As the championship month of June draws closer and closer, the spring sports season is getting more interesting by the day.

Another week of drama has passed and there is much to look forward to in the days to come.

Here’s a glimpse:

Baseball

Freeport and Greely’s baseball teams are on a collision course Wednesday afternoon (see theforecaster.net/sports for game story) with the winner likely taking over the top spot in the Class B South Heal Points standings.

The Rangers improved to 11-1 and extended their win streak to five games with recent victories over visiting York (4-3) and Cape Elizabeth (11-0, in five innings) last week and at Yarmouth (2-0) Monday, avenging their lone setback of the season. Against the Wildcats, Greely let a 3-0 lead slip away, but won it when winning pitcher Zach Johnston scored on Liam Sheff’s fielder’s choice ground out. Johnston struck out 15, including the final two hitters of the game.

“(York) battled a little more than we expected, so I had to mix it up,” Johnston said. “I couldn’t just rely on one pitch. One thing wasn’t going to work. The curveball was working any time in the count, which was key. It definitely helped me get through some tough situations.”

“I think it was good for our team to be in a tight game,” said Rangers coach Derek Soule. “To feel the pressure of a tight game and overcome some mistakes.”

Ryan Kolben then no-hit the Capers, striking out seven. Mason Kelso hit a two-run home run, Max Cloutier had three hits and Johnston drove in a pair of runs. In the win over the Clippers, Johnston threw a four-hitter, striking out 14. Brooks Williams led off the top of the seventh in a scoreless game with a double off the third base bag, came home to score on Kelso’s sacrifice fly and another run scored on an error.

“We had a lot of energy coming into today and we needed it,” Williams said. “We knew we had it in us. It’s fun to play on a day like today. We had revenge on our minds. We have a lot of vengeance in us and we wanted to put it out in the field and we did that today.”

“We definitely needed a game like this,” Johnston said. “It was super fun to have to go out there every inning and battle. Whenever we lose a game, we always want to get back at them the next game.”

“I thought one team was going to cash in on an opportunity and it would be a 1-0 or a 2-0 game,” Soule added.

Greely (ranked second in Class B South at press time) welcomes Freeport for the first of two late-season meetings Wednesday, then plays host to Lake Region next Monday.

“I can’t wait to play Freeport Wednesday,” Johnston said. “It’s going to be a great game between two rivals.”

As for the Falcons, the reigning Class B South champions, they improved to 9-1 and first in Class B South after a 9-0 home victory over Poland last Wednesday. Blaine Cockburn gave up one run and fanned 11 in four innings of work and Kempton Von Glinsky-Gregoire had three hits, including a double, and drove in three runs. After playing at Greely Wednesday, Freeport goes to Cape Elizabeth Friday and hosts Yarmouth Monday.

Yarmouth, meanwhile, was 7-4 and fourth in Class B South at press time following mercy rule wins last week at Gray-New Gloucester (12-0, in five innings) and Wells (19-1, in five innings) and Monday’s 2-0 home setback to Greely. In the win over the Patriots, which produced a dose of revenge for last year’s stunning playoff upset loss, Gibby Sullivan homered twice and Sam Lowenstein and David Swift combined for the shutout. Against the Warriors, Jack McCosh had five hits, Swift added four hits and both drove in six runs, while Matt Robichaud added three hits and drove in a pair. In the loss, Liam Hickey was exceptional, striking out eight, but was the hard-luck loser as the Clippers’ red-hot offense went cold against Zach Johnston and only managed four hits.

“Zach’s probably one of the best pitchers anyone on the team has ever seen and we fought hard and didn’t back down,” Hickey said. “Coach (Marc Halsted) kept saying, ‘Stare down the beast’ and we tried to do that today. We didn’t get a win, but the loss taught us more than a win would have anyway.”

“We just made a couple more mistakes than they did,” Halsted said. “It was a fun game. It was competitive. Our kids respect their kids. It was a good high school sporting event.”

The Clippers look to bounce back Wednesday at home versus Gray-New Gloucester. After visiting Poland Friday, they go to Freeport Monday of next week.

“We have five games left,” Halsted said. “It gets late early out here. We put 35 runs on the board last week, so we know what we’re capable of offensively. When the bats are hot, we’re a fun team to watch.”

