LAKE COUNTY — North Central League I softball teams earned the top three seeds in the North Coast Section Division 5 playoffs that open Tuesday and Wednesday around the Redwood Empire. Clear Lake, the NCL I third-place finisher, and NCL II champion Upper Lake are part of the Division 5 postseason field.
In the Division 4 playoffs, Kelseyville (8-12) pulled down the No. 8 seed and will host Swett (14-4) of Crockett in a first-round game Tuesday at 5 p.m.
In Division 5, Clear Lake (12-9) earned the No. 3 seed and a first-round bye. Ninth-seeded Upper Lake (8-2) is home Wednesday at 5 p.m. to play No. 8 St. Vincent (8-13) of Petaluma.
Division 5
Clear Lake tied Kelseyville for fourth place in the NCL I standings this season, both teams going 7-7. St. Helena (20-4) won the league title, Fort Bragg (12-6), a Division 4 team, came in second, and Cloverdale (14-5) was third. St. Helena is the No. 1 seed in the Division 5 field and Cloverdale No. 2 followed by Clear Lake, No. 4 Head-Royce (13-3) of Oakland, No. 5 St. Bernard’s (10-13) of Eureka, No. 6 Berean Christian (5-14) of Walnut Creek, No. 7 Redwood Christian (11-11) of San Lorenzo and No. 8 St. Vincent.
Clear Lake will host the winner of the first-round game Wednesday between Berean Christian and University (San Francisco) on either Friday or Saturday in the quarterfinal round.
The Upper Lake-St. Vincent winner has the unenviable task of playing No. 1 seed St. Helena, the undefeated NCL I champion, in the quarterfinals.
St. Helena, Cloverdale, Clear Lake, Head-Royce and St. Bernard’s all have first-round byes. The only first-round games are Credo at Redwood Christian and University at Berean Christian on Tuesday, and St. Vincent at Upper Lake on Wednesday.
Semifinals are May 23-24 at the home sites of the highest surviving seeds. The championship game is May 26-27.
The Northern California playoffs are May 30, June 1 and June 3.
ake
Kelseyville meets a Swett team that finished second in the Tri-Counties Stone League behind champion De Anza of El Sobrante, a Division 3 team.
Awaiting the winner of Kelseyville-Swett is No. 1 seed Cardinal Newman (15-9) of Santa Rosa, which has a first-round bye. That quarterfinal-round game will take place either Friday or Saturday.
Other top seeds in Division 4 are No. 2 Del Norte (17-5) of Crescent City, No. 3 Salesian (13-8) of Richmond, No. 4 Fortuna (11-10), No. 5 Hoopa Valley (18-3), No. 6 Fort Bragg and No. 7 St. Patrick-St. Vincent (12-11) of Vallejo.
Cardinal Newman, Del Norte and Salesian all have first-round byes.
Quarterfinal-round action is Friday or Saturday at the home sites of the highest seeds. Semifinals are May 23-24 and the Division 4 championship game is May 26-27.
The Northern California playoffs are May 30, June 1 and June 3.
