And then there were five.

Following MIAA Round of 16 matchups, Hampshire County is down to just five teams standing in the state tournament. Each of them will be in action this weekend, with two teams on Friday, two on Saturday and one on Sunday.

Of the five teams, four sports – softball, baseball, boys tennis and girls tennis – are represented. The No. 8 Hampshire Regional and No. 10 South Hadley softball teams are alive and well and succeeding in different ways, with the Raiders relying on their mighty bats (26 runs in two games) and the Tigers leaning on junior ace Ella Schaeffer and her 33 strikeouts through two tournament games.

Similar to last year, the No. 9 Hopkins Academy baseball team is the lone warrior in Hampshire County once again. The Golden Hawks enjoyed a 15-0 drubbing of Drury to get to the Division 5 quarterfinals.

Perhaps the least surprising team in the quarterfinals is No. 2 Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School boys tennis, as the Dragons have been dominant and stand at an unblemished 18-0 in 2024.

Belchertown girls tennis is also in the mix as the No. 9 seed in Division 3 – looking to continue its deep run with an upset over the No. 1 seed in its bracket.

Here’s a look at each team’s matchup, including dates and times, as local teams look to punch their tickets to the Final Four.

Friday

Division 5 baseball quarterfinals: No. 9 Hopkins at No. 1 Georgetown, 4 p.m.

The scheduling of this year’s tournament couldn’t have worked out better for the Golden Hawks. They threw senior ace and Fordham commit Beau Elson in a Round of 32 win, then called upon veteran Liam Flynn – who had an undefeated record as a starter in the 2023 regular season – to shut down Drury in the Round of 16.

And with the game against No. 1 Georgetown taking place on Friday, Elson is eligible to throw again with no pitch-count restrictions.

Hopkins defeated No. 1 Georgetown in the same instance last spring, winning 11-9 as the No. 9 seed en route to an eventual runner-up finish in Division 5. Head coach Dan Vreeland knows his team can compete with Georgetown – he saw it a season ago. But this time, the Golden Hawks’ opponent will have some extra motivation come Friday.

A near-perfect effort is needed to repeat 2023’s upset.

“If we execute and do what we can, we’re gonna give them a competitive game and hopefully come out on top,” Vreeland said. “We gotta do the little things right, because they’re a team who does everything right.”

Division 4 boys tennis quarterfinals: No. 7 Fairhaven at No. 2 PVCICS, 4 p.m.

It’s hard to find enough adjectives to describe just how good the Dragons have been in 2024. Last year, they were 14-2, but they didn’t play the most difficult schedule – and their state tournament ranking reflected that.

Head coach Michael Locher wasn’t going to let that happen again. He loaded up PVCICS’ schedule with matches against teams like Longmeadow and Belchertown, and his team breezed through them all to earn a No. 2 ranking in the state.

The Dragons beat West Bridgewater 5-0 and Nantucket 4-1 in the first two rounds of the Division 5 tournament, and they’ll host Fairhaven eyeing a Final Four berth.

Sixth grader Lee Ferguson (second singles) has yet to lose a match this season, and Aidan Cleary is as solid as they come at first singles. PVCICS also has two very strong doubles teams, with Teddy Scott and James Scott leading the charge at No. 1 and Derek Ye and Devan Ye making noise at No. 2.

Saturday

Division 4 softball quarterfinals: No. 8 Hampshire at No. 1 Joseph Case, 2 p.m.

The postseason success the Raiders have had over the past decade-plus is truly unprecedented, and they find themselves in familiar territory again on Saturday.

Hampshire has just three seniors on this year’s team – Ashley Cortis, Teagan Charles and Hailey Wodecki – and it had only two in its state final run in 2023. Regardless of the overload in underclassmen, the Raiders always find a way to be in the mix for a championship. They fell just short in this year’s Western Mass. Class B title game, and now they get to play the team (Joseph Case) that knocked them off on the big state last spring.

They are more than ready to re-write recent history.

Wodecki said Hampshire is “coming back for revenge,” while Charles added she’s “ready for a redemption game.”

While the Raiders are underdogs in this one, they have a unique ability to win a game in many ways – which not every team can say. Hampshire not only has a freshman pitcher who’s been lights out in Ryanne Dubay, it also has an offense that can hit and hang with the best of the best.

The Raiders have done both this spring, outscoring their opponents 26-3 so far in the tournament, and will need to once more to get back to the Final Four.

Division 3 girls tennis quarterfinals: No. 9 Belchertown at No. 1 Wilmington, 10 a.m.

Belchertown was very talented a year ago, going 16-5 and making it to the Round of 16, but everything has come together this spring for the Orioles.

They returned the bulk of their lineup in 2024, and they now have a group of 10 seniors leading the charge. Belchertown has won 11 consecutive matches, including its last two over Pentucket and Watertown to jump into the Division 3 quarterfinals – the deepest run the program has made since the new format.

At first singles, senior Ava Shea has been the best player in Hampshire County all year long – a theme that has certainly continued into the state tournament. Shea won both her tournament matches 6-0, 6-0. Senior Anna Stamp provides a punch at No. 2 singles, and junior Gianna Picardi is a stealthy weapon at third singles.

The season-long stellar doubles play of Mia Corish and Emilee Chaisson (No. 1) has helped Belchertown, as has Amanda Murray and Kasey Gibbons (No. 2).

Sunday

Division 4 softball quarterfinals: No. 10 South Hadley at No. 2 Tyngsborough, 1 p.m.

Tigers head coach Junior Perez kept it simple after his South Hadley teamed knocked off No. 23 Cohasset in the Round of 32: “If Ella pitches like that, we have a chance against anybody.”

Ella Schaeffer struck out 16 against the Skippers and 17 against No. 7 Amesbury in an upset win to help the Tigers to where they’re at – a date with second-seeded Tyngsborough for a shot at the Division 4 Final Four.

South Hadley athletic director Eric Castonguay said that since he’s been at the school, his first year being in 2007, the Tigers softball program hadn’t won a playoff game. That all changed this year and South Hadley is one win away from a semifinal berth.

Senior captain Ara Powers has played through injury all year for moments like the one coming on Sunday. She and fellow seniors Erin Bullough and Jenna Bobrowski are excited for the opportunity.

“I couldn't ask for a better senior year with a more exciting, producing team,” Powers said. “It's been a challenge playing hurt, but these girls find a way to pick me up every time and keep me consistent so that I can show up for them and do my job like I know that I can.”

If Schaeffer continues to pitch the way she has, and the Tigers’ offense manages a couple of early runs to put the pressure on Tyngsborough, South Hadley has a legitimate shot to nab another huge upset in the state tournament.