In Class A South, Falmouth bounced back from its lone loss and improved to 8-1 after victories last week at home over Noble (9-0), at Cheverus (6-1) and at home over Scarborough (4-2). Against the Knights, Eli Cowperthwaite and Brady Coyne each had three hits and an RBI, Ethan Hendry and Brennan Rumpf both drove in a pair of runs, and Dom Tracy earned the win. Tracy then stole the show at the Stags, hitting two doubles and a home run and driving in three runs, while Bennett Smith earned the victory.

“I just went up there, cleared the mind and swung as hard as I can,” Tracy said. “Guys were all buzzing on the bench, it’s a big game. We’ve had some tough games against Cheverus in my career, so nice to come out here and lay it on them thick.”

“(Dom’s) had some good practices,” Navigators coach Mike D’Andrea said. “We like what we’ve been seeing from him, he’s working hard. He’s going to have his moments at the plate this year.”

In the win over the Red Storm, Cowperthwaite went the distance, allowing three hits and striking out 11, while getting out of several jams on a sizzling day (temperature at first pitch was 86 degrees). Three of the four Falmouth runs came courtesy Scarborough errors.

“Every game we get better,” Cowperthwaite said. “We’re working hard in practice. We can win a lot of games, but it doesn’t mean anything if we’re not the best team at the end and that’s our goal.”

“We didn’t take Scarborough lightly at all,” D’Andrea said. “They have a bunch of good athletes over there. They’re well-coached, but they lacked the big hit.”

The Navigators (fifth in the Heals at press time) were at Marshwood Tuesday, welcome Gorham Thursday and Bonny Eagle Saturday, then have a showdown at reigning Class A champion South Portland Tuesday of next week.

“We can’t take anyone lightly the rest of the way,” D’Andrea said. “We just focus on how we play.”

In Class C South, the Waynflete-North Yarmouth Academy co-op squad enjoyed wins last week over visiting Old Orchard Beach (7-1) and visiting Maranacook (5-0) and losing at Sacopee Valley (9-5). In the win over the Black Bears, Payton Smith pitched a two-hitter and Daxton St. Hilaire collected three hits. Liam Slocumb had a pair of hits in the setback. Waynflete/NYA improved to 7-3 and sixth in the Heals with an 8-7 home victory over Traip Academy Monday. The squad hosts St. Dom’s Wednesday, welcomes Maine Central Institute for a doubleheader Saturday, then travels to Old Orchard Beach Monday of next week.

Softball

Freeport’s softball team fell to 6-4 after a 7-2 home loss to Poland last Wednesday. Vanessa St. Pierre hit a two-run double to give the Falcons a quick lead, but freshman pitcher Izzy George didn’t get enough support from her defense, which made five errors.

“We’ve been winning games, so it’s tough to lose,” George said. “Sometimes, we start off strong, then lose the energy.”

“Poland was undefeated and this is where we wanted to be, playing a team like that,” said Freeport coach Jason Daniel. “It’s a game we should have had. We were coming off a win over a good team in Fryeburg. We’re as good as any team in the division, but the errors hurt us today. Take away the errors and the game’s probably tied and we go to extra innings. When you make five errors, it’s hard to come back. We hit the ball well, but we have to make the plays.”

The Falcons (ranked eighth in the Class B South Heal Points standings at press time) return to action Wednesday at Greely. Freeport hosts Yarmouth Monday.

“We have some days off, then we have a tough stretch,” Daniel said. “We need to get some things together. We can’t beat ourselves.”

Greely had its losing skid hit four games after home losses last week to York (8-1) and reigning Class B champion Cape Elizabeth (22-7, in six innings). Lily Rawnsley and Haley Stewart hit home runs in the loss to the Capers. Monday, the Rangers improved to 4-8 and 13th in Class B South with a 17-11 win at Yarmouth. Greely hosts Freeport Wednesday and welcomes Lake Region Monday of next week.

Yarmouth was 0-11 and 16th in Class B South following losses at Gray-New Gloucester (14-6), at Wells (27-17, in five innings) and at home to Greely (17-11). Against the Patriots, Drea Rideout had two doubles and Emma Butsch added two hits. In the loss to the Warriors, Butsch had three hits and four RBI, but the Clippers couldn’t dig out of an early 19-1 hole. Yarmouth returns to action Wednesday at home versus Gray-New Gloucester. After visiting Poland Friday, the Clippers go to Freeport Monday of next week.

