SYRACUSE, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) – Section III announced their playoff schedule for softball on Sunday, May 21. Locally, 21 teams will play for the chance to lift up a sectional banner next week at Carrier Park in Syracuse.
In Class AA, only one team made the playoffs: 7-12 Rome Free Academy, who got the third seed. They will host sixth-seeded, 10-10 Baldwinsville on Thursday. This season, the Black Knights and Bees split their season series, with RFA defeating Baldwinsville 4-3 on April 28. The Bees returned the favor on May 13, shutting out RFA 9-0. The Knights also come into the playoffs having lost five of their last six games.
In Class A, both Whitesboro and New Hartford have received home games on Thursday, May 25. The Spartans await the winner of Oswego and Fulton, who will play on Tuesday, May 23 at the Accelerate Sports Complex in Whitesboro. Meanwhile, the Warriors have established their opponent: the Central Square Red Hawks, whom they will host on Thursday.
Class B has five local games between Monday and Tuesday, with everyone chasing undefeated Camden. The undefeated Blue Devils await another local matchup on Monday, where 17th-seeded Holland Patent will travel to 16th-seeded Clinton. Adirondack is also awaiting their first-round opponent, which will be decided on Monday, May 22 between Mexico and Central Valley Academy.
Utica Notre Dame will also have a day off before their next home game. They will be facing the ninth-seeded Solvay Bearcats on Tuesday at neighboring New York Mills High School.
Oneida earned the number 12 seed and will be the fourth local team to host a game. They will welcome 21st seeded Phoenix to their field on Monday, May 22.
Only two Class C teams managed to earn home games for the playoffs – seventh-seeded Westmoreland and third-seeded Cooperstown. The Hawkeyes will host Sauquoit Valley, while the Bulldogs will host tenth-seeded Cato-Meridian on Tuesday, May 23.
Among those traveling for their first-round games will be 7-10 Little Falls, who will travel to 5-13 Weedsport on Monday for the right to face second-seeded Sandy Creek. Mount Markham will travel to Thousand Islands on Thursday, while ninth-seeded Herkimer will head to Port Byron.
In Class D, all but one local team will host first-round games on Monday and Tuesday: the Hamilton Emerald Knights, who will travel to Poland on Tuesday.
The local host teams include fourth-seeded West Canada Valley, who will play host to the Belleville-Henderson Panthers on Tuesday. Morrisville-Eaton also will host a play-in game on Monday, May 22, when they welcome the 2-15 Bishop Grimes Cobras. The winner of that game will face undefeated, top-seeded Stockbridge Valley,
Oriskany is the only local Class D team to receive a bye. They await the winner between Lyme and Bishop Ludden, who will play on Monday.
The full schedule of playoff games, with dates and times, is listed below:
Softball
AA
Baldwinsville @ RFA, Thursday @ 5 PM
Semis: Saturday, TBD
Finals: Wednesday, May 31 @ 7 PM @ Carrier Park, Syracuse
A
Oswego OR Fulton @ New Hartford, Thursday @ 5 PM @ Accelerate Sports Complex
Central Square @ Whitesboro, Thursday @ 5 PM
Semis: Saturday, TBD
Finals: Tuesday, May 30 @ 5 PM @ Carrier Park, Syracuse
B
Holland Patent @ Clinton, Monday @ 5 PM
Winner plays @ Camden, Tuesday @ 5 PM
Solvay @ Notre Dame, Tuesday @ 5 PM @ NYM
Phoenix @ Oneida, Monday @ 5 PM
Winner plays @ Westhill, Tuesday @ 5 PM
Mexico @ CVA, Monday @ 5 PM
Winner plays @ Adirondack, Tuesday @ 5 PM
Semis: Saturday, TBD
Finals: Tuesday, May 30 @ 5:30 @ Carrier Park, Syracuse
C
Little Falls at Weedsport, Monday @ 5 PM
Winner plays @ Sandy Creek, Tuesday @ 5 PM
Herkimer @ Port Byron, Tuesday @ 5 PM
Cato Meridian @ Westmoreland, Tuesday @ 5 PM
Sauquoit Valley @ Cooperstown, Tuesday @ 5 PM
Mount Markham @ Thousand Islands, Tuesday @ 5 PM
Semis: Saturday, TBD
Finals: Wednesday, May 31 @ 5 PM @ Carrier Park, Syracuse
D
Bishop Grimes @ Morrisville-Eaton, Monday @ 5 PM
Winner plays @ Stockbridge Valley, Tuesday @ 5 PM
Belleville-Henderson @ West Canada Valley, Tuesday @ 5 PM
Lyme/Bishop Ludden @ Oriskany, Tuesday @ 5 PM
Hamilton @ Poland, Tuesday @ 5 PM
Semis: Saturday, TBD
Finals: Tuesday, May 30 @ 5:30 PM @ Carrier Park, Syracuse
