. In the victory, Alexys Langley had two hits and Alexa Koenig earned the win. Koenig had two hits against the Shipbuilders. In the tie, which was caused by rain and poor field conditions, Sarah Gray and Brook Pawlowski had two hits apiece.

“I looked at the rules and talked with both the home plate umpire and my (athletic director, Craig Sickels) and a game becomes official due to weather after five innings,” Freeport coach Jason Daniel said. “We were tied, so the game ends that way.”

The Falcons, who last made the playoffs in 2002, go to Fryeburg Academy Wednesday, visit Gray-New Gloucester Friday and close at home versus Yarmouth Tuesday of next week.

Yarmouth fell to 3-8 and 13th in Class B South after losses at home to Freeport (5-3), at Gray-New Gloucester (7-5) and at home to Cape Elizabeth (11-0). Cayte Tillotson had two hits against the Falcons. Gabby Colby-George had a pair of hits in the loss to the Patriots. The Clippers go to Wells Wednesday, host Fryeburg Academy Thursday, visit St. Dom’s Saturday, go to Freeport Tuesday, then close at home versus Lake Region Wednesday of next week.

Greely dropped to 1-11 and 14th in Class B South after losses at Sacopee Valley (5-3) and at home to Gray-New Gloucester (14-6). Courtney Rog hit a two-run double in the loss to the Hawks. After going to Lincoln Academy Tuesday, the Rangers host Wells Thursday, welcome Cape Elizabeth Friday, then close at home versus Lake Region Monday.

Boys’ lacrosse

Yarmouth’s boys’ lacrosse team topped the Class B Heals at press time at 7-2 following wins last week at Lake Region (15-5) and at home over Scarborough (11-5). In the win over the Lakers, Anders Corey and Gavin Hamm both scored four goals, Kurt Heywood added three and Michael Guertler was sensational with eight assists. Corey had four goals while Hamm added three against the Red Storm. The Clippers have an opportunity to avenge their most painful loss of the season, an overtime setback April 23, when they host undefeated Cape Elizabeth Thursday. Yarmouth is at Greely Monday, in a game pivotal for postseason seeding, then closes at home versus defending Class C champion Waynflete May 31.

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Greely was third behind Yarmouth and defending state champion Brunswick in Class B at press time. The Rangers (6-2), who last played May 11, were home with Freeport Tuesday. After visiting Kennebunk Friday and hosting Yarmouth Monday, Greely closes at Cape Elizabeth May 30.

In Class A, Falmouth snapped a three-game skid last Tuesday, handling visiting Deering, 13-1 (Macklin Williams had five goals, Iyendae St. Louis three and Reilly Tucker seven assists), but Friday, the Yachtsmen fell to 6-4 and second behind Windham in Class A North after a hard-fought, 12-9, loss at Brunswick. St. Louis had four goals, but it wasn’t enough, as Dragons coach Don Glover earned his 300th career victory at Falmouth’s expense.

“(Don’s) like a father figure to me, one of my best friends, but I wish (his 300th win) hadn’t come against us tonight,” said Yachtsmen coach Dave Barton.

Falmouth travels to Sanford Friday, then closes Tuesday at home versus defending champion Thornton Academy in a rematch of last year’s Class A state final.

In Class C, NYA was 5-3 and third in the standings following a 15-4 home win over Messalonskee last week. The Panthers are at York Wednesday, play a makeup game at Gardiner Friday, welcome Wells May 29, then close the regular season at Gray-New Gloucester May 31.

Freeport fell to 5-3 and sixth in Class C after last week’s 16-10 home loss to Waynflete. Steel Crawford scored five times in defeat. The Falcons were at Greely Tuesday, play at Westbrook Friday, host St. Dom’s Tuesday of next week, then close at York May 31.

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Girls’ lacrosse

On the girls’ side, defending Class A champion Falmouth extended its win streak to four games and improved to 8-1 Monday with a 14-7 victory at Cheverus. Caitlyn Camelio led the way with five goals. The Yachtsmen (second to Windham in the Class A North Heals) host Bonny Eagle Thursday, go to Thornton Academy Tuesday of next week, then close the regular season at home versus Massabesic in a state final rematch May 30.

In Class B, Yarmouth improved to 7-1 and first in the Heals after extending its win streak to six games last week with victories over visiting St. Dom’s (17-7), host Marshwood (14-7) and host Lake Region (15-4). Against the Saints, Annie Lowenstein led the way with five goals, Ehryn Groothoff added four and Abi Thornton finished with three.

“We’ve worked hard every day and it’s been showing,” said Lowenstein. “We knew we had to come out strong and get a lead.”

“We expected a hard challenge and at the beginning, it was,” Groothoff said. “It’s so fun this year.”

“The girls played really well today,” said Yarmouth coach Dorothy Holt. “Our youngsters have been stepping up. You can see our seniors are leading by example.”

In the win over the Hawks, Groothoff and Thornton each had four goals and Lowenstein added three. Against the Lakers, Lowenstein led the way with six goals, while Groothoff, Anna Thornton and freshman Katelyn D’Appolonia all scored twice. The Clippers go to York Wednesday, host Messalonskee Friday, play at Greely Tuesday of next week, then close at home against Waynflete May 31.

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Greely remains second behind Yarmouth in Class B at 7-2 following a 15-7 home win over Freeport and an 11-10 victory at Scarborough last week. Elsa Dean-Muncie had four goals, while Katie Bennert, Jayme Morrison and Lotti Zeirvogel all scored twice against the Falcons.

“We have an incredible variety of players,” Bennert said. “We have such a talented attack.”

