2014 Season New Hampshire Season

According to Roger Brown - Londonderry is the team with the target in D1

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston...n-to-n-h-state-final

 

Recent Telegraph article has Nashua area teams recaps

 

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com...ball-teams-look.html

 

I wouldn't be surprised to see Memorial do well... Pinkerton has a couple of good pitchers... Not sure about Seacoast teams... Should be a very interesting year - at least fields are clear in the southern tier of the state.  Last I read the same cannot be said about the northern tier where there's still snow piled high and deep.

 

It is good to see sunshine and baseball in New Hampshire.

My disclaimer—most of this is speculation.  I don’t know everyone and I don’t know nearly enough.  My apologies.

 

Alvirne @ Central.  Tyler Brown vs. Collin Duffley

Everyone knows about Tyler Brown.  I’m simply wondering about Duffley. I saw him throw once in the fall.   I was impressed by his frame and mechanics.   I’m wondering if he is throwing.

 

BG @ Bedford.  Andy Williams or Jason Ferlan  vs. Lanuzza (a big lefty)

Not sure of much.  Eric Damphousse brings a lot to the table for BG.  For Bedford Nick Angelini will set the table.  Kyle Anderson had a good fall in the Showcase League, not sure where he will be playing.

 

Exeter @ North. James Mundy vs. Zach Smith

Defending champions play for the first time in a long time without their leader, Ethan Joyce.  North is usually tough.

 

Londonderry @ Memorial. RobbieDelSignore vs. Kevin Gonzalez

Lancers predicted to be #1 in most minds.  Hard to disagree with that.  Lots of experience and many solid ballplayers in Londonderry. Saw Gonzalez a little this past fall in the Showcase League.  He had some good outings on the hill. Other than that, I don’t know much about Memorial, except their basketball team came very close to a semi-final upset over Central.

 

Merrimack @ Dover.  EvanMcCormick vs. Anthony Lupi

McCormick had a good year last spring for a senior-loaded team.  Only one defensive starter, Mickey Gasper, returns.  Devin Gillis had a good year with the bat last spring as a pitcher/DH. How quickly the inexperience develops will be the key.  Now a senior, Lupi has been a solid pitcher since sophomore year.  Mike Wasserman played well in the Fall Showcase League.

 

South @ Keene   

Keene’s Parenteau is solid on the hill and at the plate.

 

Timberlane @ Spaulding.  Jake Damphousse vs.  

 

Trinity @ Concord. Carmen G vs. Josh Partridge

Good match-up of left-handers. 

 

 

Ok, Bobby D.  There you go.  Fill in the holes.  I left you many.

 

Have a great season.

BG/Bedford: It won't be Jason today - he's going later in the week. He had a 4 inning "tuneup" this past Friday vs. a senior depleted Pelham team (6 quit on Thursday). Should be Andy today. At Bedford the C's have to keep everything in front of them because it's two bus stops to the backstop if a pitcher is wild - lots of "free bases". :-)

 

TGIBS - 'cause this long, unending winter has been brutal...

Exeter, Dover and Spaulding picking right back up where they left off over on the seacoast.  I guess Damphouse is injured for Timberlane, he didn't go today vs. Spaulding.  Sounds like quite a pitchers duel between G and Partridge, both going 7 with double digit K's.  Central over Alvirne is a surprise, no?  The fun is just beginning...

 

As I said yesterday, Collin Duffley interested/ impressed me during the fall.  He had a live arm.  Upset?  Maybe, but no one will be surprised anymore.

Exeter/North was 11 innings... I think that happened last year too where they hooked up in Exeter until darkness... IIRC, North ended up going back for an inning or two after some other game they had out on the seacoast (vs. Winni perhaps?).

 

I see that Brown started vs. Central, but ran into early trouble... By second inning they went to Hudson who held Central in check the rest of the way, but the damage was done and of course they were held in check... That'll mess up the pitching for the rest of the week for Alvirne unless they try to go back to Brown.

 

Couple of other surprises (at least for me in the southern part of the state) - Windham beat Goffstown and Raymond over Campbell

 

Also see from lancerbaseball.com that their game against Memorial is on Thurs @ Gill

 

so what players are going on to play at the next level this year?  I know Lupi (Dover) is going to Merrimack, and Hauze (Winni) and Mezquita (Exeter) are going to Southern Maine, and Gasper (Merri) is headed to Bryant (congrats Mike).  Carmen is headed to BC and DelSignore is going to SNHU. MacHardy (Winni) is doing a PG year at Bridgton Academy and Donahue (Pinkerton) is also doing a PG year in CT (can't remember the school).   I'm sure there are many more I am not aware of...

 

There's a list on the Showcase League website:

 

http://showcaseleague.com/2014/01/03/commit-list/

 

 

I know of at least one more - John Thomas of Plymouth Regional headed to D2 St. Leo's in Florida.

Pat Martin from Wilton is going to St. Joe's in Maine. 

 

Does anyone know where Tyler Keim of Johh Stark is going?  He's a lefty with good stuff who threw at the Londonderry Showcase but I never heard where he landed.

18 teams in play today on a cold, windy, snowy Wednesday including season openers for Pinkerton, Salem and Winni.  Londonderry waits another day to start their ascent to the top of the mountain.  A couple of teams looking to bounce back after opening losses, a couple of teams hoping their pitching depth will get them W's when their ace isn't on the mound.  What are the games of the day to watch out for?

BG/Dover ppd to Tue 4/22... I guess Dover's field doesn't drain well and there's probably snow on it now too....

I know the folks on this site seem to primarily just want to talk about D1 teams but for those D2 lurkers, Hollis-Brookline/Sanborn has been postponed until tomorrow.  Sanborn upset HB in the quarter finals last year.

In looking at today’s schedule, I’m thinking this early in the season, every game is big,  If you are 1-0, 2-0 sounds good, if you’re 0-1, then you obviously want to get the first W up on the board.  And then you have the season openers for five teams .

 

We have 2 match-ups of 0-1 teams, 3 match-ups of 1-0 teams, 2 match-ups where an 0-1 team is playing against a team playing their opener etc.

 

Game–day #2 of an interesting week.  High winds will prevail again.  It was unbelievable with snow on the ground this morning and at Dover on Monday with the wind steady in and across the diamond. The only difference today, it will be cold.

 

In a battle of two 1-0 teams BG will have to deal with the Green Wave and the wind.  Should be Jason Ferlan on the hill for Guertin.   Never mind this one has been ppd. Smart decision.

 

In the other battle of the undefeated, Spaulding will travel to Keene and possible have to deal with Alex Parenteau and some heat.

 

Play well.

 

Jason was destined for the Exeter start - today was going to be Jake Burbank.  The game vs. Exeter is tomorrow at 4P at Holman since Friday is Good Friday.

 

PPD makes for interesting beginning of next week w/ rides to Keene on Monday and Dover on Tuesday barring bad weather changes. These are the only "long" trips of the season and they're back2back followed by homie vs. Londonderry... Two of BG's road games this year are at Holman with other trips to Memorial, Merrimack, Timberlane, & Trinity in state.  A trip to Andover, MA is also on the docket. As a senior parent - it's kind of nice.

