South Portland shortstop Kaylee Whitten tags out a Westbrook base-stealer during Tuesday’s victory.

South Portland pitcher Mia Micucci throws a strike during the Red Riots’ 8-2 win over Westbrook in Tuesday’s Class A South preliminary round playoff game.

(Ed. Note: For the complete South Portland-Westbrook softball game story, see theforecaster.net)

The tennis tournament is down to a select few teams and the baseball, softball and lacrosse postseason is also underway.

Local teams are in the mix for titles in all sports and the next couple of weeks promise to be memorable.

Here’s an overview:

Tennis

Scarborough’s girls’ tennis team was still in the title hunt at press time. The Red Storm, seeded third in Class A South, defeated No. 6 Kennebunk (4-1) in the quarterfinals, then upset No. 2 Cheverus (4-1) in the semifinals to set up a showdown with top-ranked Falmouth (14-0), the 11-time defending champion, riding a 187-match win streak, in the regional final Thursday. The Yachtsmen won the regular season matchup, 4-1, April 24 in Scarborough.

If the Red Storm sprung the upset, they’d face Lewiston (14-0) in the state match Saturday in Lewiston.

Cape Elizabeth, seeded third in Class B South, beat No. 6 Mountain Valley (5-0) in the quarterfinals, then dropped a 3-2 decision to Greely in the semifinals to finish 11-3.

On the boys’ side, South Portland finished fourth in Class A South, but was knocked off by No. 5 Deering, 4-1, to end up with a 9-4 mark.

Baseball

Scarborough and South Portland are two of the top-ranked baseball teams in Class A South.

The Red Riots finished as the No. 1 seed for the second year in a row after going 15-1, closing with a 3-0 win at Biddeford. Noah Lewis threw a shutout and Anthony Perron had two hits.

“I was in the zone,” Lewis said. “I didn’t feel I had my best stuff, but I tried to battle and stay in there.”

“(Noah’s) really efficient,” said South Portland coach Mike Owens. “He pounds the zone. He changes speeds. The last three or four starts, he hasn’t even come close to 80 pitches.”

The Red Riots welcomed No. 9 Biddeford (9-8) Thursday in the quarterfinals. The teams split six prior playoff meetings with a 4-3 (eight-inning) South Portland victory in the 2015 Western A quarterfinals the most recent.

If the Red Riots moved on to Saturday’s semifinals, they will battle No. 4 Marshwood (11-5) or No. 12 Portland (8-9). South Portland’s lone loss came at home to the Hawks, 2-1, May 21. The Red Riots held off the visiting Bulldogs, 6-5, in 11-innings, May 11.

Scarborough finished 12-4 and third in Class A South after a 2-1 home win over Massabesic last Wednesday. Jack Clark threw a four-hitter with seven strikeouts and Nick Frink singled in the go-ahead run. The Red Storm hosted No. 6 Cheverus (10-7) in the quarterfinals Thursday. On May 9, Scarborough won, 4-0, at Cheverus. The teams split two prior playoff meetings, with the Red Storm’s 7-5 victory in a memorable 2012 Western A Final the most recent.

If Scarborough advanced to Saturday’s semifinal round, it will go to No. 2 Thornton Academy (14-2) or host No. 7 Falmouth (10-7). The Red Storm won, 8-3, in eight-innings at the Yachtsmen May 17 and fell, 5-4, at the Golden Trojans May 18.

Looking ahead, the Class A South Final is Wednesday of next week at St. Joseph’s College in Standish.

In Class B South, Cape Elizabeth finished 4-12 after a 3-2 loss at Leavitt in the finale. The Capers wound up 14th in the region, but only 11 teams qualified for the playoffs.

Softball

South Portland kicked off the softball playoffs Tuesday. The Red Riots, ranked fifth in Class A South after a 10-6 regular season, hosted No. 12 Westbrook in the Class A South preliminary round and rolled, 8-2, grabbing a 7-0 lead after two innings and never looking back. Mia Micucci earned the win, while Julia Connors, Grace Rende and Kaylee Whitten had two hits apiece and Chloe Grant and Cortney Luce each drove in a pair of runs.

“This was our first home playoff game in my four years and we were really excited,” Rende said. “We had some nerves, but that early lead allowed us to relax and Mia to relax.”

“We’re heading in the right direction,” said South Portland coach Ralph Aceto. “The kids are all buying in. The freshmen have stepped up and the seniors have come to play. I’m excited to see what’s to come the rest of this season and next. We want to be top four every year.”

The Red Riots went to No. 4 Massabesic (11-5) for the quarterfinals Thursday. On May 18, South Portland won, 13-5, at the Mustangs. The teams have played twice before in the playoffs, with the Mustangs winning both: 9-4 in the 1993 Western A quarterfinals and 3-1 in the 2015 Western A preliminary round.

If the Red Riots reach the semifinals for the first time since 2013, they’ll likely go to two-time defending champion Scarborough, the top seed.

Speaking of the Red Storm, they wrapped up the regular season 16-0 after a 10-1 home win over Massabesic last Wednesday. Mia Kelley earned the victory and Bella Dickinson hit a three-run triple. Scarborough extended its regular season win streak to 105 and its overall win streak to 56 games.

