NORWICH, Vt. — The Hanover High baseball team lost its second consecutive game Monday, dropping a 6-3 NHIAA Division II contest to Bow at the Dresden Athletic Fields.
“We did pretty much everything we could to win today and it just didn’t happen,” said Bears coach John Grainger, whose 3-2 team had seven hits but stranded 11 runners. “We smoked balls that became outs and had bloops that landed for hits.”
Hanover started Jake Tulmin on the mound and the sophomore allowed four hits and five runs, two of them earned, during a 5-inning effort. Tulmin struck out six Falcons and walked one. Bow had seven hits.
The hosts committed two errors, which combined with several walks to lead to four Bow runs. Offensively, Hanover received two hits each from Sam Sacerdote and Josh Bucci, but squeezed its collective bat handle as the afternoon progressed.
“When things didn’t go our way early, we became jumpy at the plate,” Grainger said. “We got uptight at the end when the pressure was on.”
What might have been the game’s decisive play occurred with Hanover runners on second and third and Bucci at the plate during the fifth inning.
With the score 5-3, the third baseman smacked a line drive up the middle that would have presumably plated two runs, but it struck the field umpire, resulting in a dead ball. Bucci was awarded a single and the runners sent back to their respective bases.
The silver lining for Hanover is that Monday’s contest provided exactly the type of tense environment it must experience if it’s to advance in the postseason. The Bears entered last season’s playoffs undefeated after playing a localized schedule caused by Covid-19 restrictions. They exited in the quarterfinals with a loss to eventual state champion John Stark.
“We want to be challenged and have our kids struggle,” Grainger said. “They need to be in difficult situations or else in the playoffs, they haven’t been in them before.”
The week gets no easier for the Bears, who host St. Thomas (5-0) on Wednesday before visiting arch-rival Lebanon (2-2) on Friday.
WEARE, N.H. — Nick Brill had the visitors’ lone hit against Generals senior pitcher Nathan Innerfield, who struck out 12 Raiders and walked only three in a complete-game effort. Lebanon junior Dawson Bates allowed five hits and three earned runs while striking out three batters and walking one.
The NHIAA Division II contest was tied, 1-1, during the sixth inning when Innerfield and A.J. Detone produced consecutive RBI singles. The Generals improved to 5-0 while Lebanon dropped to 2-2.
WEST CANAAN — Royals senior Allan Hammond made his high school pitching debut, surrendering nine hits and 10 runs, eight of them earned, during a 5 2/3-inning performance.
Zach Thompson had the lone hit for Mascoma (0-5). White Mountains recorded 15 of its 18 outs via strikeout.
“We have to score to win, and we’re still learning how to find ways to do that,” said first-year Royals coach Hunter Campbell. The two teams meet again Thursday at White Mountains.
WEST CANAAN — The Royals (0-6) received a single, a triple and an RBI from McKenzie DeAmicis. Alyssa Webster contributed a double against the Spartans (3-3).
“We were in it until the fourth inning, when errors started piling up,” said Mascoma coach Christine Labore, whose team is at Lebanon (1-3) on Wednesday. “It’s great to see the girls making contact. They just need to enter the box more confident.”
NORWICH — The Bears (1-4) scored their first run of the season when Haily Stewart’s fourth-inning triple was followed by Abby Campfield’s RBI single. Hanover (0-4), which managed only those two hits, visits Lebanon on Friday.
CLAREMONT — The visiting Cougars (4-2) broke a 4-4 tie by scoring three times in the seventh inning. The Cardinals’ Mia Herbert struck out nine foes and walked one while going the distance in the circle.
Kiley Bundy and Josie Aiken each had two hits and Herbert and Emily Peaslee each had triples for Stevens (2-2), which visits Coe-Brown on Friday.
MANCHESTER — The Bears trailed, 8-2, at halftime and fell to 2-3 despite freshman Henry Cotter’s 16 saves.
D.H. Hendrick provided each of the goals for Hanover, which hosts Pembroke (0-4) on May 3.
HANOVER — The Bears improved to 2-1 while dropping the Grizzlies to 2-3 in NHIAA Division II action. Hanover hosts Portsmouth (5-0) on Thursday.