The St. Paul baseball team lost a tough NVL tournament final to Woodland in a matchup of the league’s top teams.
The Falcons now move on to their state championship defense. St. Paul is the top seed in Class S for the third straight year, and it will be looking for a third straight trip to Middletown’s Palmer Field for the state final.
The CIAC pairings were released on Friday for baseball and softball. Here’s where the locals are seeded and who their opponents are in the first round:
BASEBALL
Class M
No. 10 Holy Cross: Home vs. No. 23 Jonathan Law-Milford, Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. at Municipal Stadium
No. 13 Wolcott: Home vs. No. 20 Lewis Mills, Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
- Of note: Former Wolcott player and coach Ron Cyr returns home as head coach of Lewis Mills. Cyr is in his second season with the Spartans.
Class L
No. 8 Bristol Central: Home vs. No. 25 Daniel Hand-Madison, Tuesday at 3:15 p.m. at Muzzy Field
No. 21 Kaynor Tech: Away vs. No. 12 Torrington, Tuesday at 3:45 p.m. at Fuessenich Park
Class LL
No. 32 Kennedy: Away vs. No. 1 Newington, Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
SOFTBALL
Class L
No. 2 Bristol Central: First round bye; Home vs. winner of No. 15 Pomperaug and No. 18 Killingly, Wednesday at 4 p.m.
- Of note: The Rams already played and defeated the Panthers, 8-0, on April 14.
- Also: The Rams are looking for a return trip to the state championship game. Central was defeated by Southington in last year’s Class LL final.
No. 22 Bristol Eastern: Away vs. No. 11 Nonnewaug, Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
Class M
No. 8 Kaynor Tech: Home vs. No. 25 Lewis Mills, Tuesday at 4 p.m.
No. 19 Wolcott: Away vs. No. 14 Oxford, Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.
- Of note: The Eagles played the Wolverines during the regular season and lost, 9-5, on April 22. Oxford is coming off an NVL tournament championship where it stunned top-seeded Woodland, which had won 49 straight games. The Wolverines played that game, and their semifinal, at Wolcott’s George Babcock Softball Field.
- Also: The winner could wind up playing fellow NVL member Watertown, the No. 3 seed, in the second round on Wednesday. The Eagles split their regular season games against the Warriors. Both teams play in the NVL Iron Division.
Class S
No. 8 Holy Cross: Home vs. No. 25 Wright Tech-Stamford, Tuesday at 4 p.m.
No. 16 St. Paul: Home vs. No. 17 St. Bernard-Uncasville, Tuesday at 4 p.m.
- Of note: Winner gets No. 1 Coventry, which will be no easy task.
