Mike Puzzanghera

Both No. 1 St. John’s Prep and No. 2 Oliver Ames were held to ties against ranked opponents, while No. 3 Needham recorded a perfect 2-0 start.

Pioneer Valley was on the ropes in the seventh and eighth innings and both times came through the capture the Division 5 state championship over English, which lost its repeat bid.

Moments after No. 2 Reading took a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the sixth, the Walpole senior poked a two-run single down the first base line in the top of the seventh to lift the No. 4 Timberwolves to the program’s first MIAA state title.

For the first time since 1966, the 14th-seeded Lions are state champions, outlasting eighth-seeded Braintree in nine innings thanks to a complete game from Matt Stuart.

Not only did Xaverian leapfrong St. John's (Shrewsbury), which has lost three in a row, for the top spot, but St. John's Prep climbed into the Top 5 as Taunton and St. Mary's each rose a spot.

The 6-foot-4-inch sophomore has clubbed two home runs and knocked in 12 this year for the 10th-ranked Wamps, while pitching to a 4-1 record and 2.38 ERA as a deceptive lefthander.

After experiencing back-to-back runs to the Division 2 state title game, followed by a first-round exit in the Division 1 tournament last year, the Warriors are hungry for a state crown.

The top spot continues to rotate in this the Globe Top 20 baseball poll, and this week sees Xaverian, riding a four-game win streak, return to the top spot after St. John's (Shrewsbury) fell to unranked Catholic Memorial.

Three months after successful surgery, the 22-year Green Wave dugout denizen recorded his 339th career win with a 7-0 shutout of nonleague foe Cardinal Spellman.

The Raiders went 8-14 last year and missed the playoffs. So they set their sights on winning the Patriot League this year, and a 5-1 start (3-1 in league) has them in prime position.