Local Roundup: Upset gives Anglers home advantage

LEBANON — An upset in the New Hampshire COVID Baseball League playoffs means the Upper Valley Anglers 19Us will again have home-field advantage for this week’s semifinals.

The Anglers will play a best-of-three series with the Nashua Defenders beginning Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Lebanon High School. Upper Valley (13-9) owns the fourth seed in the eight-team tournament; the Defenders (10-11-1) are No. 8.

Upper Valley advanced to the semis with a sweep of fifth-seeded New Hampshire Prospects White last week. Sam Sacerdote (Hanover High) tossed six innings of one-hit relief in Friday’s 4-1 home win, and Brendan Walker (Woodsville) threw a complete-game two-hitter in beating NHP on Saturday in Manchester, 2-1.

The Defenders pulled off the surprise of the tournament by sweeping the top-ranked Concord Cannons, who rolled through the regular season with 17-2-1 record.

The Anglers earned a pair of 7-4 victories over the Defenders during the summer campaign, taking the home contest on July 18 and the visit to Nashua’s Bishop Guertin High School one week later. Some current Defenders were on the Nashua Post 124 team that won last year’s New Hampshire American Legion state championship.

Wednesday’s game will be played at BG, with a Thursday contest back at Lebanon High, if required. All games will be 5 p.m. starts.

No. 2 Seacoast Pirates Navy will take on the sixth-seeded Dover Greentoppers in the other NHCBL semifinal series.

AUTO RACINGJarvis wins Lafont race

CLAREMONT — Joey Jarvis prevailed from the pack to take the Cody Lafont Memorial Race for Claremont Motorsports Park’s Pure Stocks division on Friday night.

Jarvis, a former Modified champ, grabbed the lead on the seventh lap of the 35-circuit feature, holding off late challenges Dylan Adams and Alexis Aiken to take the $1,200 first prize. Joe Tetreault won his first Street Stock feature of the season, and Aaron Fellows (Late Model Sportsman), Nick Skilling (Mini Stocks) and Jeremy Blood (Six Shooters) also earned victories.

The Modifieds return to join Friday’s CMP racing card.

Horniak going strong in BRS Coupes

BRADFORD, Vt. — Jason Horniak continued his recent string of success in the Sportsman Coupe division at Bear Ridge Speedway with a feature win on Saturday night.

Horniak claimed his second victory in three weeks, with a runner-up finish in between. Jason Gray returned to the winner’s circle among the Sportsman Modifieds. Other feature victories went to Seth Carlson (Midgets), Nick Longley (Late Models), Jesse Dunham (Dirt Stockers), Jason Porter (Four Cylinders) and Granite State Mini Sprint drivers Tom Chaffee (500 ccs) and Brandon Igo (600 ccs).