“We’ve got quite a bit of depth as far as who can put the ball in the net,” said Rangers coach Becca Koelker. “I love that we don’t have to rely on one person to get it done.”

In the win over the Red Storm, Bennert, Ellie Holt and Haley Vaccarello all had two goals as Greely held on. The Rangers are at St. Dom’s Wednesday, host Yarmouth Tuesday of next week, then close at defending Class B champion Cape Elizabeth May 30.

In Class C, Freeport fell to 6-4 and third after losses last week at Greely (15-7) and at home to Gorham (13-4) and Monday at St. Dom’s (17-13). Against the Rangers, Margaret Perrotta, Savannah Tracy and Molly Whelan all had two goals, but it wasn’t enough.

“I’m not really sure what happened today,” said Falcons coach Marcia Wood. “We made too many mistakes and when you do, you’re not going to win.”

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Allison Greuel scored twice and goalie Piper Sherbert made 10 saves in the loss to the Rams. Against the Saints, Whelan had five goals.

“Unfortunately, they got a few more ahead of us and we threw the ball away too many times,” Wood said.

Freeport goes to Waynflete Thursday and closes at home versus Wells Wednesday of next week.

NYA was 5-4 and fourth in Class C entering Tuesday’s home game versus Cape Elizabeth. Last week, the Panthers fell at home to York, 16-8, and won, 17-7, at Deering. In the loss, Maggie Holt scored six times. In the victory, Natalie Farrell scored six times and Helen Hamblett had seven assists. NYA visits Wells Friday and closes at Fryeburg Academy May 31.

Outdoor track

Last Wednesday, Falmouth’s outdoor track teams took part in a four-team meet at Bonny Eagle. The girls were second to the hosts, while the boys’ squad placed third (Windham was first).

Falmouth then took part in the regular season-ending Cumberland County Championship meet in South Portland Friday.

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Scarborough was first on the boys’ side, while Falmouth was runner-up.

In the girls’ meet, won by Gorham, the Yachtsmen finished seventh.

Yarmouth was the host site Friday for a regular season-ending meet, which also included Freeport, Greely, NYA and Cape Elizabeth.

The Clippers boys were first, while the Rangers came in second, the Panthers fourth and the Falcons fifth.

Greely won the girls’ competition, with Freeport placing runner-up, Yarmouth fourth and NYA fifth.

The Southwestern Maine Activities Association championship meet will be held Saturday in Falmouth, while the Western Maine Conference championship meet is the same day in Naples.

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State meets are Saturday, June 1.

Tennis

The team tennis regular season was coming to a close at press time, while the singles tournament will be held Friday, Saturday and Monday in Lewiston.

Defending champion Nick Forester of Falmouth is ranked first in the boys’ singles field. Greely’s Leif Boddie is seeded fifth and Clay Canterbury of Freeport is ranked sixth.

Falmouth’s Meredith Kelley is ranked fourth in the girls’ competition.

Falmouth’s girls’ team, the 11-time defending state champion, improved to 11-0 Monday with a 4-1 win over Cheverus. The Yachtsmen were at Sanford Tuesday to close the regular season and will be the top seed in the Class A South tournament again.

Falmouth’s boys improved to 11-0 and have sewn up the top seed in Class A South after recent 3-2 wins over Gorham and Kennebunk, a 4-1 victory over Deering and Monday’s 4-1 win over Cheverus. The Yachtsmen closed the regular season Tuesday at home versus Sanford.

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Defending Class B South boys’ champion Freeport blanked Cape Elizabeth (5-0) and beat Greely (4-1) last week to improve to 9-1 and first in the Heals. The Falcons were home with NYA Tuesday and close the regular season Wednesday at York.

Freeport’s girls were 4-6 and eighth in Class B South (where eight teams qualify for the playoffs) following wins over St. Dom’s (3-2) and Lake Region (5-0) and losses to Cape Elizabeth (5-0) and Greely (5-0). The Falcons finish Wednesday at Yarmouth.

Greely’s girls improved to 9-1 last week after beating Waynflete and NYA by 4-1 scores and Freeport by a 5-0 margin. The Rangers (second behind Lincoln Academy in Class B South) were home versus St. Dom’s Tuesday and close Wednesday at home against Lake Region.

Greely’s boys finished 7-5 after losses to Freeport (4-1) and Yarmouth (5-0). The Rangers posted their best record in a decade will be in the playoffs for the first time since 2015. They’ll likely be the No. 4 seed in Class B South.

NYA’s girls were 6-5 and sixth in Class C South after 4-1 losses to Waynflete and Greely and a 5-0 setback at Cape Elizabeth.

The NYA boys fell to 5-6 after losses last week at Greely (3-2) and Yarmouth (5-0). The Panthers (sixth in Class C South) closed at Freeport Tuesday.

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Yarmouth’s boys improved to 10-1 and extended its their win streak to six after recent victories over NYA (5-0), York (5-0), Cape Elizabeth (4-1) and Greely (5-0). The Clippers (second to Freeport in Class B South) closed at 11-time Class C champion Waynflete Tuesday.

Yarmouth’s girls fell to 3-6 and ninth in Class B South after losses at York (4-1) and Cape Elizabeth (5-0). The Clippers hosted Waynflete Tuesday and close at home versus Freeport Wednesday.

Also last week, Falmouth’s Emma Cohen and Nina Woodbury won the SMAA girls’ doubles championship, defeating Scarborough’s Amelia Hardy and Mayne Gwyer, 3-6, 6-2, retired.

Times Record staff writers Bob Conn and Eric Maxim and Sun Journal staff writer Nathan Fournier contributed to this story.

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


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