Falmouth fell to 0-10 and 15th in Class A South after recent losses to visiting Scarborough in a playoff rematch (17-3, in five innings), at reigning regional champion Biddeford (11-0, in five innings), at home to Windham (12-0, in five innings) and at Cheverus (12-2, in five innings). The Navigators host Bonny Eagle Wednesday and welcome Deering Monday of next week.

Boys’ lacrosse

Yarmouth’s reigning Class B champion boys’ lacrosse team earned a huge win last week. The Clippers went to reigning Class A champion Cape Elizabeth last Wednesday, a Capers’ squad which had won 22 straight games and handled host Yarmouth, 14-5, earlier this season, but the rematch would be a vastly different story.

The Clippers shot to a quick 5-0 lead and while the explosive Capers forged an 11-11 tie at halftime, another 5-0 run in the third period produced enough of a lead to allow Yarmouth to hold on and enjoy an inspirational 18-16 victory. Killian Marsh had six goals, Peter Psyhogeos added five and Colter Olson added four.

“That was an exciting win,” said Clippers coach Jon Miller. “Our offense is clicking and playing with confidence. We haven’t really changed much. We just pass the ball and we’re smart with our shots. We saw that Cape had played a close game against Falmouth and that got in the guys’ heads a little bit. We went into the game with nothing to lose. After the win, the boys were very excited, but I had to remind them that the season’s not over.”

Yarmouth (5-2 and first in the Class B state Heal Points standings) is back in action Wednesday at Freeport. After hosting Fryeburg Academy Friday, the Clippers visit reigning Class C champion Waynflete Monday.

“When we settle in and play loose, that translates into playing well,” Miller said. “There are some strong teams in Class B, with York (which beat Yarmouth earlier this season) at the top, but our expectation is to win the state championship. We need to score a lot of goals to win, so we’re aggressive and waste no time on offense. We just have to keep our confidence going.”

Greely, meanwhile, got its first win of the season last Wednesday, beating host Gray-New Gloucester/Poland (13-1). The Rangers then fell to 1-7 and 14th in Class B with an 8-2 home loss to NYA Saturday. Greely goes to Wells Wednesday and hosts Freeport Saturday.

In Class A, Falmouth enjoyed a 13-2 win at Portland last Wednesday, then fell to 4-3 after Saturday’s 9-5 home loss to resurgent South Portland, which is now coached by former Falmouth standout player Dan Hanley. Robby Drum scored twice and Drew Noyes made eight saves, but it wasn’t enough against the Red Riots, who built an early 5-1 lead and didn’t give it back.

“Penalties killed us today,” said Navigators coach Dave Barton. “Credit to (the Red Riots), they played well. We didn’t play very complimentary. We played great defense, then turned the ball over. We got it back, then turned it over again. I’m happy for (Dan), but I would have liked to have won.”

Falmouth (first in the Class A North Heals) was at Marshwood Tuesday.

“We’re not where we want to be, but it’s a process,” Barton said. “No question, this is a group that works its tails off. We’re not far off.”

In Class C, Freeport improved to 3-4 after wins last week at NYA (9-8, in overtime) and Morse (18-8). Max Peters played the hero versus the Panthers, while Jordan Knighton and Randall Walker each scored three goals. The Falcons (fifth in the Heals) host Yarmouth Wednesday and go to Greely Saturday.

NYA was 6-2 after a 9-8 overtime home loss to Freeport and an 8-2 win at Greely. Caleb Waterman had two goals and two assists in the setback. The Panthers (second in Class C) are home versus Lake Region Wednesday and travel to Oak Hill Saturday.

Girls’ lacrosse

On the girls’ side, Yarmouth, the reigning Class B champion, now playing in Class A, extended its win streak to three games and improved to 5-3 after defeating visiting York, 18-8, last week. Katelyn D’Appolonia scored seven times, Aine Powers added four goals and Lauren Keaney and Neena Panozzo added three apiece. The Clippers (second in the Class A North Heals at press time) are at Greely for a Class B state final rematch Wednesday, looking to avenge a loss from earlier in the season, then visit reigning Class C champion Waynflete Saturday morning (see theforecaster.net/sports for game story).

Falmouth extended its win streak to five and improved to 6-1 and first in Class A North after wins over visiting Gorham (11-6), host Scarborough (14-8) and host Oxford Hills (12-2). Against the Rams, Sloane Ginevan scored four times and Whitney Adams added three goals. In the win over the Red Storm, Ginevan had a game-high six goals. The Navigators welcome Windham in a regional final rematch Wednesday, play host to Marshwood Saturday and go to Massabesic Tuesday of next week.

