Underdog locals head into sectional finals this weekend

As the sectional tournaments come to a close, there are few local teams left standing.
In Division 2 North baseball, the underdog No. 10 Beverly Panthers will face off against No. 1 Danvers in the final at LeLacheur Park in Lowell Saturday at 4 p.m. In the early game Saturday at LeLacheur Park, No. 6 St. Mary?s is also in an underdog position against No. 1 Austin Prep at 1 p.m. in the Division 3 North baseball final.
On Sunday at 2 p.m., the Division 2 North softball final pits No. 10 Swampscott against top-ranked Reading at Martin Field in Lowell.
Beverly (14-9) has enjoyed an offensive explosion so far in the tournament. The Panthers beat No. 7 Arlington, 15-0, in the first round, then topped No. 15 Boston Latin, 7-5, before ousting No. 3 Masconomet in the semifinals, 10-7.
Danvers (20-3) had a somewhat easier path to the final, beating No. 16 Tewksbury, 7-0, in the first round, No. 9 Belmont in the quarterfinals, 3-1, and then No. 13 Concord-Carlisle in the semifinals, 5-4. Despite two close games coming into the final, the Falcons will likely be favored over the underdog Panthers.
In Division 3 North, both Austin Prep (20-3) and St. Mary?s (17-6) earned preliminary-round byes, but they?ve have had to claw their way ever since. The No. 6 Spartans beat No. 11 Newburyport, 3-0, in the first round before upsetting No. 3 Arlington Catholic, 5-2, in the quarterfinal. In the semifinals, they beat No. 10 Whittier Tech, 4-1.
The top-ranked Cougars also had to fight for some wins, beating No. 17 Hamilton-Wenham, 4-1, in the first round, No. 9 Swampscott, 2-1, in the quarterfinals and then No. 20 Lynnfield, 4-3, in the semifinal game. St. Mary?s and Austin Prep know each other well, as the conference rivals split the season series this year. The Spartans beat Austin Prep, 2-1, on May 1 in their first meeting, while Austin Prep won on May 26, 7-3.
In Division 2 North softball, Swampscott (16-9) has been knocking off higher seeds left and right. It started in the first round, when the No. 10 Big Blue beat No. 7 Wakefield, 8-7. They then went on to upset No. 2 Marblehead, 4-3, in the quarterfinals and No. 6 Burlington, 8-7, in the semifinals.
Reading (20-3) has had a much smoother ride to the final. After beating No. 16 Dracut, 9-6, in the first round, the Rockets ousted No. 8 Danvers, 3-0, in the quarterfinals and No. 12 Tewksbury, 9-3, in the semifinals. This will be the first meeting of the teams this season.Mike Alongi can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @m_alongi.