ADDISON COUNTY — In area softball action late last week, the Middlebury and Mount Abraham softball teams each won games to help earn high seeds, but Vergennes and Otter Valley dropped home games.
The Vermont Principals’ Association was set to release playoff pairings on Monday morning.
TIGERS
On Thursday, the Tigers thumped host Burlington, 28-1, to improve to 13-2 with their eighth straight win. More good news came in St. Albans, where the Comets knocked off Colchester, 3-2, in eight innings, leaving both those teams with a 13-3 record and helping the Tigers in the standings.
The Tigers concluded their regular season on Friday by defeating host North Country, 10-3. MUHS, unofficially according to the rankings on the VPA site, has locked down at least the No. 4 seed, and a win at NCU would have secured the Tigers the No. 3 seed. The weather forecast was uncertain, and MUHS would also be the No. 3 seed if the game was not played.
Champlain Valley and Burlington are possible first-round Tiger opponents. Essex (16-0) and Mt. Anthony (15-1) are the top two seeds.
EAGLES
Meanwhile on Thursday in Bristol, the Eagles unofficially clinched the No. 1 seed in D-II by besting visiting Spaulding, 14-6, to finish the regular season at 13-3. Winning pitcher Rachael McCormick also drove in four runs with four hits, Dani Forand and Audrey Shahan homered, and Jenna McArdle matched McCormick with four hits and four RBIs.
Rice (1-15) could be the Eagles’ first-round foe.
COMMODORES
Visiting North Country defeated VUHS, 6-1, in the Commodores’ final regular season game. Nicole Stearns had two hits for VUHS and scored the team’s run, and Tamara Aunchman took the loss. Despite the setback, at 7-9 VUHS appears to have earned the No. 8 seed in D-II. A first-round win, possibly against Woodstock, could set up a rematch with Mount Abe in the second round. The Commodores upset the Eagles during the regular season.
OTTERS
On Wednesday, visiting Springfield (12-3) topped OV, 9-2. Amy Jones doubled in a run, and Maia Edmunds poked an RBI single for OV, but Cosmo ace Jade Twombley held them to five hits and Cosmo catcher Cassidy Otis belted two home runs.
At 7-9, the Otters look to be the No. 11 seed, and depending on other results could visit Fairfax, Randolph or Milton in the first round of the D-II tournament.