Playoff Preview: Softball

Randomizer or not, Concord High School softball coach Duke Sawyer was confident in his team’s ability to get the job done from whatever spot they were slotted in the 2021 New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association Division I Open Tournament.

“Not everyone is happy with it,” said Sawyer of the open tournament format and randomized pairings, “but it’s the deck we’ve all been dealt. There’s nothing anyone could really do about it. You find out where and when you’re scheduled to play and you go with it.”

It just so happens that the Crimson Tide, who went 13-2 during a regular season in which records meant nothing for tourney seeding, will begin this week’s postseason exactly where they should, with a first-round bye and home field through the quarterfinals in Region 1 of the Division I bracket.

“For us personally, it turned out well,” Sawyer said. “It really didn’t matter though. We weren’t going to worry or stress about it. We just want to get the tournament started. You tell us to play this team or that team and we’ll go.”

With the No. 1 spot in Region 1, Concord hosts a preliminary-round game on Wednesday. Sawyer’s squad will face the winner of Manchester Memorial and Keene, the latter a victim of the randomizer. Instead of sitting in the second spot, Keene is Team Five and will travel to Manchester on Monday for a first round road game with Memorial.

Team 2, Bedford, gets a bye until Wednesday, and hosts the winner of the May 31 matchup of No. 6 Goffstown at No. 3 Manchester Central.

In Region 2, Bishop Guertin appears to be the team out of place in the pairings. The Cardinals, who had the second-best regular season of this group ended up in the Team 4 slot. They’ll host Team 5, Nashua North, on May 31, but if they advance to the prelims it’s against Team 1, Merrimack on June 2. Team 3, Alvirne, visits Team 2, Nashua South, in Region 2’s other prelim on June 2.

Winnacunnet holds home field through the quarterfinals in Region 3, the one Division I group with every team slotting into position exactly how it should. Not that it really matters to Warriors coach Dennis Bruce.

“I’m happy with the draw,” Bruce said. “I think our grouping ended up correct with the random, but I also think we would have been ready to play anywhere or anyone.”

Winnacunnet will sit and watch the May 31 opening round matchup between Portsmouth and Dover to determine which team it will host in the prelims on June 2, while Spaulding visits Exeter in that day’s other Region 3 prelim contest.

Region 4 has powerhouse Salem on the road at Timberlane in a June 2 prelim, while Londonderry awaits the winner of the May 31 first round matchup of Windham at Pinkerton Academy.

Division II

Oyster River, Coe-Brown Northwood and Stevens were the top three teams in regular season action. The reward? Stevens gets to host a first round game with Bow on May 31. Oyster River and Coe-Brown are in the same grouping, and already locked in for prelim contests on June 2.

In Region 1, Oyster River hosts Sanborn, while Coe-Brown visits Pembroke Academy. The winners will face off in the quarterfinals on Saturday, June 5.

Region 2 kicks off with Kennett at Kingswood on May 31. The winner will visit Plymouth for a June 2 prelim. The other prelim matchup is already set, as Merrimack Valley hosts Laconia on June 2.

Hollis Brookline has home field through the quarterfinals in Region 3. The Cavaliers will host the winner of Pelham and Souhegan on June 2. Pelham and Souhegan open the Region 3 playoffs on May 31 in Amherst. The other prelim of the group is already set, as Manchester West travels to Milford on June 2.

Stevens will get things started in Region 4 by hosting Bow in a night game on May 31. The winner reaches the June 2 prelims and a road trip to Peterborough where Team 1, ConVal awaits. Hanover is at John Stark in the region’s other prelim matchup.

Division III

Newport, Hopkinton, Belmont and Raymond were all randomized into home field through the quarterfinals in Division III. However, the biggest story might just be with a team hosting a first round game.

According to coach Ray Petterson, Lebanon is gaining confidence every week after snapping the program’s 44-game losing streak. The Raiders finished with four wins, two versus Fall Mountain – including the team’s first win since 2017 – and a pair of wins over Hanover to close out the regular season schedule.

“The positivity and confidence continues to build in these girls,” Pettersen said. “We’re not going out there thinking how are we going to lose this one, we’re working hard every pitch, every at bat and believing that we can win any game we’re in.”

Lebanon hosts Mascoma May 31, for a chance to visit Fall Mountain in the prelims on June 2.

Newport earned the bye on the other side of the Region 1. On June 2, the Tigers will host the winner of May 31’s first-round, Monadnock-at-Kearsarge meeting.

Region 2 has Hopkinton and Bishop Brady waiting to host June 2 prelims. The former will face Hillsboro-Deering or Trinity after their May 31 first round matchup in Manchester. Brady will host the winner of Conant and Mascenic, who square off May 31 in New Ipswich.

Region 3 kicks off with Newfound at Berlin on May 31. The winner visits Belmont in the prelims on June 2. The other prelim is set with Winnisquam visiting White Mountain on June 2.

In May 31 first-round action for Region 4, it’s Gilford at Somersworth and Campbell at St. Thomas. The Gilford-Somersworth winner will visit Raymond on June 2, while the Campbell-St. Thomas winner travels to Alton for a matchup with Prospect Mountain that same day.

Division IV

Division IV is all over the place after randomization. Of the top four regular-season performers – Woodsville, Sunapee, Epping and Profile – only one is guaranteed home field through the quarterfinals.

Epping was slotted at Team 1 in Region 1. The Blue Devils will host Newmarket in the prelims on June 2, while Portsmouth Christian hosts Farmington in the region’s other prelim the same day.

In Region 2, the June 2 prelims consist of Sunapee at Wilton-Lyndeborough and Franklin at Hinsdale.

Moultonborough has home field in Region 3 and will host a prelim on June 2. The Panthers face the winner of Woodsville at Lisbon. The region’s other June 2 prelim is set with Lin-Wood visiting Profile.

Pittsburg-Cannan at Colebrook kicks off Region 4 action on May 31. The winner will visit Groveton on June 2, while Littleton hosts Gorham in the days other prelim.