MIAA Baseball: Super Eight Semifinal Preview and Pick, Sectional Final Predictions

By Matt Feld (@Mattyfeld612)

Beginning on Saturday morning, baseball teams across the Bay State will begin competing for sectional titles and Super Eight survival.

Out of the 14 sectional finals to be played this weekend, 12 will take place on Saturday with only Divisions 1 and 3 North scheduled for tomorrow at 3pm and 6pm. Also this afternoon at 1pm, Central Catholic and BC High are set to faceoff for the second time this postseason with a spot in the Super Eight Final on the line.

Here is our preview and pick for the Super Eight semifinal game from Campanelli Stadium. Continue below for our picks from all 12 sectional finals taking place later today.

No. 4 Central Catholic (18-6) vs. No. 1 BC High (18-6)

Probables: Sean Thompson – Central Catholic (3-0, 1.04 ERA); John MacDonald (5-0, 1.32 ERA)

Preview: One week after Central Catholic took down BC High, 7-4, the two will meet up again with a trip to the Super Eight Final on the line. Saturday’s game is expected to feature the exact same pitching matchup from a week ago with left-hander Sean Thompson from Central Catholic likely to oppose right-hander John MacDonald from BC High. 

In his first outing against the Eagles, Thompson lasted 3.1 innings, but held the Eagles to just three runs on four this while striking out seven. The left-hander often pitched backwards, throwing first pitch curveballs for strikes before mixing in his fastball. Dominic Keegan is 6-for-10 over the last two games with a home run and a triple while has multi-hit games in all three Super Eight contests. Central Catholic is coming off a 6-5, extra inning loss to Franklin after the Raiders won their first two Super Eight games.

MacDonald, meanwhile, turned in a quality performance in his first go-around versus the Raiders. The Babson bound MacDonald went six innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits while striking out seven. Sean O’Connell has led the BC High offense so far in the Super Eight as the junior is hitting .471 with 4 RBIs. Since falling to Central Catholic, the Eagles have won back-to-back elimination games to reach Saturday afternoon’s semifinal.

Prediction: Seeing Thompson for the second time a week, BC High benefits early and scores in the opening innings to grab an early lead. The Central Catholic offense slowly claws its way back to within striking distance, but the Eagles’ bullpen proves too much and BC High advances to play Franklin in the Super Eight Final. 

9-5, BC High

SECTIONAL FINAL PICKS 

SOUTH

Division 1

Pick: Wellesley over Needham

Division 2 

Pick: North Attleboro over Oliver Ames

Division 3 

Pick: Dedham over Falmouth

Division 4 

Pick: Seekonk over Archbishop Williams 

NORTH

Division 2

Pick: Masconomet over Beverly 

Division 4

Pick: Hamilton-Wenham over Lowell Catholic

CENTRAL

Division 1 

Pick: Leominster over St. Peter-Marian

Division 3 

Pick: Auburn over Hudson

Division 4 

Pick: Oxford over Littleton

WEST

Division 1

Pick: Pope Francis over Longmeadow

Division 3 

Pick: Taconic over Frontier 

Division 4 

Pick: Hopkins over St. Mary’s