Mike, I'm assuming you were at the Merrimack/Dover game on Monday.  If so, how did Lupi look?

Both my sons play in D3 and their away game at Conant was pushed to tomorrow night due to field/weather conditions too.

John, Nice to see a day like tomorrow where a fan gets to see a game.  Your road schedule looks decent.   I believe Merrimack has Dover, Timberlane, Exeter, Winnie, and Salem all on the road.

 

Steve,  Lupi is one of my favorite pitchers to watch, I still speak a game he threw as a soph.  I have seen him better than Monday, although he made pitches when they counted.   Two pick-offs were big.  He has a great move.  Didn't factor in the decision.  Threw five blanks, then left in the 6th after loading the bases.  All three scored to tie the game.  Lupi pitches.  There are a few good lefties in NH D1 this year, Partridge, Giampetruzzi,(who battled on Monday) and Robbie Del Signore to name some of favorites.   Then there Cam Lafleur @ Hollis whome I like as well.

Mike, thanks for the info on Lupi.  My son will be playing with him at Merrimack College in the Fall so I'm rooting for Lupi from a far. 

 

Another lefty I like is Tyler Keim at John Stark.  Will probably get to see him throw on Monday against HB.  He's always been solid when I've seen him face my son's team.  Ryan Britton of Milford has decent size and should project well. He just needs to add a few MPH to his fastball.  There were bunches of lefties at the Junior's Game this past spring and at the LHS showcase.  Must be something in the water this year.

A couple of lopsided wins on the seacoast for Exeter over Trinity and Winni over South.  Exeter moves to 2-0.  It was bitter and blustery at the beach as MacHardy (another premier lefty in the state) cruised with 7 K's and a no hitter into the 5th in difficult conditions on the way to a 9-1 final for Winni.  An errant flip for a potential double play in the second opened the floodgates for a big 5 run inning.  Exeter faces BG today,  Dover plays Central tomorrow and Winni has North home Monday.

That's right, Seacoast,  I know about McHardy, just never get to see him much.  And Ryan Britton, saw him a lot in the fall.  I believe he lost a tough 3-2 decision on opening day to Con-val and Ivon Clough.

 

How about Central.  2-0, allowing only 3 runs.  

 

I took a look at Salem's schedule.  They open Friday and have 9 games in 16 days. Then they have 3 days off and then come back with 9 games in 17 days.  That appears to be the toughest stretch that I see in the state. I hope they have a lot of arms.  Hope the weather cooperates.

Suprises Central 2-0   Alvirne 0 -2 Early though.

What is North doing tomorrow?  NHIAA has them listed as playing @ Alvirne and @ Salem.  Is it a split squad?

 

 

Today:

2-0 Exeter @ 1-0 BG looks interesting. 

 

Tomorrow:

Aside from North's doubleheader, we have 

0-0 Londonderry @ 1-0 Spaulding:  Londonderry gets their season underway, and then hosts Pinkerton on Saturday.  

 

1-1 Timberlane @ 0-0 Memorial:  Shortstop Jason Hughes with the glove and Tyler Cammeron with the bat looked solid vs. Merrimack, but the Owls will be playing their third game this week while the season opens for Memorial.  Could be a difference maker.  Heard Jake Damphousse is injured for Timberlane.

 

1-0 Keene @ 1-0 Pinkerton:  This will be a good one to watch.

 

2-0 Central @ 1-0 Dover: #3 starter vs. #2.  We will learn something about Central, who have pitched well in their first two.

 

1-1 Concord @ 0-2 South:   We shall see. Hopefully the sun will be out in Southern NH.

 

0-2 Merrimack @ 0-2 Bedford: Something has to give, right?  I repeat. Hopefully the sun will be out in Southern NH.

 

Looks like Londonderry is at Memorial this afternoon leading 4-0.  Who knew?

Mike - see the bottom of my 4-15 @ 9:56 AM post :-)

 

BG 7-0 over Exeter today. Single run in 2nd, 2 in 4th, 1 in 5th, and 3 in 6th against the 2nd pitcher of the day.  Exeter was down to 4 & 5.  Darn cold in the stadium today. Jason went 6, 10K's, 4 hits, 2 BB, 1 HPB.  Not a bad day.

 

We've been "guaranteed" it'll be 80 for our next home game - I sure hope so, but kind of doubt it!

I missed it John.  Damn. I heard Londonderry won a close one.  

 

Stats indicate a great outing for Jason.  Congratulations to BG.

Peterson from Wndham will be going to Umass- Lowell.

I saw in the paper yesterday that Jon Lewis from Concord was an out away from a no hitter on Friday.  My son used to play AAU several years ago with Jon.  Congratulations to him.  Also saw some nice stat lines in lower divisions this week.  Looks like players used the delayed start well and are ready to go.  

Perkins from Timberlane is playing at Nichols next year

Tyler Keim is out of pitching for 2 weeks with a UCL sprain. He will still play first base until his elbow is recovered

Thanks David.  Any idea if Keim is playing college ball and if so, where he's going?

Took in the Londonderry vs. Pinkerton game on Saturday. Glad I did!

Great game in a pitching duel against a senior (Corey Londonderry) vs. sophomore(Polichetti Pinkerton). Both went the distance but experience won 4-2 Great performance by both kids. Corey was very crafty and kept Pinkerton off balance entire game although he seemed to tire and the sophomore seemed to get stronger as game went on. Corey was the more seasoned pitcher and Londonderry seemed to have better bats with more timely hitting, however Pinkerton was one hit away from beating them and was a little snake bitten with a few lucky hits. Polichetti was very impressive for a Sophomore. The kid has great mound presence and seems to have a knack for throwing a big pitch when he needs to. I heard that these guys were not the aces for their respective teams........I can't wait to see the two aces go at it.

I was at the game too as my son plays for Londonerry, and agree with this poster's overall assessment that both pitchers did well but don't recall remember any cheap hits by Londonderry.  Londonderry had nine hits two of which were doubles and a few hard hit singles.  Tommy Corey pitched all 7 innings for Londonderry threw a total of 112 pitches, struck out 8, allowed 1 walk and 4 hits, not sure of Johnny Polichetti's numbers.  It was an interesting game and I look forward to seeing the next one.

New news, Keim just got cleared to pitch by his doctors so he will most likely be on the mound vs Hollis today. He got offers from D2 schools but isn't very interested in college ball (Just wants to get an education and go to work) So he will be attending NHTI and playing baseball there.

The coach at NHTI is a good guy, he will enjoy it.

Keim looked great today for Stark.  He went into the 8th inning before taking a 2-1 loss.  He probably should've been pulled earlier especially given his recent arm injury but really pitched well.  Hollis Brookline slowly caught up to him as the game wore on. I never saw anyone warming up for Stark and am not sure of their bullpen situation.  For Hollis Brookline, Whelan, Buckley and Grant combined to hold Stark to one run. The starter Whelan pitched the first five.

