Miracle Run Ends for Tigers

Hooksett, n.h. — It wasn’t the storybook ending Newport High’s baseball team had been looking for. But third-year Tigers head coach Jon Hamel insisted that his players leave the Southern New Hampshire University Baseball Field with their heads high following an 11-1, six-inning loss to No. 2 White Mountains in the NHIAA Division III semifinals on Tuesday.

After all, they had made history just by showing up.

The semifinal appearance was Newport’s first in 25 years and only the second since the Tigers last won a D-III title in 1983.

Hamel, who took over the program in 2016, led the team to a combined 9-23 record over his first two seasons, missing the playoffs each time.

This spring, the Tigers took off with what the coach called a special kind of chemistry. Newport finished the regular season with an 8-6 record, good enough for the No. 11 seed in the D-III tournament. The Tigers upset No. 6 Campbell, 6-1, and No. 3 Belmont, 3-2, in the first two rounds to earn a spot in the final four.

Kyle Fish, a Tiger senior who started against White Mountains, said his team simply ran out of gas.

“It’s meant so much to play varsity baseball for three years and come out senior year with a bang,” Fish said. “We played really hard for two straight games in the playoffs. Just making it here was incredible.”

White Mountains (17-2) took an early lead in the bottom of the first inning and never trailed, scoring in all but one frame against the Tigers. Newport left the bases loaded in the second but eventually cut the Spartans’ lead to 2-1 in the third off an RBI single into the left field gap by Bryce Willey, driving in Cody Turgeon from second base.

It was Newport’s only hit of the afternoon, and proved to be the only offense the Tigers could muster.

“Winning brings out people in Newport,” Hamel said. “I’m hoping some of the kids who didn’t play over the last couple of years see what this is all about.”

White Mountains blew the game open in the fourth inning, scoring four runs on three walks, two hits and two errors. The Spartans added another four runs in the fifth on three walks and three consecutive RBI singles. Griffin Crane and Braxton Brown led the Spartans offensively, each going 3-for-4 with three RBIs.

Fish exited the game after four innings, striking out one while allowing eight hits, five earned runs and six walks on 96 pitches. Turgeon pitched an inning of relief, allowing four hits, three runs and four walks on 47 pitches. White Mountains finished the game out-hitting the Tigers, 12-1.

Hamel said he hopes a little success can be something to build on in the future.

“I’m so, so proud of this team,” he said. “They should hold their heads up high.”

Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.