Baseball pairings set

The NHIAA released the first-round matchups for the high school baseball tournaments, which are scheduled to begin on Thursday.

Eight local teams will participate, and while there are some interesting first-round matchups, its the games that could be played in the later rounds that are most intriguing.

Class L

With Nashua North (16-3) and Nashua South (12-7) on opposite sides of the bracket, the possibility for an All-Gate City Class L championship game is there, but it’s a long way off.

North earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament, and will get to host No. 16 Manchester Central (7-12) at 4 p.m. on Thursday. The Titans clobbered the Little Green during the regular season, beating them 10-1 on April 28. The winner will get to face either No. 8 Trinity (10-9) or No. 9 Spaulding (10-9) in the quarterfinals.

Also in that half of the bracket, No. 4 Salem (12-7) will host No. 13 Exeter (9-10), while No. 5 Manchester Memorial (12-7) takes on No. 12 Timberlane (9-10) in the first round.

South is the sixth seed and will get to host No. 11 Alvirne (9-10) on Thursday at 4 p.m. The Panthers beat the Broncos earlier this season in Nashua, winning 6-5 on May 21. The winner will take on the winner of No. 3 Londonderry (14-5) or No. 14 Concord (8-11).

Finishing out the bracket, No. 2 Goffstown (16-4) will take on No. 15 Pinkerton Academy (8-11) and No. 7 Keene (12-8), the defending champion, will host No. 10 Dover (9-10).

Class I

Portsmouth (16-0) will carry its 59-game winning streak into the playoffs. The top-seeded Clippers take on No. 16 Oyster River  (7-9) in the first round.

The winner will face either No. 8 Hollis/Brookline (9-7) or No. 9 Kennett (9-7). Those two will meet for the first time this season at 4 p.m. on Thursday in Hollis.

If the Cavaliers and Clippers both advance, it will set up the same scenario from the 2007 Class I tournament, when the eighth-seeded Cavs knocked off the top-seeded Clippers on the way to the title. That was also the last time Portsmouth has lost a game.

Souhegan (13-3) is the fifth seed and will host No. 12 Merrimack Valley (8-8) at 4 p.m. on Thursday in Amherst. The winner there will advance to face either No. 4 Con-Val (12-4) or No. 13 Kearsarge (8-8).

No. 7 Bedford (10-6) will host its first tournament game, taking on No. 10 Bishop Brady at 4 p.m. on Thursday. Whoever wins that game will face either No. 2 St. Thomas (13-3) or No. 15 Bow (6-10) in the quarterfinals.

No. 3 Lebanon (15-1) takes on No. 14 Coe-Brown (8-8) while No. 6 Pembroke (9-7) hosts No. 11 Hanover (10-6) in the first round.

Class M

After finishing the regular season with an 11-5 record, Campbell will be the fifth seed when the tournament starts on Thursday. The Cougars will host No. 12 Sanborn (9-8) at 4 p.m. in Litchfield. The teams split two games this season, with Sanborn winning the season-opener on April 12, 5-4, and Campbell taking a 6-2 win on May 13.

The winner will face either No. 4 Fall Mountain (12-4) or No. 13 Belmont (8-8) in the quarterfinals.

Somersworth went 16-0 to earn the top seed, and it will host No. 16 Stevens (6-11). The winner will take on No. 8 Mascenic (11-6) or No. 9 Franklin (10-6).

On the bottom part of the bracket, No. 2 Winnisquam (15-2) host No. 15 Conant (6-10) while No. 7 Berlin (11-5) takes on No. 10 Inter-Lakes (10-6). Hopkinton (14-3) is the third seed and will face No. 14 Prospect Mountain (7-9) and No. 6 Farmington (11-5) will host No. 11 Mascoma Valley (9-7).

Class S

Despite winning just three games this year, Wilton-Lyndeborough is in the Class S tournament. The Warriors (3-12) are the No. 15 seed and will face No. 2 Pittsfield (13-3) at 4 p.m. on Thursday. The teams split two games this season, as Pittsfield won at WLC 8-3 on April 19, and the Warriors won on the road 5-2 on May 17.

The winner will face either No. 7 Sunapee (10-6) or No. 10 Woodsville (9-7) in the quarterfinals.

The rest of the bottom part of the bracket has No. 3 Lisbon (12-3) facing No. 14 Lin-Wood (4-12) and No. 6 Portsmouth Christian (9-5) hosting No. 11 Derryfield (8-8).

Pittsburg, last year’s champion, is the No. 1 seed after finishing with a 15-1 record, and will host No. 16 Moultonborough (3-13) in the first round. The winner will get either No. 8 Gorham (11-7) or No. 9 Littleton (9-7).

No. 4 Hinsdale (11-4) hosts No. 13 Profile (6-10) while No. 5 Newmarket (11-5) takes on No. 12 Colebrook (7-9).