Nashua, n.h.
That message was delivered Friday, first by Rochester Post 7, which pinned an 11-3 loss on the upstate boys during the teams’ opening game of the New Hampshire state tournament at Holman Stadium. Lebanon coach Rob Woodward followed in a similar vein, sugarcoating not a word in describing what had happened.
“I felt that after four innings, we gave up,” Woodward said. “We weren’t swinging the bats and we’re better than that.
“You come down here, and it’s not going to be a cakewalk. You’re a two seed and you pert near got 10-runned by a three seed. We can play ball with them, but you have to come to play.”
The result dropped Lebanon into an elimination game today at noon. It will oppose Merrimack, District B’s fourth-place finisher, which lost to District A champion Milford on Friday night, 8-1. Post 22 was District A’s runner-up during the regular season.
Lebanon led, 2-1, after an inning and was tied, 2-2, after five frames, but the wheels wobbled and then flew off when Rochester, the defending state champion, scored four runs in the sixth and four more in the seventh.
Starting pitcher Andrew Houde allowed nine hits and six runs, five of them earned, during a six-inning stint. The big righthander struck out two batters, walked one and hit two. Derek Griffin threw the last three innings.
“It was a tight ballgame through four innings and we were hanging in there,” Woodward said. “They’re a good-hitting ball club and early on, I didn’t think Houdy had his pop, but he was settling in and it was coming. But you have to have the right defense and other stuff rolling, which we didn’t have today.
“He hung a few pitches and they popped them, but he was battling through five innings. Then it all caved in.”
Rochester’s sixth at-bat began with a double. Coby Hussey couldn’t field a one-out grounder, leaving runners at first and third. Houde induced what appeared to be an ideal double-play grounder, but it struck a divot or pebble near the infield’s grass lip and sprang over shortstop Caleb Broughton as if it had bounced off a trampoline.
Houde hit the next batter and a single drove in two runs to make the score 5-2. Another single pushed Rochester’s lead to four runs and the game was effectively over.
Post 22 managed five hits, all singles. Houde had two of them and Chase Hussey, Matt Braley and Will Smith produced the others. The seventh, eighth and ninth slots in the Lebanon batting order were hitless in a combined nine at-bats.
Lebanon (12-5) was charged with three errors and had other blunders that didn’t show up in that particular column. The first came during the second inning, when center fielder Smith and right fielder Kegan Silovich miscommunicated and allowed a fly ball to drop between them.
Trying to avoid each other, the pair spun away and onto the ground, allowing Rochester batter Ben Gravel to reach second.
During the sixth inning, Houde ran from first base with a full count, only to discover that Rochester’s pitcher hadn’t committed to throwing home. The ensuing pickoff resulted in the third out.
A few minutes later, during the top of the seventh inning, Rochester’s Drew Healey laid down a bunt with a man on first base and no outs. Houde and Griffin charged the ball and the former fielded it before realizing second baseman Coby Hussey hadn’t covered first.
After gathering their belongings and equipment, the Lebanon players were gathered in a cluster on a stadium walk way.
Woodward delivered an emphatic and blunt address before the group shuffled out the gates and onto an idling school bus in temperatures in the mid-90s.
“Obviously it wasn’t enough hits, but you can’t make the errors we made out on the field,” Woodward said. “It all comes down to execution and we gave them extra runners and extra runs.
“We looked like the Bad News Bears, and you can’t have that down here. It won’t work.”
Lebanon was swept out of last year’s tournament with a 3-2 loss to Exeter and an 8-2 setback against Dover. Post 22 has lost its last five tournament games dating back to 2014 and has dropped six out of its last seven such contests dating back to 2013.
Notes: Woodward sent pinch-hitters Jacob Tetley, Matt Sullivan and Cedric Elkouh up in the seventh, eighth and ninth slots during the ninth inning. Tetley struck out and the other two grounded out, ending the game. … A Chase Hussey pop-up in the eighth inning was loudly called for by Rochester’s Josh Gagne, who then lost it in the sun and covered his head with both hands as the ball dropped behind him in foul territory along the third-base line. … Attendance appeared to be roughly 100, including various players and coaches from teams not involved in the game. … Rochester improved to 11-4. … District B teams have won the last three senior state titles and four of the last five. They have won all seven of the junior state tournaments, which began in 2007.