With the 2011 outdoor track season over and done with (see story) and the tennis postseason is nearing its end (see story), Forecaster Country is in the midst of baseball, softball and lacrosse playoff action.

Here’s a glimpse:

Baseball

Scarborough’s and South Portland’s baseball teams squared off in a Western Class A quarterfinal round showdown Thursday afternoon.

The Red Storm finished 11-5 to earn the fourth seed, while the 10-6 Red Riots placed fifth. On May 14, host South Portland beat Scarborough, 5-0. The lone prior postseason meeting went to the Red Storm (13-6) in the 2009 semifinals.

In Western B, defending regional champion Cape Elizabeth finished third with a 12-4 mark and hosted No. 6 Falmouth (10-6) in Thursday’s quarterfinals. The teams split in the regular season, each winning on the road. The Capers triumphed, 5-2, on May 10 and the Yachtsmen won, 8-3, 10 days later. The teams’ lone prior playoff meeting came in the 2002 preliminary round (a 7-4 Cape Elizabeth win).

Looking ahead, the semifinals will be held Saturday on the fields of the highest remaining seeds. The Western B Final is Tuesday at 3 p.m., at St. Joseph’s College in Standish. The Western A Final is Wednesday of next week, also at St. Joe’s, also at 3 p.m.

Softball

As expected, defending state champion South Portland is the top seed in Western Class A softball. The Red Riots went 16-0 in the regular season and hosted No. 8 Sanford (10-7) in the quarterfinals Thursday. South Portland beat the visiting Redskins in the season opener, 11-0, way back on April 22. The teams’ last playoff meeting was in the 2004 preliminary round (a 1-0 Red Riots’ triumph).

Scarborough (15-1) earned the second seed and hosted No. 7 Noble (10-6) in the quarterfinals. The Red Storm outslugged the visiting Knights, 16-6, on April 27. The teams last met in the postseason in the 2009 quarterfinals (a 12-0, six inning win for Scarborough).

In Western B, Cape Elizabeth, which went 10-6 in the regular season to finish sixth, went to No. 3 Oak Hill (12-4) for the quarterfinals Thursday. The teams didn’t play in the regular season. The Capers beat Oak Hill, 3-0, in the quarterfinals two years ago.

Looking ahead, the semifinals will be held Saturday on the fields of the highest remaining seeds. The Western B Final is Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., at St. Joseph’s College in Standish. The Western A Final is Wednesday of next week, also at St. Joe’s, also at 7:30 p.m.

Boys’ lacrosse

South Portland’s boys’ lacrosse teams opened the playoffs Wednesday with a home quarterfinal round showdown versus Marshwood.

The Red Riots finished fourth in Western A with a 7-5 mark. The Hawks were fifth, also at 7-5. On May 21, South Portland edged visiting Marshwood, 9-8. The teams had no playoff history entering Wednesday’s game.

Defending champion Scarborough beat visiting Portland, 9-4, in the regular season finale last Wednesday, in a rematch of last year’s state game. Sophomore John Wheeler led the Red Storm with four goals and two assists.

Scarborough is the top seed in Western A with an 11-1 record and will host the South Portland-Marshwood winner Saturday in the semifinals. The Red Storm blanked the visiting Red Riots, 11-0, in the season opener, back on April 15. They didn’t face the Hawks this year. Scarborough has downed South Portland in all four prior playoff meetings, including a 10-4 decision in last year’s semifinals. The Red Storm lost both previous postseason encounters with Marshwood, 16-4, in the 2002 preliminary round and 8-6, in the 2004 quarterfinals.

In Western B, defending champion Cape Elizabeth finished second to Falmouth with a 10-2 record. The Capers host No. 3 Greely (8-4) Saturday at 3 p.m. in the semifinals. Cape Elizabeth won, 14-8, at the Rangers on May 10 and won all five previous playoff meetings, including an 11-5 regional final triumph three years ago in the most recent encounter.

Looking ahead, the regional finals are Wednesday of next week on the fields of the highest remaining seeds. The state championship games are Saturday, June 18, at Fitpzatrick Stadium.

Girls’ lacrosse

On the girls’ side, defending champion Scarborough is again the top seed in Western A after going 11-1 this spring. The Red Storm will host No. 4 South Portland (10-2) or No. 5 Thornton Academy (7-5) in Saturday’s semifinals.

The Red Riots have enjoyed their best season in program history and looked to make it to the semis for the first time when they hosted the Golden Trojans Wednesday in the quarterfinals. The teams did not play this year, Last spring, in the only other playoff meeting, Thornton Academy eliminated South Portland, 8-4, in the quarterfinals.

If the Red Riots advanced to meet Scarborough, they’d meet for the first time ever in the postseason. The neighboring schools did not play this year and haven’t met at all since a 12-8 Red Storm victory on May 16, 2005.

In Western B, Cape Elizabeth wound up 8-4 and third in the region. The Capers are at No. 2 Falmouth (7-5) in the semifinals Saturday at 3 p.m. On May 11, Cape Elizabeth lost at the Yachtsmen, 11-9. The teams met in last year’s semifinal round and host Falmouth rallied for an 11-10 victory.

Looking ahead, the regional finals are Wednesday of next week on the fields of the highest remaining seeds. The state championship games are Saturday, June 18, at Fitpzatrick Stadium.

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

Sidebar Elements

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Senior Cam Brown and the rest of the Cape Elizabeth baseball team are focused on returning to the Class B final and winning it all.

Scarborough junior Mary Scott and her teammates are primed to defend their Class A girls’ lacrosse title in the days to come.