As division races heat up and teams head into the heart of the spring regular-season schedule, here are some of the cant-miss matchups on the local sports calendar this week.
BASEBALL
Boiling Springs at Big Spring (Monday, 4:30 p.m.): The Battle of the Springs rivalry takes its turn on the diamond in Newville. The Bubblers and Bulldogs are still finding their legs a month into the season, sporting 3-2 and 4-5 records. Bubbletown swept last season’s series with 5-4 and 8-3 victories.
East Pennsboro at Camp Hill (Monday, 4:30 p.m.): The Panthers and Lions have put on some show-stopping performances over the past few seasons. Their first meeting of two this spring goes down in Camp Hill, with both teams looking to improve their standing in the Mid-Penn Capital Division race.
SOFTBALL
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Trinity at East Pennsboro (Wednesday, 4:30 p.m.): The Shamrocks and Panthers face off for their second of two regular-season Mid-Penn Capital meetings. The Shamrocks (4-2, 2-0 Capital) took a 12-11 decision over the Panthers (3-2, 2-1) when the teams met in Camp Hill March 26.
Cumberland Valley at Chambersburg (Thursday, 4:15 p.m.): After picking up wins over defending Class 5A state champion Northern and rival Central Dauphin, the latter a no-hitter, the Eagles (6-0, 3-0 Commonwealth) look to maintain the momentum in a new week that includes a trip to face the Trojans (3-0, 1-0), who earned a split in last year’s two-game regular-season series.
Big Spring Tournament (Saturday, 9 a.m.): Shippensburg and the host of Bulldogs are part of an eight-team field that features entries from the Mid-Penn, the Lancaster-Lebanon League and the York-Adams league. Chambersburg and Central York reached last year’s title game that was cancelled due to rain.
BOYS LACROSSE
Hempfield at Cumberland Valley (Saturday, 11 a.m.): The Black Knights make the trip from Landisville for an intriguing nonleague matchup at Eagle View Field. The showdown will be the Eagles’ second nonconference game of the season. They went toe-to-toe with Susquehannock in a 12-10 loss April 6.
GIRLS LACROSSE
Central Dauphin at Cumberland Valley (Tuesday, 6 p.m.): The Rams (5-3) and Eagles (6-3) are evenly matched heading into Tuesday’s tussle. CV has surged to four wins across its last five games while CD aims to get back on track after dropping three of its last five.
BOYS TENNIS
Carlisle at Cumberland Valley (Tuesday, 4 p.m.): The Cumberland County rivals clash in a Mid-Penn Commonwealth match rescheduled from earlier in the season due to weather. The Thundering Herd (7-3, 4-2 Commonwealth) have won three of their previous four matches while the Eagles (6-3, 3-1) have won five in a row after a string of three straight losses.
TRACK AND FIELD
CD East, Central Dauphin, Harrisburg at Cumberland Valley (Thursday, 4 p.m.): Almost half of the Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division is set to compete at Cumberland Valley, where the Eagles are coming off a dual-meet sweep of Mifflin County and a solid performance at Saturday’s Coatesville Invitational.
Jack Roddick Invitational at Shippensburg University (Saturday, 9 a.m.): The 97th installment of the Shippensburg Invitational brings some of the state’s top performers to the site of the District 3 and PIAA championships.
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Mechanicsburg at Red Land (Monday, 5 p.m.): The Wildcats visit Lewisberry in Keystone action, angling to outflank a Red Land outfit that’s off to a 6-3 start. Mechanicsburg, meanwhile, looks to break .500 after opening the year at 3-4.
Carlisle at State College (Thursday, 6:30 p.m.): After defending its home court March 25 with a 3-1 win, Carlisle hikes up to State College Thursday for a Commonwealth rematch. The Herd started the season with seven straight victories before suffering their first setback Wednesday against Central Dauphin (3-1).
Carlisle needed five sets to outlast Cumberland Valley 3-2 Monday, but it was worth it, as the Herd earned their first rivalry win in 10 years.