The top six teams in the Northern Nevada Class 3-A League advance to the regional playoffs in both baseball and fast-pitch softball.

With the format calling for three best-of-three series to determine the North's qualifiers for the state tournament, the baseball pairings would be (if the playoffs started today):

* No. 6 Winnemuca Lowry (4-11 league, 4-20) at No. 1 Dayton (12-3, 16-6);

* No. 5 Yerington (3-12, 3-14) at No. 2 Spring Creek (11-3, 15-8-1) and

* No. 4 Sparks (9-6, 15-10) at No. 3 Truckee, Calif. (12-6, 17-14).

In softball, the projected pairings are:

* Either No. 6 Sparks (2-10, 3-10) or Yerington (2-10, 4-10) at No. 1 Fernley (13-2, 16-5);

* No. 5 Truckee (3-9, 6-14-2) at No. 2 Dayton (12-3, 16-7) and

* No. 3 or 4 Winnemucca Lowry (8-7, 13-14) at No. 4 or 3 Spring Creek (8-7, 15-13).

Those best-of-three series in both sports will be played May 9-10, with the three winners moving on to the state tournament May 15-16-17 at greater Reno sites.

NOTES -- Offense is the name of the game for Northern 3-A baseball teams ... Dayton has outscored 242-130 in 22 games, according to statistics on the Web site, maxpreps.com ... Spring Creek is scoring 11.4 runs per game, while allowing 7.9 rpg ... Sparks is at 8.7 rpg and Truckee 7.9 ... Fernley (2-12, 3-17) is allowing 10 runs per game, but the least effective defense is being played by Lowry ... the Buckarooms are surrendering 13.3 runs per game ... Fernley's defending state champion softball team has outscored opponents 190-75 in 21 games ... Dayton is at 108-75 ... Spring Creek is at a deficit, 116 to 154 ... Lowry is at 160-151 ... Truckee is 116-177 ... Yerington is 74-128 and Sparks is 96-178.