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The high school baseball and softball seasons hit the midpoint this week, and some clear contenders have emerged in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference.
In baseball, Staples and St. Joseph enter the week undefeated, while Westhill and St. Joseph are the only unbeatens in league play in softball. Darien and Stamford have one loss each in softball.
The Wreckers (8-0 overall, 7-0 in the FCIAC) lost several starters from last year's squad, including top pitchers David Speer and Jimmy Sikorski. The Wreckers haven't missed a beat and own key victories over Brien McMahon, Fairfield Warde and Westhill. Staples has a tough schedule this week, with away contests at Darien on Monday and Norwalk on Wednesday before finishing up at home Friday against New Canaan. The Wreckers play St. Joseph on May 13.
Pitchers Rob Gau and Bryan Terzian (both 2-0) have led a strong staff. They have outscored opponents 88-32 and have allowed two runs or less in four games.
Brien McMahon (6-2 overall, 5-2 FCIAC) appears to be a league playoff lock. Pitcher Bryan Daniello (3-0, 0.00 ERA in 21 innings) anchors the staff along with Aleko Petridis (2-0, 2.44 ERA). Daniello is also hitting a team-high .444, and Petridis is hitting .440. McMahon has stolen a state-leading 38 bases, including 11 by Petridis and nine by Daniello. McMahon has games this week against Westhill, Bassick and Warde.
Warde (6-3 overall, 5-3 FCIAC) won its first five games before entering a three-game losing streak. The Mustangs bounced back with a win over Fairfield Ludlowe last week, and play Trumbull and McMahon this week. It also looks bound for the league playoffs.
New Canaan (5-2 league) has key games this week against St. Joseph and Staples. Wilton, Darien and Norwalk each have three league losses, while Ludlowe, Greenwich and Trinity have four. Westhill and Stamford are 2-5 in the league, uncharacteristic slow starts for two of the league's perennial playoff contenders.
Westhill's softball team, the defending Class LL champions, has bolted out of the gate at 9-0. The Vikings play Brien McMahon and Bridgeport Central (which have one win between them) this week before playing Warde, Trinity Catholic and St. Joseph next week. The Vikings also have a May 13 showdown against Stamford (8-1 overall, 6-1 FCIAC), which also appears to be playoff bound.
Darien (6-1, 5-1), New Canaan (7-2, 5-2), Wilton (5-3, 5-2), Staples (6-2, 5-2) and Fairfield Warde (4-3, 3-3) also appear to be in the playoff mix. Danbury (7-1, 5-1) is also a contender. Darien plays Staples on Monday at 7 p.m. at Greens Farms Elementary School in Westport, one of several marquee matchups this week.
Which teams do you think will make the FCIAC baseball and softball playoffs? Start the discussion below!
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