The grass is greening, the outfields are finally pond-free, the base lines are being chalked, and the starting lineups set. Spring baseball is about to begin, and every team is even at 0-0. It's time to Play Ball in New Hampshire. The following is a look at Division 1 high school baseball:

 Pre-season favorite Londonderry got 6 strong innings out of #2 starter Geoff Fisher and a big day at the plate from catcher Dan Kinnon as the Lancers avoided an 0-2 start with a 8-4 win over the Blue Devils.

 The semifinals in this spring's NHIAA baseball tourney are set for this Tuesday and Wednesday, and some compelling match-ups are on the menu. 2009 Class L champion Keene remains in the mix in the state's top division, and Class I Portsmouth will try to extend its 61-game winning streak when it meets Con Val.

 In Class S, Pittsburg, with the Chase brothers and a strong supporting cast, is looking at a championship game berth and a second state title in two years.

 The following is a quick look at the games:   

Class L

 Tuesday's semifinal match-ups include one game between rivals that met in last year's playoffs, and a #1 vs. #4 contest between two clubs that already met once the regular season.

 (1)   Nashua North vs. (4) Salem

 This interesting contest features two southern NH teams that know each other well.

 #1 seed Nashua North defeated #16 Manchester Central 8-5 last week and #9 Spaulding on Saturday to reach the semis. The best team in the regular season with an 18-3 record, North has won 15 straight, including the playoffs.

 Saturday North defeated Spaulding 3-2. North's win over Central in Thursday's first round returned a favor; Central defeated North in last year's first round.

 Salem, meanwhile, defeated #13 Exeter in a pitcher's duel Thursday, 2-1, then took care of Timberlane, the #12 seed, Saturday 7-5 to reach Class L's Final Four. Both clubs have a balance of offense and defense, and a mix of youth and experience. They met once this year; Salem beat North during the regular season, 8-5, on April 19.

 Often there comes a point in a long season when a team at the crossroads faces its demons, and finds a spirit that turns a potentially disastrous season into a great one. That happened to Winnisquam High and Portsmouth Christian Academy this spring, sometime in late April.

 Portsmouth Christian opened the spring without a win in two weeks.

“After we started out 0-3 I had my doubts, but the kids… started playing better, started to believe in themselves, and it just went from there,” PCA head coach Chip Andrews recalled after his club beat North Country power Pittsburg to win the Class S crown on June 12.

 At Winnisquam High School it was an early-season loss that prompted the pivotal soul-searching. “After the Mascoma loss we took a look at ourselves and realized we had to work hard every time out… and we did,” coach Fred Caruso recalled recently. And the Bears went on to compile a 19-2 record and beat favored – and previously unbeaten – Somersworth to win the Class M title.