Finally, the conference track and field meets are upon us. It’s the moment these student-athletes have been training for since Day 1.

In Wednesday's baseball game between Winslow and Waterville, the most important out each inning was the first one.

Waterville's leadoff runner reached base in three of the six innings the Panthers hit. Waterville scored in all three innings the leadoff runner reached. In the three innings the leadoff hitter recorded an out, the Panthers were shut out.

Winslow's leadoff man got on three times, and the Black Raiders scored twice.

The Panthers had the same success on Monday against Maranacook. Waterville put its leadoff hitter on in four innings. In three of those innings, the Panthers scored.

For an outfielder, little compares to running down a ball in the gap. Winthrop center fielder Tyler Cobb knows the feeling well.

Tuesday's boys tennis match between Monmouth Academy and Lisbon came down to the final match between Monmouth's Noah Bosworth and Lisbon's Nick Carville.

I saw a wild and exciting KVAC B softball game Friday afternoon. Maranacook beat Winslow 2-1 in eight innings. You hear a final score like that and you naturally think there weren't a lot of scoring chances. This game was just the opposite.

The annual Cony Invitational was held under the lights Friday — and what a day it was.

It was a crazy day at LaVerdiere Field Wednesday afternoon as Winslow hosted Oak Hill. There were four home runs (or five, depending on who was keeping score), a bizarre play in the infield, and one of the shortest rain delays on record.

Take a glance at the baseball Heal Points that came out today, and when you get to Eastern Class B, your first thought might be "Where's the KVAC?"

You have to go down to the 7th spot in the region before you find a KVAC school, Gardiner. The Tigers are the only school in the conference ranked in the top 11.

Don't sweat it, KVAC fans. Your conference hasn't fallen on hard times. It's just one of those quirks in the Heal Point system that pops up from time to time.

Many of the Penobscot Valley Conference teams that occupy the top spots in the region have played a few more games than their KVAC counterparts. Bucksport entered this week with 11 games played. Old Town has 10 games under its belt. Foxcroft Academy has already played 12 games.

More games leads to more points. The KVAC teams will catch up.

This looks like a season with no dominant teams. There are no undefeated teams in the region (Ellsworth and Gardiner each had one loss coming into the week, while four teams had dropped three games). Expect some of the KVAC teams to inch closer to the top. It's likely Gardiner won't be the only school in the conference with a home game in the first round of the tournament.

The Erskine Academy softball team dropped a 4-3 decision to Belfast Area High School on Friday in a game that featured a few unusual twists and turns — all in the third inning.

First, thanks to all of you who clicked on this after reading the high school notebook in the Morning Sentinel. Second, as promised, here's a look at some of the biggest games over the next several days:

Hall-Dale High School senior Jocelyn Tripp says she has five pitches. She really only needed one Wednesday afternoon against Mt. Abram: the heater.

In a meet Monday, hosted by Winthrop at Hall-Dale High School, three Hall-Dale High School athletes set school records.

We know from experience or just observation how much wind can affect a sporting event.

Waterville Senior High School junior Dominik Alexis is closing in on the state record in the high jump.

A few leftovers from the week of May 4 and a look ahead.

Friday was crossover day for Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A softball teams. All told, there were eight matchups between North and South Division teams.

On this day, the North had the clear edge. The northerners went 8-0, outscoring the South, 43-19.

In the fourth inning of his team's 8-6 loss at MCI on Friday, Waterville pitcher Brian Bridger made one of the most astute plays you'll see in high school baseball this season.

With a runner on first and nobody out, MCI's Chris Cook hit a high pop-up that fell in short center field, between the shortstop, second baseman and center fielder, who all converged on the ball but couldn't make a play.

The ball wasn't hit sharp enough for MCI's Matt Delaney to take off from first base immediately. He had to wait to see if the ball would be caught. When it wasn't, Delaney took off for second. Most times, he would have been safe, with both the shortstop and second baseman going after the ball and neither covering the bag.

Former Mt. View High School soccer standout Cody Zane signed a letter of intent to play his college soccer at the University of Rhode Island.

"Cody brings us depth and versatility in the midfield and defense and I can only see him getting better each time he steps on the field," URI head coach John O'Connor said in a statement released by the school.

Zane, who transferred to North Yarmouth Academy for his senior year, had 18 goals and seven assists in 64 high school games.

The Kents Hill boys beat Gould Academy for the second time this season to wrap up the Maine Association of Independent Schools Athletic Directors regular season team title on Wednesday.

The Cony softball team took advantage of four Oxford Hills errors and a few mental meltdowns to pull out an 8-4 win Wednesday.

They are facetiously celebrated as the state bird on T-shirts, their pictures are reprinted on coffee mugs and they even have ice cream named after them. We here in Maine joke about black flies, probably because there’s so little we can do about them.

The races are starting to shake out after the first couple of weeks of the high school baseball season. A few observations.

In many ways, Ian Wilson is your typical coach. He schemes. He prepares. He motivates. He loves winning.