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Exeter, Rochester open state legion baseball tournament with wins
Exeter, Rochester open state legion baseball tournament with wins
- Exeter, Rochester open state legion baseball tournament with wins
NASHUA – Both Exeter Post 32 and Rochester Post 7 opened the annual American Legion State Tournament with victories Friday at Holman Stadium.
Exeter, the District B No. 2 seed, defeated District A No. 3 seed Laconia Post 7, 10-4, while District B No. 3 seed Rochester topped District A No. 2 seed Lebanon, 7-1.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Always want to get the first win in the tournament," Exeter head coach Tim Mitropoulos said. "The team played hard. Wasn’t our cleanest game in the field or on the base paths, but the team played hard every inning and always responded when Laconia got a run or had a good inning offensively."
Rochester is making its first state tournament appearance since 2019.
"I told the boys they have to believe in themselves, and hopefully this win helps us," Rochester head coach Tim Locke said.
Exeter will face District A No. 1 seed Bedford at 4 p.m. on July 25, while Rochester will take on Nashua at 7 p.m. Bedford rolled past Salem, 18-4, while Nashua defeated Keene, 7-4.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Going to be a great test," Mitropoulos said of facing undefeated Bedford. "We're excited about the opportunity."
Locke announced James Mabey will get the start for Rochester against Nashua.
"Nashua is a very good team," Locke said. "They finished in first for a reason, and they're an older team. But (Mabey) is a really good pitcher. If he comes out and sets the tone, I think it's going to be a good ball game."
Exeter's top three hitters combine for six hits, six RBIs
Andrew Martin, Brady McGovern and Nate Gallant, the top three hitters in Exeter's lineup, combined to go 6-for-10 with six RBIs.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Those guys have been consistent all year and give us a great chance every at-bat," Mitropoulos said. "They hit the ball hard and had a great day at the plate today. Our lineup was good today, and when guys got on at the bottom of the order, that gave those guys a great chance to keep our momentum going."
Martin went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, McGovern finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored, and Gallant went 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored.
Exeter took advantage of three Laconia errors that led to eight unearned runs.
"We want to try and put the ball in play and see what happens," Mitropoulos said. "Putting pressure on the defense that way is what we try to do. We did a good job of that today throughout the lineup."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementExeter's seven-run third inning broke open a close game and gave Post 32 a 9-4 lead. Exeter added a run in the fourth, while Laconia scored single runs in the fourth and fifth innings.
Cam Morrill added two hits and two RBIs for Exeter, while Jackie Prompradit had a hit and an RBI.
Pitching, three-run fifth sparks Rochester Post 7
Rochester scored three runs in the fifth inning to take a 6-1 lead, then added an insurance run in the seventh.
A trio of Post 7 pitchers, led by starter Hunter Spencer and relievers Carter Hanson and Nate Cloos, held Lebanon to one run on five hits while striking out seven.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Those three guys are always the stalwarts," Locke said. "(Spencer) set the tone for us, (Hanson) held it for us, and (Cloos) finished it off. All three guys were throwing strikes. It was pretty impressive."
Cloos, Alex Locke and Ty Lindsay each collected two hits for Rochester, while Felix Guerrero had a hit and two RBIs. Alex Locke, Brayden Comeau and Cooper Hanson each drove in a run.
"We're a young team, so when we have the pitching we had today and they're throwing strikes, I think we can compete with anyone," Locke said. "I'm happy for them, and I hope they're enjoying it."
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Exeter, Rochester open state legion baseball tournament with wins
Story byPortsmouth Herald