In Class B, Greely continues to surge, downing visiting Waynflete (12-4) and host Fryeburg Academy (16-1) last week to make it seven wins in a row and improve to 7-1, good for first in the Heals. Against the Flyers, Lauren Dennan had five goals and Asja Kelman added four. In the win over the Raiders, Kelman and Carley Ferentz had four goals apiece. The Rangers host Yarmouth Wednesday, visit Cape Elizabeth Friday and go to Gray-New Gloucester/Poland Monday.

In Class C, Freeport, a state runner-up in 2021, was also 7-1 at press time, riding a four-game win streak after downing visiting Traip Academy (16-2), host Waynflete (6-4) and visiting Brunswick (15-7). Against the Raiders, Savannah Tracy led the way with three goals. In the win over the Flyers, in a rematch of last year’s state final, Kate Tracy had three goals and two assists and Savannah Tracy added a goal, an assist and won nine of 12 draws.

“This isn’t revenge-is-sweet just yet,” Kate Tracy said. “This was just the precursor. This is one thing, but it was a similar story last year (when we beat them in the regular season). We won’t get fooled again and we know if we play them again, they’ll be ready.”

“After seeing how prepared (the Flyers) were for states last year, we knew they’d be ready today and we knew they’d want to win just as badly,” Savannah Tracy said.

“(Waynflete’s) defense is phenomenal,” added Falcons coach Marcia Wood. “For us not being able to feed the ball in and with their big sticks there, we turned the ball over a lot. We had to adjust a little bit and move the ball and move people around. We had to hold on to the ball, so they wouldn’t capitalize on our turnovers. We talked about what worked and trying to find out where the holes were. We just had to be patient.”

Against the Dragons, Megan Driscoll scored six goals and Savannah Tracy added five. Freeport (second in the Class C state Heals) has a key game at York Wednesday, then hosts NYA Saturday (see theforecaster.net/sports for game story).

“We’re on a little bit of a roll,” Wood said. “The seniors know what they want at the end. They’re getting everyone else on board.”

NYA was 4-3 and sixth in Class C following a 20-14 home loss to York and wins at Lake Region (10-9) and Gray-New Gloucester/Poland (12-1). The Panthers visited Gardiner Tuesday, host Cape Elizabeth Thursday, play at Freeport Saturday, then return home Tuesday of next week to face Traip Academy.

Outdoor track

On the track, Freeport and NYA took part in a six-team meet last week at Traip Academy. The Falcons girls finished first, while the Panthers placed third. In the boys’ meet, won by Cape Elizabeth, Freeport was second and NYA placed third.

Greely and Yarmouth joined Lake Region, Sacopee Valley and York at Gray-New Gloucester. The Rangers won the girls’ competition, with the Clippers coming in third. In the boys’ meet, Yarmouth took first and Greely placed second.

Falmouth’s last meet came last Wednesday at Sanford, where the Navigators joined Noble and South Portland. Falmouth’s boys were second to the Red Riots. The girls came in fourth.

Tennis

Yarmouth’s boys’ tennis team, the reigning Class B champion, took a 9-0 mark into Monday’s match at Greely. The Clippers beat 13-time Class C champion Waynflete (3-2) last week, then twice downed NYA by 5-0 scores.

Yarmouth’s girls fell to 5-4 after a 5-0 loss to Greely Monday.

Greely’s girls made it six straight wins and improved to 8-1 by blanking Yarmouth, 5-0, Monday.

The Rangers boys improved to 6-1 after a 3-2 win over Waynflete last week.

Freeport’s boys improved to 7-2 after downing Lake Region (4-1) and Brunswick (3-2).

The Falcons girls were 4-5 after recent wins over York (3-2) and Lake Region (4-1).

The Falmouth girls, the reigning Class A South champions, extended their win streak to four matches and improved to 7-2 by downing Westbrook (5-0) and Windham (4-1) last week.

The Navigators boys improved to 3-5 after a 5-0 victory over Windham last week.

NYA’s girls got in the win column for the first time Monday, blanking Lake Region, 5-0, to improve to 1-7.

The Panthers boys improved to 5-4 after beating Cape Elizabeth (3-2) and Lake Region (4-1) in recent action.

Press Herald staff writer Drew Bonifant contributed to this story.

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

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