No idea how efficient he was, but generally speaking that seems like a lot of pitches (8 innings) for a kid with known elbow issues on his first start coming back.  I wasn't there and don't know the situation so I'm probably out of line, but based on limited info, that seems like too much.

My pitch count going into the 8th inning was 97, and I knew that'd be the last inning I would be able to pitch. I could tell my velocity was decreasing and the Hollis players were finally able to catch up to it. Overall, I finished strong with no pain in the shoulder or elbow, and Hollis was able to make a couple decent hits with 1 earned run.

Hey Tyler -

 

Thanks for logging in and providing some info.  I'm guessing if you started the last inning at 97 pitches, then you probably ended around 110, give or take a few.  I'm very pleased that you didn't experience pain, and congratulations on a great outing.  Be careful with your arm, that's quite a bit of work for your first outing, but you know your body best.  I'm in no way suggesting that it is too much if both you and your coach are comfortable with how it went and how you feel.  Best of luck to you and your team this season, and good luck with whatever you choose to do next year.  Again, congrats on a solid outing.

Londonderry hit solidly again with 10 hits and 14 runs against Concord High School.  Robbie Del Signore threw all five innings and was dominating striking out 10 and allowing only one earned run.  The other run scored by Concord was on an error by one of the infielders.  This team is really starting to put it together and with power pitching from Del Signore and Corey they're going to be tough to beat this year.

Does anyone know who pitched in the Goffstown/Conval game yesterday?  I was thinking Tanner Putman and Ivon Clough were going to square off but the high score has me doubting that was the case.

I believe Chris Hood from Goffstown pitched a complete game.

Steve,

 

Tanner Putnam threw for Goffstown, but Ivon Clough did not throw for Con-Val.  Hollis might get him on Wednesday.  Who's on the hill for H/B?

I'm assuming Cam LaFleur will be throwing, Hollis had 3 different pitchers pitch in yesterday's game.

Congrats go to North for a rare double yesterday...  From the Nashua Telegraph...

 

In the Varsity game Zack Smith threw a no hitter in a 14-0 win over Winnacunnet

 

In the JV game, Sam McCarthy also had a no hitter, striking out 19 and walking 4.

Yes, Cam will be going for Hollis Brookline tomorrow.  Should be a good match up unless one of the team's implode defensively or something.

Ok, so most teams are almost 25% into their season. It doesn't seem to be to many surprises. A few of my observations are:

Central started off strong but have lost 3 straight. 7 of their next 8 are against teams in the upper half of the division.

Merrimack - I knew they would feel the loss of their seniors last year but did not expect them to struggle as bad as they are. They play the Astros next and that is no easy game

BG - I thought they would drop down a level but seem to be able to find a way to win games. Big win against Londonderry who kicked our # 1 around pretty easily.

Alvirne- a lot of hype this year. Still time to turn it around.

Trinity- their big guy pitched well in the opener against our guys but the will need more to contribute if they want to win games

Rvaughn, it is still real early.  I haven't even put my winter coat away.

 

Let's look at Central. I feel the 5-game sampling does not define them. Their 3 losses in a row do not concern me, since the winning teams, Dover, Exeter, and Keene have a combined record of 11-2.  (59 runs for-28 runs against) Their three upcoming Londonderry, Timberlane, and Pinkerton will paint a clearer picture. 

 

 

Merrimack's 1st 2 losses @ Dover (4-0) and @ Timberlane (3-1) by a total of 3 runs are disappointing for a young inexperienced team, but not the end of the world. For the most part they were OK.  Following those losses with a 6-1 victory @ Bedford was what the doctor ordered.  No getting around it, the home opening loss to South was distressing, when considering that South had lost its 1st three by a combined score of 27-4.  With 2 more road games @ Exter and @ Winny, and a home contest with a very good Pinkerton club on the horizon, the maturity will be tested.  

 

BG is getting some pitching, having given up only 8 in 5 games.  Playing their 4th game in five days tomorrow @ winless Memorial, who have scored 27 while give up 30 against teams combined 10-4, may be interesting.

 

Big one taking place right now with Alvirne 0-3 hosting Timberlane.  Broncos also have a home contest with BG, and road trips @ Exeter and Keene.  We will see where they stand when that smoke clears.

 

Trinity is 1-3 coming off their first win yesterday 5-4 vs. South.  They take a trip to Spauding tomorrow.  See if they can get a winning streak going.  

 

 

 

BG will have pitching - Ferlan, Williams, and Burbank are all solid with varsity (and SR Legion) experience.  As with any team hitting against varsity pitching is harder.  Yesterday's game against Londonderry was a nice win, but I wouldn't say it was shocking. Consider how Londonderry beat North last year - sometimes it's just your day. Game was played at BG because Holman infield was too wet.  BG didn't face DelSignore or Corey. Sophomore Musto started and had command issues (it was VERY windy) - so there were lots of walks and when the ball was hit in the infield a few errors that didn't help. Couple of great plays at 3B by Corey helped quite a bit. I believe Kayo followed, but he too had some command issues, but was able to throw outs.  BG had 4 hits - 2 of them grand slam's.  The second granny was by a former Londonderry player/catcher - Joe Meli - that was absolutely blasted to LF - a majestic shot.  That had to feel good for him all things considered (he caught in Londonderry as a Freshman).  The first granny was a line drive by DiPisquale between CF & RF that was well struck - the ball ended up rolling into the lacrosse/football field - it would have been a double at Holman.  Londonderry had 1 hit - a very solid double by Joncas to LF. Jason had 5K's, 4 BB's, 2 HBP, and 1 double play behind him in 5 innings - so the defense did their job. The lone Londonderry run came in the first on a 1st/3rd where the out was taken for the runner in a rundown.

 

Tomorrow vs. Memorial should be interesting - I see Memorial can hit non #1 pitching, which they'll see tomorrow.  They struggled vs. Londonderry's #1, but came back vs. other pitchers. The question is - who will BG see on the mound?  Gill is a place where you put the ball in play and hope it gets by into a gap somewhere for "serious rollage".  What you don't want is getting loft on the ball because some outfielder will (hopefully) catch it.

Salem 2 - Winnicunnet 1.  watched a very well pitched, well played game today between Salem and Winni, both playing only their third game of the young season.  The wind gusts were brutal, but it didn't seem to bother either starter.  MacHardy was dominant for Winni, striking out the side in the first, second and third innings en route to 11 over his 5 innings.  After getting touched up in the first for a run, the Salem pitcher settled down and was also very effective as he managed a complete game.  Two errors in the bottom on the 7th (Salem was the home team though the game was in Hampton) led to the winning run for Salem.  Tough loss for Winni as they need to win MacHardy's starts but run support is lacking so far as most of the lineup tries to get on track.  Winni has Concord tomorrow, the game being played in Cooperstown, NY at Doubleday Field.

50 degrees and light clouds in Cooperstown.  Looking forward to a great game.

Any other good mat hips today?

Matchups!!! Auto correct is killing me!

