Spartans face a familiar foe in D3 North sectional final

LOWELL – It’s not pre-2004 Red Sox versus Yankees, but the St. Mary’s softball team has enjoyed a considerable advantage over its rivals from Austin Prep.The fourth-seeded Spartans (19-5) hope to continue their recent dominance over the 10th-seeded Cougars when the two teams meet today (2) at Martin Field in Lowell for the Div. 3 North championship.Defending state champion St. Mary’s defeated Austin Prep, 6-2, in last year’s North final, and edged the Cougars, 5-4, in an eight-inning thriller in the 2008 sectional final. This is the Spartans’ fourth consecutive appearance in the North final, losing to North Reading in another extra-inning game in 2007.The regular season hasn’t gone much better for Austin Prep, which dropped its two meetings to St. Mary’s – 16-3 on April 22, and 7-3 on May 12. The Cougars did manage a split with the Spartans in 2009, however.Austin Prep (17-7) has breezed through its first four games of the tournament, outscoring their opposition, 54-7, thus far. The Cougars’ closest game has been a 10-2 win over Shawsheen Tech in the quarterfinals. The offense had been led by Alex Gustafson, who drove in six runs in a 13-2 win over Greater Lowell in the semifinals, freshman Kaleigh Finnigan and Abby Jamieson. Pitcher Lauren Kilp is a Catholic Central League all-star.The Spartans haven’t encountered much difficulty getting to the final, either. After a 5-0 win over Marian in the first round, St. Mary’s battered Winthrop, 20-4. Pesky Weston, the 25th-seed but the smallest school in the competitive Dual County League, gave the Spartans a little trouble, but eventually fell by a 6-1 score.St. Mary’s is seeking its second straight state title. After eliminating Austin Prep in the sectional final last season, the Spartans outlasted South champ Cohasset, 4-3, in nine innings in the state semifinal and then beat Montachusetts Tech, 8-5, to win the championship.The winner of the North final will play in the state semifinals on a date and site to be determined against either Case or Harwich, who meet for the South sectional title today at Taunton High.The state final will be held a week from today at Worcester State College.