School is out, but the playoffs are in high gear for three Messalonskee sports teams.
School is out, but the playoffs are in high gear for three Messalonskee sports teams.
Action starts tonight when the boys’ lacrosse team hosts Kennebec at 7 p.m. A day later, both the baseball team and girls’ lacrosse team will be on the road for postseason contests. Here’s the details of the three matchups.
7 p.m tonight
Boys’ Lacrosse: No. 3 Messalonskee (11-3) vs. No. 6 Kennebunk (9-5)
The Eagles are on fire. Messalonskee goes into its quarterfinal final game riding a seven-game winning streak in which they have outscored opponents 129-17. That translates into an average score of 18-1. Messalonskee and Kennebunk did not meet during the regular season. Kennebunk opened the season with eight-straight victories but, in contrast to Messalonskee, have struggled lately, losing five of their last six games.
Saturday
2 p.m. at Mansfield Stadium, Bangor
Baseball: No. 7 Messalonskee (10-7) vs. No. 3 Bangor (12-5)
Messalonskee earned a berth in this Class A North semifinal with a 11-3 thrashing of Mt. Blue. Denny Martin, who threw a perfect game through three innings, went the distance in earning the victory. But now the Eagles face Bangor, a team that beat them 7-2 in their lone meeting during the regular season.
2:30 p.m. at Mt. Ararat High School, Topsham
Girls’ lacrosse: No. 7 Messalonskee (8-7) vs. No. 2 Mt. Ararat (14-0)
Based on the regular-season records, the Eagles would seem to be a decided underdog in this Class B quarterfinal. But records can be deceptive. A closer examination of regular-season results provides a different perspective. Consider that Messalonskee qualified for the quarterfinal by beating Mt. Blue 14-6 in a preliminary match. Mt. Ararat beat Mt. Blue during the regular season but only by 14-10. Edward Little is another common opponent. Messalonskee crushed the Eddies 23-0, while Mt. Ararat won by a 16-5 margin.