Our HS team played in Cooperstown 2 years ago.  It's fun and a good experience for the kids.

Some good games tomorrow.

Keene / Londonderry - looks like the showcase game of the day. I would like to see this one.

Dover/ Exeter- the defending champs have been very up & down this year while Dover has yet to lose.

Merrimack/ Pinkerton- I think I will make my way to this game since we have the Astros on Wednesday .  Merrimack has had their way with the Astro's lately but the Astros have played well so far this year.

Alvirne/ BG- depending on who is starting for the Broncos. If it's Brown it could be a game

Kudos to Winni Coach Liebenow for prioritizing his pitcher's well-being at the possible expense of a loss.  As I read many accounts of extremely high pitch counts on this thread, especially this early in the year with the weather we have had, I give props to the coach for limiting MacHardy's pitch count so far to under 90 per start and for giving him a full 5+ days rest between outings.  Last week against Salem in a tie game that Winni needed to win he pulled the big lefty after 5, even though the kid had 11 K's and had surrendered only 2 hits and a couple of walks.  Winni went on to lose that game and it will probably hurt come tourney time, but I admire the way he fought the natural urge to ride his ace at all costs.

I haven't seen them play yet, but word on the street is that Dover is the real deal.  They are getting good pitching from multiple guys, and the defense and offense are backing them up.  And while I haven't seen Mundy pitch yet for Exeter, he is off to a great start and has the defending champs in position to be a factor later in the season.  I will get to see Spaulding play today and am interested to learn if they are a middle of the pack team or something better.  With North, Exeter and Dover up next for them it will be a good measuring stick at the midpoint of the season.

As far as the Winni Coach goes it may have had more to do with the fact that his own AD turned him into the NHIAA last year for violating the rest requirements last year causing a forfeit.

Liebenow was rightfully roasted on this site last year after not understanding the rules and using an illegal pitching substitution in the key final game vs. Pinkerton that cost Winni the playoff tiebreaker.  One would think that he might try to win at all costs to make up for that mistake but so far, at least, not at the expense wearing out his pitchers.  On a related note, I heard Jake Damphouse is now out for the year at Timberlane and headed for possible Tommy John surgery?  Hope that's not the case, I liked to watch him pitch and he was listed to go to a solid D3 program in the fall.

 

ouch - if true, tough to hear for Jake. Hopefully all goes well for him

 

Yesterday, Tyler Brown did indeed pitch vs. BG and he threw well limiting BG to 3 hits - all with 2 outs in an inning. Not overpowering, but did what he had to do.  Hard luck loser for BG was Andy Williams who pitched well, but it's the little things that hurt.  Alvirne scored in top first with 2 outs - hbp by Williams on Brown... Single... and another single on a hit'n'run.    Then in the 6th an overthrow, walk, bunt single loaded 'em up...  Wild pitch and another single gets a 3-0 lead/win.  All the damage done by the same part of the Alvirne order.

 

Wish this weather pattern would break... Still looking for Mr Heat Miser - someone keeps capturing the little red head.... Escaped for a couple of days, but once again he's missing...   Of course come summertime we'll be saying man I wish we could have a cool day in the midst of a 5-10 day stretch of 90-100 degree plus humidity days... :-)  Well... maybe not!

I play with Jake Damphouuse and he is not having Tommy john... It's funny how rumors like that get out. He had a minor knee injury and is expected to start against Dover. #TheReturn

Was at the Astro/ Merrimack game. The Astro's look pretty good. Merrimack was never in the game. If we play them tomorrow it should be a pretty good game

You mean everything you read on the internet isn't true?  lol.  Glad to hear it is nothing serious, you guys are too young to suffer major injuries like that.  Good luck this season.

Tough loss for Concord today. Both starters pitched pretty well considering the weather. The Astro's earned it today.

Props to Rob DelSignore for his dominate one-hit, 17 strike out performance vs. North.  Didn't see it, but saw the Union Leader and the numbers are masterful.

I saw that in the Union as well and agree - very impressive.

Hey JohnF, Who's getting the ball for BG today? Jason or Andy?

 

Lawson going for Merrimack.  He pitched well @Bedford.  Struggled @ Exeter.  

 

I spoke to John earlier today. Jason is going Saturday, I don't know about Andy but it's not Jason today.

Andy is getting it today Mike...  Andy's pitched well, but has received zero offensive support (of course that could be said about most of our games!)...

 

Burbank tomorrow vs. South currently listed at 4PM...

 

Jason gets Peabody on Sat eve 7PM (they are ESPN #17 in MA right now, were #3 last week)

Thanks John.  Good luck today. Saturday at Holman 7:00.  Nice after dinner treat.

So I think I have seen enough NH Baseball to form an opinion so far.

Here is my opinion to date. Dover is undefeated for a reason. They are very solid all around. Good pitching (saw their ace) solid defense. They take care of the baseball and seem to get some timely hitting.

Londonderry seems to have a really good one two punch in their rotation.They have the hardest thrower I have seen so far in Delsignore (not sure if anyone does throw harder, heard the kid Donahue throws hard as well). Londonderry seems to have a solid offense as well.

I have seen the #2 and #3 starters for Pinkerton and they both seem to be very good pitchers. Thier offense was good in one game and not so good in another. I would really like to see their ace pitch.

Timberlane seems to be a good team as well with some good young players.

Exeter has a good pitcher as does Concord (I really liked him).

I saw BG play twice now and have been very impressed. I think they could be the dark horse who can sneak up on someone.

Saturdays game against Peabody (who I know well-originally from that area) should be a great test for them.

I also think the best swing I have seen so far belongs to the Merrimack catcher (I think - all these games are starting to blend).

 

Saw Goffstown play and they have some good talent on that team as does Portsmouth.   

All in all I am pretty impressed with NH baseball (compared to MA). I think the talent is very similar.

 

I have seen a few MA games as well if anyone is interested.

St. Johns is not the same as they were in the past few years. Central is not there either. ISL games are the best I have seen. Belmont Hill is a small college team, Salisbury could beat most colloge teams right now......well not most. 

Salem beat Dover 9-5. Wow!!

 

My 2 cents on the season so far:

 

My top 5 are in order-

 

Dover- how can you argue. They still have to face Spaulding, Keene, Pinkerton, Alvirne & Concord. I doubt they finish the season with only 1 loss.

 

Londonderry- Good 1&2 and solid offense. I heard they lost a starter for the season but thats all I know. My guess would be that they will be one of the top 4 teams when all is said & done

 

Astro's- If you look at the end of last season they have won 14 of their last 21 games. They have beat Keene, Spaulding, Concord, Exeter & Central to name a few. Big game for them tomorrow

 

Concord- we can beat anyone on a given day but we can also lay an egg at times. We have struggled against the top teams we have faced.

 

Keene- another team with a dynamic duo on the mound. Great lineup. we have them tomorrow. A lot will be said about both teams after this one.

