By Rob Potter
SULLIVAN COUNTY — The Section IX baseball and softball tournaments began yesterday and will continue through this coming weekend.
A total of five Sullivan County teams earned berths in the two tourneys.
Those teams are the Livingston Manor, Sullivan West and Tri-Valley baseball teams and the Livingston Manor and Sullivan West softball teams.
Yesterday afternoon, the Tri-Valley Bears, who are the No. 4 seed in the Class C baseball tournament, went on the road to face the top-seeded Millbrook Blazers in a semifinal game.
The winner will advance to the Class C title game, which is scheduled to be held at 4 p.m. tomorrow at Gruner Field in Lake Katrine.
In a Class D baseball semifinal yesterday afternoon, the second-seeded Livingston Manor Wildcats hosted No. 3 seed Chapel Field. The winner will play in the Class D championship game, which will be held at 4 p.m. tomorrow at SUNY New Paltz.
At 4 p.m. today, the second-seeded Sullivan West Bulldogs will host No. 7 seed Onteora in a Class B baseball opening round game. The winner will face either Marlboro or John S. Burke Catholic High School in Thursday’s semifinals.
The Sullivan West Lady Bulldogs softball team will also play a sectional game at 4 p.m. today. The fourth-seeded Lady Bulldogs will host fifth-seeded Pine Plains in an opening round contest.
The team that prevails will play at top-seeded Marlboro at 4 p.m. Thursday in a semifinal game.
The only county team which is guaranteed to play in a sectional title game is the Livingston Manor Lady Wildcats softball team.
As the only two teams in the tournament, top-seeded Manor and No. 2 seed S.S. Seward will clash for the Class D crown at 2:30 p.m. this Saturday, June 6 at Minisink Valley High School.