Three out of four isn’t bad, right?
Four area softball teams hit the diamond in the Granite State on Wednesday in the opening round of the Division I playoffs.
Three survived and advanced – Windham, Salem (See story, page A9) and Pinkerton Academy. Unfortunately, Timberlane Regional was not so lucky, dropping a 9-6 decision to Bishop Guertin.
Here’s a look at Wednesday’s action:
No. 5 Pinkerton 1, No. 12 Goffstown 0
Julia Caruso got the call to the circle and performed like a grizzled veteran for the Astros. The freshman, now 4-2, worked the complete-game shutout, a one-hitter with 18 strikeouts and only four walks.
She needed to be that good as 16-3 Pinkerton managed only five this of its own.
Jenny Hiscox drove home Maddy Moore in the fourth for the game’s only run. Maddie Schoenenberger, Mollie Wheale and Caitlyn Lemay all had hits for the Astros.
Pinkerton now heads to Exeter, a 3-1 winner over Keene on Wednesday, in the state quarterfinals on Saturday.
No. 8 Windham 8, No. 9 Merrimack 3
Juniors Marin Hollingshead and Ari DeCotis each hit two-run home runs to lead the Jaguars in their first playoff excursion under head coach Brian Martin.
Junior Claire Ballard pitched a complete game with five strikeouts.
Kelly Wright, Ella Wilkins, DeCotis and Hollingshead each had multi-hit games. Anna Mitrou shined in the field with six assists.
Windham heads to top-seeded Londonderry on Saturday.
Girls Tennis
Natick 3, Haverhill 2
The Hillies made the trip down and nearly pulled off the shocker, pushing Natick to the limit.
Abby Burrill dropped the first set then stormed back to win a dramatic three-setter, 1-6, 7-6, 7-6 at No. 2 singles. Meredith Amirian was also a warrior, rallying for a 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 win at No. 3 to give the Hillies a chance.
But Natick took the doubles to move on into the round of 32.
Haverhill finishes out the rock-solid season at 8-9.
Central Catholic 5, Everett 0
The Raiders moved into the Division 1 Round of 32 with the tidy win, dropping two games total on the day.
Kayleigh Furbush, Meg Washburn and Kaya Asmar swept the singles, while the teams of Ella Gregorio-Morgan Bateman and Alessandra Sacchetti-Melina Panagiatakopoulos dominated doubles.
The No. 26 seed, Central heads to No. 7 Concord-Carlisle on Friday.
Boys Tennis
Wellesley 5, Central Catholic 0
The Raiders season ended on the road in the Division 1 Round of 32.
Arnav Lele, Jack Makiej, Michael Hamlin, Ryan Melesky, James Diamantis, Owen Bergeron and James Pelletier helped Central to a rock-solid 10-6 campaign.
Volleyball
Greater Lawrence Tech 3, Pioneer Valley 0
The Reggies rolled in the Division 2 preliminary matchup at the Tarbox Gym, 25-21, 25-22 and 25-14.
Anthony Rubim led the winners with 14 service points and 29 assists on the day. Keegan Doherty was flying high with a season-high 19 kills. Kelvince Heang added four blocks and three aces, while Aldenis Naula and Joel De La Rosa had eight digs apiece.
Greater Lawrence, now 12-8, will head to Longmeadow in the D-2 Round of 32.
Boys Lacrosse
Shawsheen 20, Whittier 11
The Wildcats hung tough, trailing by a goal at the half before falling in the State Vocational tourney semifinals.
Bodie Marcotte was all over the field doing anything he could to keep the Wildcats in it. He started on defense, played wing on the faceoffs, was a clearing machine and had four assists. Conor Walsh had one of his best games with five goals and one assist.