BASEBALL TOURNEY: Is Durfee primed for another playoff run?

An underachiever? A low seed primed to do some damage? A mystery team?

The tough question is how to best describe this Durfee High baseball team as the South Sectional tournament looms in the very near future.

One of six Greater Fall River teams in the sectional, the 11th-seeded Hilltoppers (11-9) will play at sixth-seeded Taunton (13-8) in a Division 1 first-round game on Thursday at 4 p.m.

Durfee returned a bevy of quality players from the team which advanced to the South Sectional semifinals a year ago. This year, Durfee has rode the sporting see-saw. Its first five losses were all by one run. Four of its 11 wins have been against Division 4 teams, with another against Tiverton, one of the smallest schools in Rhode Island.

Durfee pieced together a mid-season four-game win streak to go to 7-4. The Hilltoppers dropped their next three games.

Pitcher Ethan Ferreira (2-1) sports an almost microscopic ERA of 0.77 while Lucas Sousa  (.375), Remy Dumont (.361) and Zak Souza (19 RBIs) have helped lead an offense that sports a team batting average of .300.

The playoff foe, Taunton, defeated Durfee twice during the regular season, by scores of 6-5 and 6-2.

If Durfee gets by Taunton, it could next play against Wellesley, the team which edged Durfee in an extra-inning epic battle in last year’s Division 1 semifinals in Quincy.

Division 2

Somerset Berkley Regional played some of its best baseball at the end of the season. The ninth-seeded Raiders (11-9) will try to keep things rolling when they play at No. 8 Stoughton (10-8) in a first-round game on Saturday at 11 a.m.

Jake Meehan (.527, 21 RBIs) and Chase Stafford (6-2, 1.75 ERA, 57 strikeouts in 40 innings) jump off the SBR stat sheet.

"Raiders are a team that throws strikes, catches the ball, and gets some timely hits," coach Dennis Almeida wrote in a text. "If those three phases of the game are solid then we can do some damage in the tourney."

And if Somerset Berkley takes care of business against Stoughton, up next is a game at top-seeded North Attleborough (18-2).

Division 3

The highest seed among our local teams, sixth-seeded Diman Regional (12-6, winner of eight of its last 10 games,) has landed a first-round home game against No. 11 Dennis-Yarmouth on Friday at 4 p.m. The very possible reward for that survivor is a quarterfinal date at third-seeded Ashland (17-3).

"My thoughts are if we play error-free baseball, we can play with anyone," Diman coach Flo Lima wrote in a text. "We have to execute, period."

Daniel Perron (.440, 5 home runs, 21 RBIs, 21 runs scored) has been Diman's top player. On Ryan Viveiros (3-1), the scheduled starting pitcher against D-Y, Lima texted, "He has a plus fast ball and if he can get his breaking pitch over, he's pretty tough to hit."

No. 16 Bishop Stang (9-9) will play a preliminary-round home game against No. 17 Scituate (10-10) on Thursday at 4 p.m. The winner there plays at top-seeded Apponequet (18-2) in a first-rounder.

This is Stang’s first visit to the South Sectionals since 2012.

Division 4

Eight-seeded Case (12-8) has landed a home game, against No. 9 seed and South Coast Conference rival Bourne (12-8) on Friday at 4 p.m.

“We are a good solid team that relies on pitching and defense to be successful,” Case first-year head coach Jay Amorin wrote in a text message.

If Case advances it could face top-seeded St. John Paul II in the quarterfinals.

No. 19 Westport (9-11) plays a preliminary-round game at No. 14 Coyle and Cassidy on Thursday at 4 p.m. at Hopewell Park in Taunton.

Email Greg Sullivan at gsullivan@heraldnews.com. Follow him @GregSullivanHN.