NORWICH — The runs came in too little and too late for the Lebanon High baseball team as it fell to local rival Hanover High 9-3 in an NHIAA Division II matchup at the Dresden Athletic Fields on Tuesday afternoon.
Bears’ Head Coach John Bagnulo said it was a good win and was encouraged by the performance of senior Jack Lobb, who got the start on the bump.
Lobb, who had been dealing with arm fatigue, got his first start in a while and threw four scoreless innings, allowing three hits, two walks, and striking out six.
“We weren’t perfect,” Hanover’s skipper acknowledged, citing base running issues, adding, “But overall, I think it was a solid win.”
Trailing 9-0 entering the top of the seventh, the Raiders scored three runs, on an RBI single from junior Charles Ferland and a two-RBI single from sophomore Nolan Hewett, but could not keep their rally going and succumbed to the Bears for the second time this season.
“I thought we played well, better as a team,” co-Head Coach Doug Allard said. “We were a little bit late, but, as you saw in the seventh inning, the kids came to play, they put the bat on the ball and made a few things happen — if we would have just done it earlier, I think it would have been a lot closer.”
After the Raiders stranded runners at first and second to begin the game — a theme for the contest’s entirety — the Bears got to work.
Hanover’s lead-off hitter, senior Jorgen Drent, smoked a ball to deep left field for a home run to give his squad an early 1-0 lead. The Bears’ next batter, Lobb, helped himself out and hit a single to left field.
The senior stole second, was moved to third on a groundout, and scored on a groundout from senior Jacobi Marotti, to give the Bears a 2-0 lead by the end of the first inning.
The Raiders went three up, three down in the top of the second, and the Bears extended their lead in the bottom half of the frame on a Lebanon fielding error and an RBI single up the middle from Lobb.
Hanover’s scoring slowed down in the third inning, but the Raiders could not take advantage, stranding runners on first and second in both the top of the third and fourth innings.
The Bears took a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth on a sacrifice fly from Drent and added another run in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single by junior Leo Sacerdote as the Raiders continued to squander opportunities with runners in scoring position.
Hanover added three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to go up 9-0, and the Raiders made a late push, but ultimately Sacerdote was able to close the door on the rally.
The Bears’ win makes them 12-4 this season. They have locked up a spot in the postseason, but currently sit on the outside looking in to earn a first-round bye with one game remaining.
“I think we’re going to go out and play our best game possible,” Bagnulo said about his squad’s mindset heading into the regular season finale. “I don’t want to take anything for granted, so I hope these guys go out there and play like everything is on the line.”
Hanover hosts Pelham (5-10) on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
This loss could be a big one for Lebanon (5-10), as it is right on the line of playoff contention in the 19-team Division II. On top of that, the Raiders will face a tough opponent to close the season.
The Raiders’ final contest of the regular season comes against Hollis-Brookline (15-1), which sits atop D-II.
“If we play like we did in the seventh inning, put bats on the ball, get yourself on the bases, make some things happen, put the pressure on them, instead of us, good things happen,” Allard said.
Lebanon hosts the Cavaliers on Friday at 4 p.m.