 

My top 5 starters-

Delsignore

Giampetruzzi

Partridge

Gerossi

Corey

 

 

 

 

I think Ivon Clough deserves being mentioned on that list too.  He's got great control and is in the high 80s but gets forgotten on this forum because he's in D2. He's off to Maine in the Fall. Some other good D2 guys are Jeff Peterson at Windham, Putman at Goffstown, LaFleur at Hollis Brookline who tossed a no hitter today with 17Ks and is a personal favorite of mine and Keim at Stark though rumor has it he's hurt again.  Milford's Britton shut down Portsmouth the other day.  I don't have much knowledge of the Northern teams though so there might be some good ones up there too.

 

I think Ferlan at BG and Lupi at Dover are having really good years too.

SteveL,

I just heard (2 minutes before your post) about Cam LeFleur's no-hitter.  Did not hear about the 17Ks.  Wow.  Congratulations. I would take any of those pitchers you mentioned.  I have seen them all.

 

I also agree with Mudville's observations, especially about that Merrimack catcher.  

Rvaughn33: Beating anyone on any given day and laying an egg at times doesn't define a top 5 team to me.

 

I would say 3 teams have certainly set themselves apart from the next group of 8 or so teams who on any given day (eg. when their #1 is going) can be great, but then on other days lay eggs. There's one team (Salem) that is like the proverbial speeding locomotive - they beat Pinkerton, and Dover.  Let's see how they fare on Monday vs. DelSignore.

 

You could probably walk your way down and find solid #1's on most teams. You didn't mention Alvirne's Tyler Brown in your list - he's pretty good too you know.  When/if Jake Damphousse throws and is healthy he's pretty good too. I haven't seen MacHardy from Winnacunnet throw, but I hear he's good.  I could go on if I could remember all their names.

 

Come tournament time the key will be having more than one pitcher. Is your #1 really better than the other #1?  Can your #2 do the job and obviously can the other team beat your #2?  Can your #3 fill gaps and do you have a closer?  Sometimes deciding who a #1 is on any team depends on whose dad you talk to... Unless you can do the impossible and watch every single game that each kid pitches... On June 5th and 7th a lot of "questions" will be answered...

Mike,  yes I don't seem to hear much debate about who the best catcher is in NH on this forum.  Hat's off to your guy.  Hope he enjoys his time at Bryant.

 

John the other wild card besides the #1 to #1 match ups in the playoffs is the defensive support that the pitchers get.  It seems every team has at least one defensive implosion over the course of the year and unfortunately some save it for a playoff game.  Timing is everything and having to generate six outs in an inning is often too much for even the best pitchers to overcome. 

I agree with you Steve.  Thanks for posting some of the better D2 guys and super congrats on Cam's performance in the no-no. That's fantastic.  There are some guys in D3 who would be in the conversation of better starters in the state, Sahlin at Campbell and Nelson at Hopkinton to name a couple.

Ivon Clough and Conner Sahlin are both good.  Saw them all summer with Show Baseball.  I have been both a fan and coach of Ivon since he was 13. I have had the pleasure to see Connor throw dozens of times the last few years, and he is another young arm with potential.  Cam LeFleur and Ryan Britton are kids that I have seen a few times mostly in the GSBL fall Showcase League. These D2 and D3  pitchers would be just as tough in D1. That's why it is very difficult to pick a #1.    

 

I believe we could pick a staff, maybe 5 starters and 4 relievers and play a college type schedule and be successful.  It looks like it is that kind of year.   So many tough lefties in New Hampshire.  

 

There will be some good match-ups come playoff time.  There are teams like Trinity and Exeter in D1 who based on their record may not be a top team, but could cause problems for a top seed because of arms like Mundy and G.

 

It will be June before we know it.

 

Thanks Steve.  Your words are appreciated.  And again, congrats on Cam's superb outing yesterday.  Good luck down the stretch.  

 

 

Watched Bedford at Timberlane last week. Bedford is a very interesting team. I did not think they looked all that great at first and Timberlane looked really good but then Bedford just starting scoring runs. I don't know much about who pitched for either team but I was impressed at how Bedford played.

Best game of the week was Londonderry vs Pinkerton, including last night (Peabody vs BG- was hoping for a better contest). I think I mentioned that NH baseball talent is almost at the same level as MA baseball on a previous post. Well based on last night I think NH is best kept baseball secret in the northeast. Good for for NH. Some great talent up here.......no wonder it is becoming a recruiting hotbed. I love it.

Pinkerton has some shut down talent on that team.The starter Gerossi was very impressive then they brought in a sophomore Polichetti who was cool as a cat and shut the door with some real mound presence. It was a regular season game but from the crowd and the intesity it seemed like a playoff game.

Last night's Peabody game was all about pitching - fortunately for BG there's was better if I do say so myself...  Although too many walks were issued - I'll take the 1 hitter.  The Peabody pitcher was probably left in 1 inning too long - he had thrown a lot a pitches through 5...

 

I do agree - NH Baseball is looking pretty good right now - I just hope the momentum started by a few can continue on for the future baseball players that don't fall victim to the lacrosse siren.

 

If things hold to form it'll be a very interesting BG/Pinkerton matchup on Thursday...  Gerossie v. Ferlan...   Two pitchers throwing quite well right now.

I heard recently that the Winni catcher is pretty good. Heard he has a real strong arm. I can't remember his name but heard he's going to Southern Maine in the Fall.

Cameron Hauze is Winni's Catcher. Good arm and solid bat

Someone told me about this blog/forum. This is pretty cool. I can hardly find any info on NH baseball anywhere besides NHIAA. I recognize a lot the names I am reading ( I coach and help out at Show Baseball Academy).
My son John plays for Pinkerton and I also have a nephew Tom Diskin that plays for Pinkerton. I totally agree with a few posts I've read that NH baseball and it's talent is every bit as good as MA or anywhere in New England (sorry, may be a bit biased). I have seen all the Pinkerton games and the talent I have seen is very good. Players like Mikey Gasper (such a great swing- owens is going to love him) Tom Diskin, Nate Rossi, Ivan Clough, Sahlin, Donahue, Gerossie, Angelini, DelSignore, Corey ( and the entire Londonderry team is very good). Too many to list.
Salem, Timberlane, Exeter (have not seen Dover yet) have some very good players. I know Brown, Lupi, Giampetruzzi, Partridge and the boys at BG are talented. Good catchers at Pinkerton, Merrimack, Trinity, londonderry, BG just to name a few. The list could go on and on. You could put together 2 or 3 very solid all star teams that could compete anywhere in the country. I agree with the blogger  who said NH is becoming a hotbed for recruiting. Many college coaches are searching for players in the Northeast, for good reason.
I am looking forward to the playoffs. I think any team on any given matchup can win.

There is a lot of talent in NH and a pretty fair amount in New England in general.  The challenge for many of the kids aspiring to the next level is geting the right type of exposure to get recruited and/or drafted.  My oldest will play his third season of college development travel ball this summer.  The sheer volume of scouts and recruiters at some of the big Mid-Atlantic, southern and mid-western events is truly impressive.  Far bigger than almost anything you might see in the Northeast.  The new Ruffnecks facility in Northboro, MA will help as I'm sure they will run some Perfect Game events.  Hopefully kids from NH as well as New England can continue to get good recruiting looks from schools not only in New England, but other parts of the country too. 

