Manchester Central
Division I 2011-2012

 We will get back to our regular Thursday Thoughts column next week but today wanted to take a quick snap-shot look at the four divisions after the first two weeks of the season.

 The Winnacunnet Warriors won their first game of the young season Wednesday with a walk-off 3-2 victory over Manchester Central at Tom Blair Field in Hampton on a comfortably warm spring afternoon.   

 After giving up two runs early to the Little Green, the Warriors defense stiffened, holding Manchester Central scoreless over the final five frames. WHS starter Brent Edmunds eventually gave way to reliever Matt Cronin, who recorded his first win on the year.

 Winnacunnet walked off with the victory when Bryan Klapes singled with runners on second and third and two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Edmunds and Klapes each recorded two hits on the day.

 The suddenly average Celtics limped toward the playoffs over the last several weeks, barely playing .500 basketball, and the Red Sox have the worst record in major league baseball. Tampa Bay's Sam Fuld, however, made some local baseball fans proud as the 29-year old Granite State product (Phillips Exeter Academy, Dover Post 8 American Legion before attending Stanford) drilled a two-run homer with a double and triple in Monday's game and played solid in the field this week.

 While Wednesday's wall of rain cancelled most high school sports hereabouts, Monday's diamond openers produced some mild surprises, notably Dover defeating St. Thomas Aquinas, Bedford upending Souhegan, and Timberlane inching past Pinkerton.

 The road to the June state finals began Monday under a mostly sunny sky and un-April-like temperatures statewide. Even a few clubs north of the Whites got to toss the ball around, despite lingering snow piles behind the outfield fences.

 Most clubs have holes to fill this spring, others face major rebuilding, while four are defending championship season in 2010. A look at a few games to watch this Friday...

 Manchester Central second baseman Sean Burke scored on a John Poissant single in the 5th inning to give The Little Green a 2-0 lead they were able to hold on to in a key win over Division rival Salem. It was the starting pitching of Chris Lekkas and the relief work of Zach Mitsopolous (who went 1 1/3 innings to earn the save) that held a Salem offense to only five hits and a single run.

 Matt Loguidice had a pair of hits for the Blue Devils while Joe Morin had his teams lone RBI.  Dan Peters pitched well in allowing only two runs on seven hits over 6 1/3 innings but it wasn't enough as Lekkas and Mitsopolous were one run better.