To snap out of what was becoming a losing streak, it was back to basics for Hanover baseball against defending champions Souhegan on Wednesday afternoon.
“Outstanding pitching,” Hanover coach John Bagnulo said. “And our defense was much better.”
Figure out those two, it seemed, and the offense would come along.
Behind a complete-game, 10-strikeout, four-hit, one-run gem from starter Aly Muirhead and an error free performance in the field, the Bears bought themselves the time on the other side to wait out Sabers starter Blake Powers and steal the win with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth inning against a reliever.
“We try to go nine on one, which is zone discipline, see pitches, battle, really try to run the count up, and I think to some extent it paid off,” Bagnulo said.
Powers held Hanover hitless and scoreless for five innings but walked several batters on long at-bats. He was pulled with no outs in the sixth inning after giving up a single to Jack Lobb and a seven-pitch walk.
Reliever Ethan Maudet walked another batter to load the bases with no outs, recovered with a force-out at home and a forced fly-out to left-field, but on two outs, Hanover broke through.
A sharp grounder from Hayden Avard ate up the shortstop, leading to no throw and Lobb crossing the plate to tie the game. Leo Sacerdote worked a two-strike walk to bring home the winning run.
Muirhead closed the game with his tenth strikeout sandwiched between a pair of groundouts in Hanover’s only inning with the lead.
“Huge,” Bagnulo said of the performance on the mound. “I thought it was exceptional. I think he was under 100 pitches for seven innings, so he was efficient… he was really on tonight. It was great.”
Two of the four hits allowed produced Souhegan’s only run in the top of the third inning. After getting two quick outs, Alex Trudel threw a wrench into plans of a clean inning with a booming triple to right field, then Jacob Bryan turned the next pitch back up the middle to plate the go-ahead run.
Hanover settled from there, maintaining the composure Bagnulo said was lacking in the back-to-back losses leading to the game.
“I think we spent a lot of time on defense here, the last few practices, just really attacking the ball,” Bagnulo said.
In the bottom of the fifth, Hanover had another shot to pull back into the game, but Powers forced a flyout with runners on second and third to end the threat.
Given one more shot by the defense, Hanover had its breakthrough and the win.
“It’s going to take that kind of defense,” Bagnulo said. “And if we get pitching like that, the sky’s the limit. You know, you’ve obviously got to think about what’s in front of you here, but you’re looking forward to the playoffs.”
The Bears sit fourth in NHIAA Division II with four games to play, with a matchup with division leader Hollis-Brookline coming on Friday.
Hanover travels to Laconia past time of publishing.