 

Sorry to take the thread a little off topic, I just get excited to see so many quality players talked about around NH and am hopeful they can all go on to continue to play if they want to.

The facilty down there and the Ruffneck program is top notch. They will be working with Show Baseball putting together some great tournaments and  some great games. I have heard some great ideas tossed around that  I hope will be followed thru with. Under Armour is holding its first underclassmen tourney in the area this summer. Should be some great talent for our kids to play against.

Thinking about this "skinny" since Friday. I have not seen everybody, yet. But I do agree, there is a lot of talent in NH and an interesting 2nd half of the baseball season awaits.  Add some pitchers to the list, I have definitely overlooked a few.  I think pitching will have a lot to say about who is playing in June. Pitching and Defense.

1. Dover (8-2) has lost two straight.   At home vs. Keene today should be a good one.  Not positive, but I assume it is Lupi’s turn.
2. Londonderry (8-3) have a fairly favorable schedule left with their NH opponents standing at 29-50.  Pinkerton fans may disagree, but the Lancers are a tough team to beat.  Their pitching is real good with Delsignore and Corey.
3. Pinkerton (8-3) has only given-up 33 runs in 11 games.  That # is pretty good. In their three losses they were out-scored 3-8.   Astros scored 62 runs in their 8 wins.   Hard to say that they will not be there at the end especially after their run last year.  They have the pitching as well, no question. Three very good starters, in Donahue, Gerossie, and Polchetti, make them a load to deal with the rest of the way.
4. Keene (7-3) only average 3.5 RPG but give-up an impressive 2.1 RPG.  Go to a Blackbirds game and you can be home for an early dinner.  6 of their last 8 are on the road beginning with a game to watch closely.  Dover today.  Seem to have a bunch of effective arms in Zecha, Blanchard, Robinson, and Bianco.
5. Spaulding (7-3) winners of 5 straight have only lost to Londonderry, Pinkerton, and Keene by a combined run total of 6-20. At Keene it was Steve Bianco who shut them down on four hits, and at Pinkerton Chriss Gerossie held them to 4 hits  in a 9-2 loss.  They have beaten everyone else by a combined 48-17.  Somewhat favorable schedule remains.
6. Alvirne (6-4) have outscored their opponents in their victories 35-9.   Another team with a lot of arms in Brown, Hudson, and Flohr. A Bedford team who have won 4-straight and Concord are on tap later in the week.
7. BG (6-4) has looked dominant in its six wins outscoring its opponents 40-11 that includes a 14-1 victory vs. Londonderry. Their 4 losses have been low-scoring, competitive affairs (scoring 5 runs while giving-up 13) This week has them on the road at Timberlane and home against Central, and Pinkerton. Willams, Ferlan, Dipasquale , and Burbank give them more than enough.
8. Salem (6-4) is going in the right direction. They have won 6 0f 8 since opening the season with 2 losses.  During that time they have won at Pinkerton and at Dover.  Six road games await: Londonderry, Spaulding, Alvirne, Exeter, Concord, and BG. 
9. Concord (6-5) has pretty much been on a win one, lose one roll.  No winning or losing streaks. If that continues, they will inish a respectable 10-8 on the season. In their wins they have scored an average of 8 per game.  In their losses, 2.5 PPG.  Partridge is a good #1.

10. Timberlane (6-6) have lost four straight after their great start.  They don’t score a ton of  runs ( 3.7 RPG) and 9 of their games have been decided by 3 runs or less.  Fay is a capable left-hander.  Haven't heard how Damphouse did on his return. BG, Concord, Exeter Londonderry, Keene, and Trinity are left.

 

11.  Bedford (5-5) has won 4 straight, outscoring those opponents 27-6.  The wood remains.  Their next 6 opponents have a combined record of 44-18.

 

12.  Exeter (4-5) the defending champs have given up 7 runs in their four wins.  They hit the ball well, the time that I saw them.   They have a somewhat favorable schedule this week with opponents who are combined 11-21.  Mundy gives them an experienced arm. Did they play the Winny game scheduled for the 10^th?

 

13.  North (4-7) in their 4 NH wins they have outscored their opponents 40-6.  In their 6 NH losses they have been outscored 7-32.  Busy week ahead with 3 NH games and one MA. Smith has pitched well from what I have read.

 

14. Central (3-6) appears to have had strong pitching 5 times this season.   Going 3-2 in those games, they outscored their opponents 10-8 in those contests.  Duffley has pitched well from what I hear..

 

15. Memorial  (3-6) has won 3 out of 4 and has averaged close to 8 RPG this season.  I seem to remember that they hit last season, too.

 

16. Trinity (3-6) is a tough team to figure.  Two of their losses (@ Concord and @ Alvirne) were each by a run.  So with a break or two they could be 5-4.  Nice wins of late over Bedford and Salem.  G will compete on the hill.

 

17.  Merrimack (2-7) has had a disappointing season so far.  A couple of close losses to start the season, have led to a few blowouts of late.   Even their victories have been one-sided (they outscored their opponents, 16-2).  Some recent problems on the hill bring new challenges to the club.

 

18. South (2-9) coming off a great 3-2 win vs. Bishop Guertin, look to keep it going against Exeter, today.  Of the Panthers remaining seven games, 4 of NH’s top 5 in the standings are featured.

 

19. Winnacunnet (1-8) still needs to play the top four, Dover, Londonderry, Pinkerton, and Keene.  Add in #7 Alvirne, and their schedule is a tough one.  Not sure what happened with their game scheduled for the 10^th vs. Exeter.

 

 

 

 

Nice work Mike!! I've been waiting for a good breakdown like that.

 

Good stuff Mike - nice win yesterday for Merrimack too!!

 

A bit off topic, but along the lines of good NH players and playing at the next level - SNHU is hosting the D2 regional playoffs again this year.  Game times are 11, 3, & 7 on Thu, Fri, & Sat with a championship at Noon on Sunday. There are a number of NH names on the SNHU (#1 seed) and FPU (#2 seed) rosters.  At the very least it'll show those that are interested in playing at the next level the type of player(s) that these local schools strive to recruit each year in order to keep them at the top. Winner of the regional moves on to the D2 world series - so it's pretty serious baseball.

Mike - I believe the Winny-Exeter game ppd from 5/10 is scheduled for this afternoon (5/13).

the schedules are getting shuffled.  Latest is Winni vs. Exeter moved to Friday, Winni vs. Trinity got moved to Thursday and Winni has Dover tomorrow.  Need to take 2 of 3 to stay in the hunt for postseason.

3 games won by  a 1-0 score. Sounds like some great pitching yesterday. Any details?

Alvirne's Tyler Brown goes 7, gives-up just 1 hit, 3 base on Balls and records 6 k's.  Throws 98 pitches in the 1-0 victory.

