Local baseball, softball, lacrosse and tennis teams scrambled to get games and matches in last week, and there was plenty of drama in the mix.

The tennis postseason is now upon us, albeit with some alterations, while baseball, softball and lacrosse have put the finishing touches on their regular years.

Here’s a glimpse:

Tennis

The Maine Principals’ Association announced last week that it was adjusting the playoff schedule. As a result, the quarterfinals will be held Friday and the semifinals Monday. The regional finals will be June 8 and states June 11, as originally scheduled.

Cape Elizabeth and Scarborough’s boys’ teams and all three local girls’ teams made the postseason.

The defending Class B champion Capers boys finished 2011 with an 11-1 mark, second to Falmouth. They’ll host No. 7 Fryeburg (7-5) in the quarterfinals. Cape Elizabeth beat the Raiders, 5-0, at home, on May 7.

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In Western A, Scarborough wound up 11-1 and placed second to Kennebunk. The Red Storm will host No. 7 Gorham (7-5). The Red Storm beat the Rams, 5-0, at home, on May 11.

South Portland’s 3-9 mark left it 10th, but only the top eight teams qualified.

On the girls’ side, in Western A, Scarborough’s 9-3 record earned it the No. 4 spot and a quarterfinal-round date with No. 5 Portland (8-4). On May 18, the Red Storm won at the Bulldogs, 3-2.

South Portland finished 5-7 and was competitive versus everybody it faced. The eighth-ranked Red Riots go to top-ranked Cheverus (12-0) in the quarters. On May 23, South Portland dropped a close 3-2 decision at the Stags.

In Western B, Cape Elizabeth is the No. 5 seed with a 7-5 mark and opens at No. 4 Lincoln Academy (9-3). The teams didn’t play this year.

The singles tournament was also affected by the weather. The Round of 48 was held Monday. The Round of 16 was Tuesday and the semifinals and championships will be contested Saturday at Bates College in Lewiston.

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Cape Elizabeth’s Matt Gilman reached the boys’ semifinals as the No. 4 seed and will meet No. 1 Patrick Ordway of Waynflete, Saturday at 9:30 a.m. John Bapst’s Bob Tom Flynn and Falmouth’s Justin Brogan are the other semifinalists.

Baseball

Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough and South Portland have all produced diamond drama in recent days.

In Western B, the Capers held off visiting York, 2-1, last Wednesday, fell at Wells, 8-4, Friday, then closed the regular season in style Tuesday night (in a game played at the Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach) with a come-from-behind 7-4 victory over rival Greely. Cape Elizabeth winds up 12-4 and while final Heal Ponts weren’t available at press time, the Capers appear guaranteed to finish first or second, meaning they’ll host the quarterfinals and if they advance, the semifinals as well.

In Western A, Scarborough and South Portland look as if they’ll square off in the quarterfinals on June 9.

The Red Storm stumbled down the stretch, dropping three of four to wind up 11-5. Scarborough lost at home to Deering (4-3) as the road team versus Bonny Eagle (7-1, in a game played at Scarborough), then, after a dramatic and interminable 6-3 (14-inning) win at Cheverus Saturday, closed Tuesday by falling, 6-1, at Portland.

The Red Riots wound up 10-6, also losing three of their last four, including a 13-9 home decision to Gorham last Thursday and a 7-3 game at Deering Monday.

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South Portland beat visiting Scarborough, 5-0, back on May 14.

Softball

South Portland’s softball team capped its first ever perfect regular season Tuesday with a 1-0 win at McAuley. The Red Riots, the defending Class A champs, have now won 25 in a row and will be the top seed for the tournament.

Prior to downing the Lions, South Portland drubbed host Cheverus (19-4, in five innings) and visiting Bonny Eagle on Senior Day (15-2, in five innings). First up in the quarterfinals for the Red Riots will be the winner of a preliminary round game between Sanford and Massabesic. South Portland handled both squads in the regular season, blanking the visiting Redskins (11-0) in the opener April 22 and holding off the visiting Mustangs (4-0) back on May 11.

