A dozen FCIAC baseball teams head into first round of state playoffs Tuesday

The FCIAC will have 12 teams on the baseball diamond on Tuesday, May 30, as they step to the plate for the first round of the CIAC tournaments.

The conference had 13 teams in the state playoffs, but the Stamford Black Knights lost a Class LL qualifying round game to Norwich Free Academy, 4-1, on Saturday.

The St. Joseph Cadets, the No. 34 seed in Class M, won their qualifying round game at Killingly, 12-2, on Saturday and will be taking on No. 2 Tolland in another road game on Tuesday.

The New Canaan Rams (13-8) are the only FCIAC team in Class L, and they’ll host No. 10 Bristol Eastern (11-9) in the first round. With a win, the Rams would face either No. 30 Fitch at home or No. 3 Wilcox Tech on the road in Wednesday’s second round.

Ten of the 32 teams remaining in the Class LL playoffs are from the FCIAC, and six of those teams will host first round games: Westhill, Wilton, Ridgefield, Staples, Darien and Norwalk.

The Westhill Vikings (15-6) earned the league’s highest seed, as they head into the tournament as the No. 3 seed. They’ll host No. 30 Pomperaug (8-12) on Tuesday and with a win, would host another game on Wednesday.

The lone all-FCIAC clash in the first round will take place at Darien High School, where the 13th-seeded Blue Wave (13-9) hosts 20th-seeded Danbury (11-9).

The Wilton Warriors(18-4), who defeated Ridgefield, 2-1, for the FCIAC championship on Friday, will open Class L play by hosting No. 27 Shelton (9-11) in the first round.

Other first-round home games for FCIAC teams include No. 19 Conard (11-9) at No. 14 Norwalk (12-9); No. 26 Simsbury (9-10) at No. 7 Ridgefield (17-6); and No. 22 Cheshire (11-9) at No. 11 Staples (13-8).

Road trips include No. 25 Ludlowe (10-10) at No. 8 New Britain (15-5); No. 28 Greenwich (9-11) at No. 5 Fairfield Prep (16-4); and No. 23 Trumbull (11-11) at No. 10 Naugatuck (14-6).

There are three possible second-round match-ups which would features all-FCIAC teams. Victories on Tuesday would set up clashes between Trumbull and Ridgefield, Norwalk and Westhill, and Staples at Wilton.

Here are the first round games scheduled for Tuesday, May 30. All games are scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m.

Class LL Tournament

No. 30 Pomperaug at No. 3 Westhill

No. 27 Cheshire at No. 6 Wilton

No. 26 Simsbury at No. 7 Ridgefield

No. 22 Cheshire at No. 11 Staples

No. 20 Danbury at No. 13 Darien

No. 19 Conard at No. 14 Norwalk

No. 25 Ludlowe at No. 8 New Britain

No. 28 Greenwich at No. 5 Fairfield Prep

No. 23 Trumbull at No. 10 Naugatuck

Class L Tournament

No. 19 Bristol Eastern at No. 14 New Canaan

Class M Tournament

No. 34 St. Joseph at No. 2 Tolland

Wednesday, May 30 – Second Round at Higher Seeds

Saturday, June 3 – Quarterfinals at Neutral Sites

Tuesday, June 6 – Semifinals at Neutral Sites

Friday-Saturday, June 9-10 at Palmer Field, Middletown

Dean DePreta and the Westhill Vikings will host the Pomperaug Panthers in the first round of the Class LL playoffs on Tuesday, May 30. — Dave Stewart/HAN Network photo

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