Manchester
Catcher Andrew Hadlock’s two-out, 10th-inning triple to the right-center field fence prefaced an RBI single from Joey Perras, a combination that pushed Lebanon Post 22 past Dover Post 8, 4-3, in a New Hampshire American Legion junior state tournament baseball game on Thursday at Gill Stadium.
Hadlock contributed to the victory in most every way possible, reaching base four times, scoring three runs, stealing three bases — twice without a throw — and catching a would-be Dover base thief for the game’s final out.
Lebanon, which let a 3-1 lead — and nearly the game — get away in the bottom of the seventh inning, capitalized on Hadlock’s bat and pitcher Zach Moore’s arm. A Woodsville High junior, Moore took over for tiring starter Cedric Elkouh in the seventh and worked out of a second-and-third, one-out jam to eventually earn the win.
“Even though we got out of a tie game, it seemed like we were mentally down for an inning or two,” Lebanon coach Travis Pelletier said. “But we were able to have Zach go in and step up and keep us hanging around. Finally, we showed some life, and that triple just brought some life to the kids.
“It went from being excited to down to excited. A lot of emotions going on in that one.”
After a dodgy opening inning, Elkouh settled down to silence Dover (10-5) for most of the afternoon. Post 8 nicked him for a run in the third on a Kaleb Witham double, an Alexander Bostrum sacrifice bunt and a run-scoring groundout from Wyatt Allaire.
Lebanon (13-4), riding an eight-game winning streak, answered immediately. Jack Loftus took an off-speed delivery from Dover pitcher Jeremy Wood off his helmet and Hadlock received one on his shoulder to open the fourth. Both moved up on separate steals, a theme for the day, with Loftus scoring on a Perras RBI single and Hadlock racing home following Trey Chickering’s sac fly to center. Hadlock would make it 3-1 in the Lebanon sixth on a walk, a stolen base, a Perras bunt single and a run-scoring Elkouh sac fly.
“I’d say I have sneaky speed for a bigger fella,” said Hadlock, a Kimball Union Academy sophomore. “When I get on base, I try to take every extra base I can, if it be stealing or taking a base on a passed ball.”
That seemed to be enough for Elkouh, but Dover had other notions.
With Moore warming up in the bullpen, Post 8’s Jacob Bisson and Christopher Johnson singled to open the home seventh. Hadlock appeared to have caught Bisson stealing second base before Johnson’s hit, but the second-base umpire disagreed, to the consternation of the Lebanon dugout.
A Witham RBI sac fly plated Bisson, while a dropped third strike to Bostrum brought in pinch runner John Dalton with the tying run. Pelletier went to Moore, who hit his first batter with a pitch before fanning Clayton Greig and Colton Grant to prevent further damage.
“I just knew I had to go in and throw strikes,” said Moore, who struck out four, walked one and gave up just one hit in 3⅔ innings of shutout relief. “I normally don’t close; I normally start and pitch a while. I was just nervous.
“Being a starter, it usually takes me a while to warm up. Just wanted to make sure I was ready to go in.”
Hadlock drilled a 2-0 pitch from Dover’s Jack Gallines over the pulled-in outfield for his two-out triple in the 10th. Perras then bounced Gallines’ next offering between first and second to plate Hadlock with the deciding run. Post 22 managed just five hits for the game, three of them off Perras’ bat; Hadlock walked twice to go with his triple and HBP.
Moore walked Gallines with two outs in the home 10th, but Hadlock erased him with a perfect throw to second baseman Jeremy Sigl on a stolen-base try to close out the win.
Fungoes: Lebanon will meet Newmarket, an 8-2 winner over Alton on Thursday,in a scheduled seven-inning winners’ bracket game at 5 p.m. today. … Gill was home to the Eastern League’s New Hampshire Fisher Cats through the club’s first season (2004) during the construction of what is now known as Northeast Delta Dental Stadium. According to a plaque behind the grandstand, Gill’s history dates back to 1894, when it was first known as Verick Field. … Gill is festooned on three sides by trees bearing dedication plaques. One mature specimen on the ballpark’s east side bears the imprimatur of “The Twigg Family.” … Flyers remained affixed to Gill’s gates advertising a catching clinic with the slogan, “Thou Shall Not Steal.”
Greg Fennell can be reached at gfennell@vnews.com or 603-727-3226.