 

Bedfords's Lang throws a not too shabby 7 innings, giving-up 5 hits, 4 base on balls wile recording 4 strikeouts.  Threw 103 offerings. 

 

Nick Angelini's two-out double was Bedford's only hit. 

Thanks Mike,
That's what I was looking for since we play Alvirne tomorrow.

Saw Dover play this week, interested to see what they are all about.  I thought they were a little shaky, not as wowed as I assumed I would be given their record and list of impressive wins, but then again Lupe wasn't on the mound and they might have been taking their opponent lightly (Winni).  A 4-3 game after 5 turned into a lopsided win for Green Wave, but that was due to typical Winni baseball not Dover might. 

 

I was hoping to see a Giampetruzzi vs. MacHardy matchup of power lefties yesterday in Hampton, but it was G's day off and it was not much of a game.  MacHardy tossed the complete game 5 hit shutout with 11 K's, 0 walks on 88 pitches.  Warriors are trying to claw back into the playoff picture after horrific start, but the loss to Merrimack last week when MacHardy got pulled after 1.3 with arm soreness is probably going to haunt them.  Need to win at least 2 games this week with Exeter, Central, Alvirne and Memorial on tap.  Looking forward to seeing the defending champs Sunday as they are having an up and down season so far.

Winni 1 - Exeter 0.  Not sure anyone saw that coming especially with Mundy on the mound.  Danny Fields, a small sophomore lefty making his 3rd start was solid for the Warriors with a complete game.  Exeter's Mezquita missed a grand slam foul by 20 feet in top 6 that would have been a dagger.  Winni manufactured the winning run with 2 outs in the bottom 6th when Hauze knocked in MacHardy after a single and stolen base.  Clean game, good pitching duel, but 2 shutouts in a row gives Winni a little momentum for the stretch in search of a playoff spot.

Seacoast,

Sounds like a great pitchers duel, that's like the fourth one this week in D1. I just looked at Winni's schedule. They still have Alvirne, Keene, Pinkerton & Londonderry to go. They will need to have momentum for that stretch of games

And down the stretch they come...  The next 10 days should be verrryyy interesting as teams jockey for "playoff position" especially with so many games where currently closely "seeded" teams are playing each other... Could see teams try to play through rain more so than they normally would to avoid even more pitching woes. Will coaches stay on their current rotations and just let the chips fall where they may? Or will they juggle their pitchers to try and get a 'favorable' matchup (if there is such a thing this year)?

 

The rain on Friday seems to have resulted in a hit-or-miss with regard to playing. Missing results from NHIAA makes one wonder did Alvirne & Concord play?  Salem & Belmont, MA?, Bedford & Londonderry?.  I saw in the Telegraph that North beat Central in a 1-run extra inning game.

 

This week:

Spaulding has 3 long trips this week - Bedford, Merrimack, & BG.

Salem is on the road 3 times too (Alvirne, Concord, & Exeter) with 1 home (Andover)

Central & Bedford are either going to prove they belong in the mix of the top 10-12 teams or they fall into the bottom 4-6 teams.

 

It seems the current top 3 would be primed to stay where they are - the next jumble of teams could see either separation or further taxing of the brains of those that like to figure out where teams will be seeded based on NHIAA policies (good luck with that!)

Going to be a crazy week for sure everywhere.  My boys' D3 team plays Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and also Sunday at Fisher Cat stadium.  Older boy (9) pitches today and Sunday, younger one (7) will go on Friday plus when needed in relief.  Should be an interesting week.

 

Good luck to all down the stretch.

Interesting D2 matchup on Wednesday as first place Goffstown takes on second place Hollis Brookline.  Plymouth stumbled today losing to D3 team Laconia.  Goffstown has rolled after their opening game loss to Windham and hasn't looked back winning 12 in a row.  HB has played a pretty soft schedule thus far and will be tested playing 4 of the top 8 teams in D2 in their final 5 games. 

Steve,

 

Am I correct, that Cam will be on the hill for H/B?   Should be a great match-up.

I don't see a score for the Memorial vs. Merrimack game at Gill yesterday.  Did they get it in?

Mike, yes Cam should be on the hill tomorrow.  He's got beat by Tyler Barrs last year and hasn't had the best luck against Goffstown through the years.  We'll see how tomorrow goes.  I'm guessing Putman or Perron will be facing HB.  Should be a good one.

Memorial beat Merrimack the other night 7-4

Looks like H/B and their Ace Cam LeFleur has stopped Goffstown 2-0.   Must have been a good one.  Congrats, Steve.

Thanks Mike.  Cam threw well, probably better than he did when he no hit ConVal a couple weeks ago as this time around he had no walks to go along with 16 Ks against a really good Goffstown team.  

 

Putman looked really good too actually.  HB strung together a few hits against him in the 4th inning and scored their two runs but otherwise they couldn't do anything against him.

 

Two more games for HB this week.  Hoping the weather holds up.

Steve,

 

A gem!   16 Ks.  A great season for Cam.  Keep it going.  Maintain that hold on the two-seed.

So the scramble for the last couple of spots begins in D1 today. It will be interesting to see how teams decide who pitches against who. Trinity & Winni pretty much have to win out. Winni has Keene, Pinkerton (most likely Gerossie) & Londonderry (most likely Corey) Good luck with that stretch

 

Merrimack has been playing better & has themselves back in the hunt for a spot as does Memorial. There are some big games to be played in the next four days. Should be fun!!!

Could be a tough week for those schools with several games to play given the spotty weather forecast.  We only have one game left on Friday, though we played Sunday and Monday this past holiday weekend.  Good luck to everyone down the stretch. 

Still waiting for the "some day this weather will clear" days to happen....  Crazy weather - almost as crazy as the D1 baseball season.... Cannot figure out who's hot or cold. The only things for sure with 4 days remaining are:

 

 - Dover is #1

 - South is out

 - You better not leave your ace in the hole for game 1 of the playoffs

 

#2/3 is probably between Keene/Concord - with Concord having Dover/Spaulding left

#4/5/6 is probably Londonderry, Pinkerton, Spaulding

#7/8/9 is probably BG, Alvirne, Exeter

 

The rest are way too messy to even predict; however, there could be a 6 way tie at 6-12 for the final 4 playoff slots if Central, Merrimack, Timberlane, and Memorial don't win and Winni wins 1 and Trinity wins 2.

 

I would think Trinity must beat Central and Timby this week and hope for those teams to lose in order to have some sort of tie breaker chance at getting in. Beating BG/Pink only helps w/ W/L, but will be less meaningful in multi-way tiebreakers. Winni has two tough ones with Londonderry & Pinkerton (irony is that two years in a row Pinky could effectively eliminate Winni).

 

Dover will not have easy first round game... Merri is playing really well, Trinity has G, Memorial can throw Gonzales and hope their offense gets to (I assume) Lupi. Central, Timby, and Winni each has a solid ace, although I'm less sure of the health of Timby's ace.

 

 

Some good games yesterday:

 

Trinity is hanging on. John F. is right on the $ with this one. They need to beat central!!

