Canterbury, n.h. — Pat Pelletier is doing everything he can to run away with the New Hampshire Stroke Play Championship.

The Carter Golf Club competitor tore up Canterbury Woods Country Club to a tune of 8-under-par 64 to open up a five-stroke lead halfway through the New Hampshire Golf Association’s second and final major amateur event of the summer. Pelletier can claim his latest significant amateur accomplishment — and further burnish his credentials as the state’s player of the year — with 36 holes of solid golf today.

The 30-year-old’s second round built on a tournament-opening 68 from Tuesday for a two-day 12-under-par 132. Windham’s (69-68-137) is alone in second place, with Concord’s Matthew Paradis and Hooper’s Ryan Kohler seven shots in arrears.

Pelletier made no mistakes on Wednesday, posting eight birdies and 10 pars. Four birdies over the final five holes turned a close contest into a more confortable lead.

“I hit it really good off the tee today; I hit much better than yesterday,” Pelletier said in an NHGA news release. “I don’t think I missed a green. I think, the first hole, I was on the fringe or maybe a foot off; otherwise, I was putting for birdie every hole. If you give yourself that many looks, you’re going to make a few.”

Two other Upper Valley golfers were among the 40 who made the midway cut of 14-over-158. Hanover’s Nate Choukas shares 17th place at 71-78-149, and Lake Sunapee’s Bobby Williams holds down 29th place at 78-75-153.

The tournament concludes with third- and fourth-round play today. Pelletier is seeking his second N.H. Stroke Play title, having won the tournament at Hudson’s Green Meadow Golf Club in 2010.

Cycling

Norwich’s Rhim Riding in Denmark

Aalborg, Denmark — Norwich native Brendan Rhim and five other members from his Holowesko-Citadel cycling team are riding in the Tour of Denmark this week.

The five-stage tour began on Wednesday with a 281-kilometer route that began and ended in Aalborg. Rhim kicked off his tour by placing 84th out of the 119 riders who finished the stage, crossing the line in a pack 1 minute, 38 seconds behind Danish stage winner Lasse Hansen (5:05:25).

Today’s second stage will cover 172 kilometers between the towns of Viborg and Vejle. The Tour of Denmark continues through Sunday.

Boys Soccer

Touchline IV 6, White Mountains 5

Norwich — Touchline IV jumped out to an early lead and held on to beat White Mountains in the New Hampshire Soccer Conference semifinals at Huntley Meadow.

Touchline advances to the finals at 4 p.m. on Sunday at Huntley, where it will face Claremont, a 2-0 winner over Touchline V in Tuesday’s other semifinal.

Charlie Adams led the way for Touchline with a hat trick, staking the home team to a 2-0 lead. White Mountains pulled to within one, but Touchline received goals from Adams, Eli Stack, Quincy McBride and Christo Dragnev. Liam Collins, Patrick Osborn, Davis Stoffel and Aiden Rowley had assists for Touchline.

Jack Maynes went the distance in goal for Touchline, collecting six saves.

Touchline IV is the defending champion, and has appeared in seven of the past eight title games winning six of them.

NECBL Baseball

Hawks’ Finale Washed Out

White River Junction — The final game of the New England Collegiate Baseball League season for the Upper Valley Nighthawks, Wednesday’s home date with the Winnipesaukee Muskrats, was postponed by rain.

With both teams out of the NECBL playoff race, the contest will not be made up. Upper Valley finishes its third season in the league with a 22-21 record, good for fourth place in the Northern Division.