Scarborough is right behind the Red Riots in the second spot after going 15-1 (losing only at South Portland). The Red Storm closed with narrow victories at Sanford (5-4) and over visiting Kennebunk (3-0) and easy wins over visiting Cheverus (13-4) and at Deering (13-0) and Bonny Eagle (7-0). Scarborough projects to meet Noble in the quarterfinals, a team the Red Storm handled easily, 16-6, at home, back on April 27.

In Western B, Cape Elizabeth is in, but still had work to do to avoid a preliminary game. The Capers, who just missed the playoffs in 2010, romped over visiting Old Orchard Beach (14-2, in five innings) last Wednesday, but fell, 13-4, at Wells Friday. At 9-6, Cape Elizabeth was seventh in the Heals entering Wednesday’s home game versus Greely. A win likely placed the Capers sixth. A loss likely meant they’d play in a preliminary round game Tuesday of next week.

Boys’ lacrosse

The defending state champion Scarborough boys’ lacrosse team looks as if it will be the top seed in Western A. The Red Storm rolled at Massabesic, 15-1, last week to improve to 10-1. Sophomore John Wheeler had six goals in that one. Scarborough closed at home versus Portland Wednesday night, in a 2010 state final rematch (and perhaps a 2011 championship game preview).

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South Portland was up to fourth in Western A with a 7-4 mark after last Wednesday’s 19-3 home win over Bonny Eagle. The Red Riots closed at home versus Kennebunk Wednesday. They project to host a quarterfinal round game June 8.

In Western B, defending champion Cape Elizabeth will be second to Falmouth. The Capers improved to 9-2 last week after wins at York (15-2) and Yarmouth (6-2, their first at the Clippers since May 24, 2002). They closed at home versus Waynflete Wednesday and could meet the Flyers again in the semifinals on June 11.

Girls’ lacrosse

On the girls’ side, defending champion Scarborough is up to its usual tricks in Western A. Last Thursday, the Red Storm held off visiting rival Kennebunk, 12-11, to essentially salt away the top seed for the playoffs. Tuesday, Scarborough won at Westbrook, 15-8, to finish 11-1. The Red Storm have a bye into the semifinals on June 11.

South Portland extended its win streak to seven last week with a breathtaking 15-14 come-from-behind win over visiting Portland in triple overtime and a 12-5 victory at Windham. The run ended Tuesday with a wild 18-17 setback at Bonny Eagle. The Red Riots finished 10-2 (tying the 2004 squad for top record) with easily their best team to date.

They’ll host No. 5 Thornton Academy (7-5) in the quarterfinals June 8. The teams didn’t play this year. The winner goes to Scarborough for the semifinals, a round South Portland has never made. The Red Riots lost to the Golden Trojans in last year’s quarterfinal round.

In Western B, Cape Elizabeth will meet Falmouth again in the semifinals. The only question at press time was if that game on June 11 will be at home or away. The Capers wound up 9-3 (their best record since 2002) after recent home victories over NYA (10-6) and Greely (9-7). Freshman Hannah Newhall had four goals and senior Anna Darling three versus the Panthers (Cape Elizabeth’s first win over NYA since May 19, 2007). Junior goalie Elin Sonesson made 10 saves.

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In the win over the Rangers, Darling and senior Paris Bethel both scored three times and Sonesson stopped nine shots. Cape Elizabeth lost at Falmouth, 11-9, on May 11. In the past two years, including the playoff game in 2010, the Capers have thrice lost at the Yachtsmen after letting leads slip away.

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

Sidebar Elements


Scarborough junior shortstop Joe Cronin can’t stop Cheverus’ Jack Bushey from stealing second during Saturday’s game. Cronin did hold the Stags at bay during a spectacular 9.1 inning, one-hit, 11-strikeout relief appearance, however, and the Red Storm rallied for a 6-3, 14-inning victory.

Cape Elizabeth junior Thomas Bottomley is slowed by Yarmouth’s Connor Ertz during the Capers’ 6-2 win Friday night.


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