 

Merrimack- has a tough couple of games but seem to have found a spark.

 

Timberlane- also with a tough couple of games. this will be interesting to see play out.  This caught me off gaurd a bit. I didn't realize Timby dropped back as far as they did.

 

Winni- with a loss to the Astro's with their #1 on the hill they put themselves in a very deep hole. Londonderry for them tomorrow.

Alvirne's ace beat Dover's yesterday... They need a win vs. Merri to assure themselves of a home playoff.  A loss could muddy things depending on Exeter and Bedford results.  Winni I think is pretty much done - they don't own a lot of tiebreakers vs. other 6 win teams.  Getting the feeling there will be three 6-12 teams that will finish 16-18 seeds.  Trinity plays two today - at 4P vs Pinkerton followed by the completion of their game with Central.  G is going in one of those games (take a guess which one).  He threw 1 2/3 yesterday vs. BG to get the save. Get a win today and beat Timby tomorrow and then it's anything can happen baseball season.

 

D2 looks pretty jumbled too - with 12 teams capable of finishing .500 or better... Of course there's 3 teams that could go ohhh-fer the season too!

 

D3 has an astounding 20 teams at or above .500 and 1 more on the cusp (with 1 remaining vs. an 8-7 team).   The playoff system in D3 will make things very challenging for some of those teams hoping to save their aces.

 

D4 has 11 teams at or above .500 - although it certainly seems there are a solid top 3 teams there.

Lunch Time--let's see if I can figure this out, flip a coin, and speculate.  But what do I know?  The sun's out.  That's a start.

 

1. Dover (14-3) It looks like a lock, since they beat Keene H2H and 14-4 is better than 14-5.

 

A jumble....but I don't get paid to look at too many tie-breakers

2. Keene (12-5) Look primed for a 2-seed.  Home vs. Tim and @ Exeter.  14-5????

3. Londonderry (12-6) 

4. Pinkerton (11-6)

5. Spaulding 10-6 Holds H2H tiebreaker vs. Concord

 

The next three....

6. Concord (11-6) Lost to Keene, Londonderry, Pinkerton, and Spaulding

7. BG (11-9) Losing 4 of 5 costs them a higher seed.

8. Alvirne (9-8) It seem that wins over Exeter and Bedford make them a lock for the last home game.  And their possible 9-9 would be better than Salem's best of 9-11.  Central winning 3 straight the next two days changes this, but that's a tall task.

 

The next 4....

9. Bedford (8-9)

10. Exeter (8-9)

11. Salem (8-11)

12. North (8-12)  Beat Central. Lost to MMK and Tim although 8-10 is better than 8-12, right?

13. Memorial (7-10) Winners of 4 out of 5 finish with a big one at Spaulding

 

The last group.....

14. Central (6-9) three games remain.  9-9 could move them up. 6-12 could push them out.

15. Merrimack (6-10) Holds a H2H tie-breaker with Central, Trinity, and Winny.  

16. Timberlane (6-10)

16a. Trinity (5-10) 

16b. Winny (5-12) Needs a big W and some help.  Holds H2H with Central and Trinity.

 

Enjoy the afternoon.

 

Well looks like the winner of the Timby/ Trinity game gets the last spot as Trinity lost both games today. I'm not sure what Trinity has for pitching left after today.

Slight change of subject - congratulations to Londonderry's Rob Del Signore for winning Gatorade Player of the Year in NH this year.  The paper said he is headed to Southern NH University next year.  He certainly put up some impressive pitching numbers this season and I'm sure he deserved the honor.

With all games done now - should be:

 

1. Dover

2. Keene

3. Pinkerton

4. Concord

5. Londonderry

6. Spaulding

7. Alvirne

8. BG

9. Bedford

10. Salem

11. Exeter

12. Memorial

13. North

14. Central

15. Timberlane

16. Merrimack

 

Anyone have an idea what would happen if games get rained out on Thursday

Probably push back to Friday - I know that BG cannot play Friday as it's their Baccalaureate Mass and Dinner.  Been a rough week already losing their pitching coach. Graduation is Sunday at 2 - so rain delays will make things very interesting.

A few pretty intriguing first round games can be found in D2 tomorrow.  The Conval(5)/John Stark (12) game pits First Team All Stars Ivon Clough and Tyler Keim squaring off in Peterborough.  I suspect this one will be won by which ever team plays best defense as neither is likely to let up many hits.

 

Windham (11) at Milford (6) will pit Jeff Peterson against Ryan Britton.  Milford has been the more consistent team this year.

 

St. Thomas (9) travels up to Lebanon (8) and and brings it's high powered offense led by Ryan McKenna against the stingy Lebanon defense.

 

Oyster River (7) tries to take down Coe Brown (10) a third time this year.

 

Hope the weather cooperates.  

Dodging raindrops in NH today....

 

Preparing for the 1st pitch of the D1 playoffs brings some interesting statistics.

 

All of the top tournament seeds (#1-#8) have beaten their 1st round playoff opponents in the regular season. Four of those eight games were decided by 2-runs or less.  

The top eight seeds are a combined 51-13 over the #9-#16 seeds.  One team, Keene is a perfect 8-0 against the second eight. Two teams, Pinkerton and Alvirne, were 5-3 against the second 8.  Dover, Concord, and Londonderry were 7-1.  The 14th seed, Central, is 4-4 against the top seeds. 

 

I don't know what this means, just food for thought.   Good luck to all.

 

So the #11, #13 and #15 seeds all pull the "upset" yesterday (whatever that means this year in D1 when anyone can beat anyone with their ace on the mound) to advance.  Can Merrimack, Salem and Memorial do the same today?  

Add to that the #9 seed Bedford ball club who finished 9-9 on the season.  Yesterday, they scored 9 runs to beat BG after falling behind 3-0.

 

D2 on the other hand saw 6 games played yesterday with 6 favorites winning.

DII Action:

 

Plymouth defeats HB 3-0 and Goffstown blanks Portsmouth 3-0 as well. Goffstown's Tanner Putnam was electric tonight in the second game, throwing a one hit shutout. Congrats to Portsmouth on a strong tournament run without first team all state outfielder Mac Allen and #2 hitting Shortstop Lucas Hartmann(for the semifinal only). They showed a great amount of fight tonight, while lacking two very important players. 

 

Saturday should be an exciting day for the NHIAA, and good luck to all participating teams.

Terrific baseball at Holman last night.
Game 1- well played game by the Astro's. They seemed to have a confidence from the get go & with their ace on the hill I can see why.  Gerossie was dominant. Alvirne was overmatched the entire game.
Astro's win 4-1

Game 2- was close for a couple innings. Rob Delsignore was as advertised. Bedford looked like nerves may have been an issue. Most of Londonderry's  runs we're unearned

Londonderry wins 6-0

Agreed.  Congratulations to Goffstown.  Tanner Putnam was lights out, and James Haslam was also very good for Portsmouth.  A two-out, two-strike, two-run triple by Goffstown's #9 hitter was the difference in the game.  Best of luck to all teams in all divisions on Championship Saturday.