On Tuesday, June 5, four local teams are competing in the semifinals in their respective divisions. From New Hampshire, No. 11 Newport baseball will be trying to continue their Cinderella story at Southern New Hampshire University when they take on No. 2 White Mountains. The Tigers have already upset two quality baseball programs and are looking to make it a third and book their trip to the Championship game for the first time since 1993. In Vermont, Green Mountain baseball and softball are both in action in D-3 semifinal action at 4:30 p.m., with baseball owning the 2-seed and hosting No. 6 Randolph Union and softball earning the No. 1 seed and hosting No. 5 BFA-Fairfax. Windsor baseball owns the D-3 No. 1 seed, as they host No. 5 Leland and Gray on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.
No. 11 Newport vs. No. 2 White Mountains at SNHU @ 4 PM
After upsetting No. 6 Campbell in the first round and No. 3 Belmont in the quarterfinals, No. 11 Newport varsity baseball (10-6) faces a tall task Tuesday evening against No. 2 White Mountains (16-2) in the semifinals. The Tigers’ team motto this postseason has been “one time,” a quote from an inspirational scene in the movie, ‘The Little Giants.’ A positive sign for the Tigers on Tuesday is that they faced White Mountains already this season. In the second game of the year, the Tigers were on the losing side of a close 5-3 game. In the game, Newport was only able to generate three hits, but showed discipline at the plate, drawing 12 walks. The Tigers stranded an astounding number of runners in that loss, including twice with the bases loaded.
On the 5-3 loss on April 13, Newport head coach, Jon Hamel, said, “We just couldn’t get the timely hits we needed. They have two outstanding pitchers, Crane and Brown, who were both First Team All-State selections. We faced both in that second game of the season, so at least we know the challenge in front of us… both have fantastic velocity and mix up pitches well. They are both among the best in the division and are both only juniors. As far as hitting, we know they are a team who’s going to put the ball in play so we’ll have to be ready to make the plays.”
As for Newport baseball’s history, the last time the team advanced to the Finals was in 1993 and their last championship came in 1983. “I can tell you that it means so much to the boys to be in the position they are in,” said Hamel. “It’s been far too many years since Newport has won any playoff games. We’re taking each game like a one-game season. It would mean the world to them to advance to the finals. We’re happy with the season we’ve had thus far… however, we’re not content. We still have business to try to take care of, which we understand won’t be easy. The boys know, like all season, that they not only represent themselves out on the field, but also around town. They also represent their family, the school, and the community. They’ve talked a lot about wanting to make the community and town proud. They want to be a part of Newport’s rich baseball history.”
Looking forward to Tuesday’s semifinal game, Hamel said, “We are excited for the opportunity to represent Newport in the semifinals. If we want to come away with a victory, we know we’re going to have to generate our bats early due to the speed we’ll be facing. We need to have solid pitching and make the plays out in the field. It will be essential that we eliminate any mental errors and can’t afford that one bad inning in the field… A couple timely hits and maybe a bounce or two to work in our favor… I love the heart and passion they are playing with right now. Most importantly, they’re believing in themselves and playing as a cohesive unit. Hopefully we can put everything together for Tuesday’s game at SNHU.”
No. 2 Green Mountain Baseball hosts No. 6 Randolph Union @ 4:30 PM
The Chiefs of Green Mountain Union High School beat No. 10 Thetford Academy in the VT D-3 baseball quarterfinals on Friday after having a bye in the first round to advance to the semifinals against Randolph Union.
Randolph’s record is only 7-8 on the season, but they earned a six-seed in the postseason because they played a good schedule. On the year, they faced eight D-2 teams and one from D-1. Green Mountain and Randolph Union did not match up in the regular season, but they did have one common opponent in Woodstock Union. Randolph beat Woodstock 12-8 and GM beat Woodstock twice during the year in two well-fought games. “I’m expecting a very good disciplined team from Randolph,” said GM head coach, Matt McCarthy.
On who will be on the mound in Tuesday evening’s semis, McCarthy said, “As far as pitching, we have freshman Rex Hill and senior Tanner Bischofberger. I feel comfortable and have 100 percent confidence in either of them to pitch for us, and I’m sure both of them will see time on the mound tomorrow.”
“When you get to the semifinals, I think you can throw the seeds out the window,” said Coach McCarthy. “It’s four teams that on any given day can win the whole thing. It’s the team that is playing the best at the right time. You get to this point in the season… you have to minimize the physical and mental errors.”
When asked what a win would mean for Green Mountain baseball, McCarthy said, “It would be a great boost to the GM baseball program. With an eighth grader, five freshman, two sophomores, and three seniors, it has been a big accomplishment to make it this far. They’ve worked hard to get to this point in the season.”
No. 1 Green Mountain Softball hosts No. 5 BFA- Fairfax @ 4:30 PM
Chiefs softball (15-1) welcomes Bellows Free Academy- Fairfax (8-8) on Tuesday in the VT D-3 semifinals. Although BFA-Fairfax is 8-8, their record is not indicative of how good they truly are. This year, they made the move from D-2 to D-3 and still played an all D-1 and D-2 schedule except for one D-3 game. In the quarterfinals, BFA beat Leland and Gray handily, 10-0. “They are traditionally a strong team,” said GM head coach, Terry Farrell. “We will need to be at our best to advance.”
Green Mountain softball is now trying to head back to the finals for the first time since 2014, when they lost to Richford, 5-3. Prior to 2014, their last appearance in the finals was 2006, when they beat Richford for the D-3 State Title. Last year, the Chiefs lost in the semifinals to Leland and Gray, 9-8. First pitch against BFA is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
No. 1 Windsor Baseball hosts No. 5 Leland & Gray at 4:30 PM
After beating Vergennes on Friday in the quarterfinals, the one-seeded Windsor Yellow Jackets (13-4) host five-seeded Leland and Gray (12-6) in the VT D-3 semifinals on Tuesday.
Windsor head coach, Jamie Richardson, on Leland and Gray, said, “They hustle and don’t give up. They will battle, so we better be ready to play hard for 7 innings.”
On what it would mean to get past the semifinal round and head to the finals, Richardson said, “That’s easy, that would mean we are headed to Centennial Field. That’s every ballplayer’s dream each year… to play at Centennial Field.” When asked who would be on the mound for the Yellow Jackets, Richardson said, “That will either be Seth Balch or Robert Slocum. It’s Robert’s turn but Seth is on 4 days rest, so we will see come 4:30.”
“We are very excited to be hosting a semifinal game,” said coach Richardson. “Playing in front of a Windsor crowd is pretty special. They really come out and support their athletes. I can’t wait. [The game] is going to be fun.”
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