Woodsville
The Engineers’ won their third straight game in a 18-0, five-inning victory over Gorham on Wednesday at Woodsville Community Field. Travis Stoddard was 2-for-2 with five RBIs and closed the game out with a strikeout of a Gorham batter in the top of the fifth inning. Seanon May was 3-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Starting pitcher Zach Moore struck out five in the first two innings.
Woodsville (3-1) managed 15 hits and walked four times over four innings against two Gorham pitchers, picking up another win without senior starter Cooper Davidson, out for at least a few weeks with a pinched nerve in his throwing arm he suffered during the preseason. Cox, the Engineers’ fifth-year coach, said he’s been impressed by the effort thus far.
“We only have one game this week, so it was a good opportunity to get everyone involved,” Cox said. “We have a pretty deep team this year, so it’s tough to fit 15 kids into the lineup which all can do the job.”
Woodsville started the spring off with a 14-0 loss to Littleton on April 9, a defeat Cox admitted was as much earned by their opponents as it was gift-wrapped by a slew of defensive mistakes. The Engineers haven’t faltered since, outscoring their opponents, 35-3, ever since. The victory over Gorham (0-2) was Woodsville’s second consecutive shutout.
“That first game was kind of rough for us, but I think it was good in a way,” Cox admitted. “We knew we were a better team than that. You can see the difference between how they show up for each game and who the opponent is. As they figure out that they are a good team — they know they are; we only lost two players and won 12 games last year — I think moving forward they have a little bit of that swagger back that they felt last year. That’s going to help us.”
The Engineers put up six runs in both the first and second innings, building a 12-0 lead before the Huskies got a hit. Stoddard got the uprising started in the first inning with a three-RBI double into deep center field with the bases loaded and two outs, driving in Moore, Donny Bowman and Corey Bemis. He did it again in the second inning with a two-run single, adding to Woodsville’s lead.
Bowman returned to Woodsville baseball this spring after joining the school’s track and field squad last spring.
May and Tyren Hartford combined to drive in another four runs in a five-run third inning. Seth Hannett scored Woodsville’s final run in the fourth, hitting a leadoff triple before scoring on a wild pitch.
Moore, Stoddard and freshman Brendan Walker combined for eight strikeouts, four walks and one hit in the victory.
“Cooper (Davidson) and Zach (Moore) were our mainstays on the mound last year; those guys were key for us,” Cox said. “This year, I feel like I have seven or eight pitchers who can throw strikes consistently. I actually have trouble fitting them all in to get work on the mound.
“It’s actually good for us,” he added. “If (Davidson) is going to be hurt, have him hurt early on in the season so that we can get some of those other guys some work. I know he can pitch in big games. He’s done it in the playoffs the last two years.”
Woodsville is coming off of matching 12-6 records in each of the last two seasons, which both ended in postseason losses. The program hasn’t won a state championship since 1977, according to NHIAA records.
Cox has been particularly pleased with the play of his younger players such as Walker and Bemis, both underclassmen getting plenty of playing time early on this season. Walker pitched a complete game against Canaan-Pittsburg on April 11, a 13-3 victory, and Bemis has been a steady presence at third base.
“Over the least couple of weeks, as we’ve been analyzing our lineup, (Walker and Bemis) have been putting the ball in play,” Cox said. “One game, between the two of them, they were 6-for-6. Right now, I know everyone can play defense. If you’re hitting, you’re going to get in.
“I actually didn’t anticipate on using the freshmen. But they’ve proven themselves so well, that’s why I decided to take 15 (on the varsity squad). We normally wouldn’t because we have a jayvee team. They’re all capable. It’s definitely a good surprise.”
Woodsville is scheduled to travel to Colebrook on Monday.
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.