The Red Storm hosted No. 8 Bonny Eagle (10-7) in the quarterfinals Thursday. On April 18, Scarborough won the season opener, 13-3, at the Scots. The Red Storm won all three prior playoff meetings, with an 8-2 victory in the 2014 Western A semifinals the most recent.

If, as expected, Scarborough advances to Saturday’s semifinals, its foe could be Massabesic or South Portland. The Red Storm were 3-1 home winners over the Red Riots May 13 and downed the Mustangs in the regular season finale.

Scarborough and South Portland have met nine previous times in the playoffs with the Red Storm taking six. The most recent was the 2012 Western A Final, a 5-1 Red Riots’ victory.

In Class B South, Cape Elizabeth wound up 14-2 and third after a 14-0 win at Leavitt in the finale. The Capers, coming off their best regular season since going undefeated in 2014, welcomed No. 11 Gray-New Gloucester (8-9) in Thursday’s quarterfinal round. Cape Elizabeth eked out a 3-2 home win over the Patriots May 27. The Capers were 0-3 all-time against Gray-New Gloucester in the playoffs, with a 2-1 loss in the 2013 Western B semifinals the most recent.

If Cape Elizabeth advanced to Saturday’s semifinals, it would go to No. 2 Fryeburg Academy (13-3) or welcome No. 7 Lincoln Academy (8-9). The Capers fell, 2-0, at the Raiders April 26 and didn’t meet the Eagles this year. Cape Elizabeth is 1-2 all-time in the postseason against Fryeburg Academy, with a 7-1 setback in the 2009 Western B semifinals the most recent. The Capers and Lincoln Academy have no playoff history.

Looking ahead, the Class B South Final is Tuesday in Standish and the Class A South Final is Wednesday in Standish.

Boys’ lacrosse

All three local boys’ lacrosse teams had high hopes entering the postseason.

South Portland wound up with the No. 4 seed in Class A South after a 9-6 home win over Scarborough and an 18-4 victory at Cheverus to close the regular season. Cooper Mehlhorn had four goals against the Red Storm.

Tuesday, the Red Riots hosted No. 5 Gorham in the quarterfinals. On May 24, South Portland won, 21-8, at the Rams, but this one was much, much closer, as the Red Riots held on for an 11-10 victory, as David Fiorini had five goals and Mehlhorn added three.

South Portland advanced to play at top-ranked Cape Elizabeth in the semifinals Saturday.

The Capers finished 12-0 after wins at Fryeburg Academy (18-4) and at home over Greely (13-7). Benson Offit had seven goals and Finn Snyder tallied four against the Raiders. In the win over the Rangers, Sam Dresser and Nick Martin both scored four times to help Cape Elizabeth go undefeated for the first time since 2016.

The Capers beat the Red Riots, 16-7, May 18 in South Portland. The teams have no playoff history.

Scarborough finished 4-8 and seventh in Class A South after a 9-6 loss at South Portland (Jared Quintiliani had three goals). The Red Storm went to No. 2 Thornton Academy (11-1), the defending state champion for a quarterfinal round game Wednesday. Scarborough lost, 13-4, May 8 in Saco. The teams had met six previous times in the playoffs, with the Red Storm holding a 4-2 edge. The most recent encounter was a shootout in the 2017 Class A South Final, a 20-16 Scarborough win.

The Class A South Final will be Wednesday of next week on the field of the higher seed. The Class A state game is Saturday, June 15 at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland.

Girls’ lacrosse

On the girls’ side, defending Class B champion Cape Elizabeth posted a 10-2 mark after closing with wins at defending Class C champion Lake Region (10-5) and at home over Greely (12-9). Brooke Harvey and Tori McGrath both scored three goals against the Lakers. In the win over the Rangers, McGrath had five goals, while Harvey and Karli Chapin each added three.

The Capers finished second to Yarmouth in the Heals and hosted No. 10 Waynflete (6-7) in the state quarterfinals Thursday (see theforecaster.net for game story). On May 16, Cape Elizabeth beat the visiting Flyers, 13-3. The teams have played 11 previous times in the playoffs, with Waynflete holding a 9-2 edge. The most recent encounter was in 2017, a 10-6 Cape Elizabeth victory in the Class B South quarterfinals.

If the Capers advanced, they’ll host No. 3 Greely (8-4) or No. 6 Camden Hills (8-4) in the state semifinals Tuesday of next week.

The Class B state final is Friday, June 14 at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland.

In Class A South, South Portland finished fifth at 6-6 after closing with a 20-9 home loss to Cheverus. The Red Riots went to No. 4 Marshwood (6-6) Wednesday in the quarterfinal round. On April 25, South Portland fell, 15-9, in South Berwick. The Hawks had won both prior playoff meetings, with a 15-4 decision int he 2017 Class A South quarterfinals the most recent.

If the Red Riots sprung an upset, they’d be at top-ranked Kennebunk (9-3) in the semifinals Saturday. The Rams won the regular season meeting, 17-4, May 21, and have won all three previous playoff games, with last year’s 16-6 triumph in the Class A South semifinals the most recent.

The Class A South Final is Wednesday of next week on the field of the higher seed. The Class A state games is Saturday, June 15 at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

Scarborough closed with a 13-1 loss at Kennebunk and a 17-6 setback at Biddeford to wind up 1-11 and 10th in Class A South, but only seven teams qualified for the playoffs.

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