Published: May 27, 2008 10:28 pm      

HS SOFTBALL: N-W gets defending champs, again

Niagara-Wheatfield is getting used to this. For the second consecutive season, the Falcons will host the defending Section VI Class AA champions in a pre-quarterfinal.

N-W, which topped West Seneca West a year ago, will welcome No. 10 Frontier to Fairmont Park at 4:30 p.m. Friday. The seventh-seeded Falcons feel as though they’re ready for the challenge.

“We feel real good going into sectionals,” N-W coach Eric Belter said. “For the most part we’ve peaked down the stretch as we went 6-1 in the second half of the league season. Yes, we lost five league games during the year, but they were by a total of six runs so we feel pretty confident.”

Another confident bunch is No. 5 Niagara Falls, which will host 12th-seeded West Seneca West on Friday in the pre-quarterfinals. The Falls doesn’t have an in-depth scouting report on the Indians, but it’s excited for the matchup.

“It’s nice to see a new face for a change and not have to play one of the NFL schools,” NFHS coach Beth Bullock said.

Also in Class AA, eighth-seeded North Tonawanda will host No. 9 Orchard Park at Belbas Fields in the pre-quarterfinal round.

Class A

A pair of local teams will begin play in the qualifying round of the playoffs on Thursday when 17th-seeded Lewiston-Porter visits No. 16 Lackawanna at 4:30 p.m. Starpoint, seeded 15th will host ECIC III rival Tonawanda, which is the No. 18 seed. The teams split during the regular season.

Grand Island, which is the No. 5 seed, will host No. 12 Amherst in the pre-quarterfinals on Friday.

Class B

Niagara-Orleans League champion Wilson is the fourth seed in Class B and will host N-O rival and 13th-seeded Akron at 4:30 p.m. Friday.

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Class A Qualifiers

17-Lewiston-Porter at 16-Lackawanna, 4:30 p.m.; 18-Tonawanda at 15-Starpoint, 4:30 p.m.; 19-Lake Shore at 14-Pioneer, 4:30 p.m.; 20-Springville Griffith at 13-Iroquois, 4:30 p.m.

Class AA Pre-Quarterfinals

13-Lockport at 4-Clarence, 4:30 p.m.; 12-West Seneca West at 5-Niagara Falls, 4:30 p.m.; 11-Sweet Home at 6-Hamburg, 4:30 p.m.; 10-Frontier at 7-Niagara-Wheatfield (Fairmont Park),4:30 p.m.; 9-Orchard Park at 8-North Tonawanda (Belbas Fields), 4:30 p.m.

Class A Pre-Quarterfinals

16-Lackawanna/17-Lewiston-Porter at 1-Maryvale, 4:30 p.m.; 15-Starpoint/18-Tonawanda at 2-Williamsville East, 4:30 p.m.; 14-Pioneer/19-Lake Shore at 3-West Seneca East, 4:30 p.m.; 13-Iroquois/20-Springville Griffith at 4-Depew, 4:30 p.m.; 12-Amherst at 5-Grand Island, 4:30 p.m.; 11-Dunkirk at 6-Cheektowaga, 4:30 p.m.; 10-Kenmore East at 7-Albion, 4:30 p.m.; 9-Williamsville South at 8-East Aurora, 4:30 p.m.

Class B Pre-Quarterfinals

15-Southwestern at 2-Cleveland Hill, 4:30 p.m.; 14-Alden at 3-Fredonia, 4:30 p.m.; 13-Akron at 4-Wilson, 4:30 p.m.; 12-Newfane at 5-JFK, 4:30 p.m.; 11-Gowanda at 6-Roy-Hart, 4:30 p.m.; 10-Medina at 7-Olean, 4:30 p.m.; 9-Falconer at 8-Eden, 4:30 p.m.

Class C Pre-Quarterfinals

15-Portville at 2-Frewsburg, 4:30 p.m.; 14-Silver Creek at 3-Cassadaga Valley, 4:30 p.m.; 13-Maple Grove at 4-Holland, 4:30 p.m.; 12-Franklinville at 5-Salamanca, 4:30 p.m.; 11-Allegany-Limestone at 6-Westfield, 4:30 p.m.; 10-Barker at 7-Randolph, 4:30 p.m.; 9-Chautauqua Lake at 8-Cattaraugus-Little Valley, 4:30 p.m.

Contact reporter Nate Beutel at 282-2311, ext. 2262.