NASHUA – Both Exeter Post 32 and Rochester Post 7 stayed alive in the New Hampshire American Legion state baseball tournament with victories Sunday, July 26, at Holman Stadium.
Exeter rallied for a 6-4 win over Keene, while Rochester cruised past Laconia, 15-1, in five innings. Both Keene and Laconia were eliminated from the tournament.
Exeter and Rochester will meet Monday, July 27, at 4 p.m. The winner will advance to play Bedford or Nashua immediately afterward.
“Exeter is a great team, and Tim is a great coach,” Rochester head coach Nate Locke said. “I expect a good game Monday. It’s a long road to the championship. We need four more wins to get there, but I told our guys we’re capable of doing it.”
Exeter rallies past Keene
Exeter trailed 4-2 entering the seventh inning before scoring four runs to take a 6-4 lead.
Post 32 sent 10 batters to the plate in the decisive inning. Collin McGovern, Ben Wissler and Cam Morrill each delivered key hits during the rally.
“Another good Senior Legion baseball game,” Exeter head coach Tim Mitropoulos said. “Keene battled all the way and competed hard. We started a little slow but stayed composed and got the hits when we needed to.”
Both Brady McGovern and Collin McGovern drove in two runs for Exeter, while Wissler and Morrill added an RBI apiece. Brady McGovern, Wissler, Morrill and Jack Ferrelli each finished with two hits.
Nate Edin earned the win, allowing just one hit over the final two innings while striking out two. Collin McGovern, Ferrelli and Morrill also saw time on the mound for Exeter.
“Our pitchers stuck to the plan and battled all day long,” Mitropoulos said. “We’re excited to live to play another day and are just going to take it one inning at a time. We’re excited for the challenge.”
Rochester rolls past Laconia
Rochester erupted for seven runs in both the first and third innings on the way to a 15-1 victory. Laconia scored its lone run in the fifth before the game ended via the 10-run rule.
Locke said the seven-run first inning set the tone.
“That inning was huge for us. We haven’t done that all year,” Locke said. “We opened it up, and the first inning set the tone. We were able to relax a little bit the rest of the way.”
Garrett Truax led Rochester with two hits and three RBIs. Wes Drapeau, Brayden Comeau and Connor Jackson each drove in two runs.
“The kids stepped up,” Locke said. “They were disciplined at the plate, and we got hits in key situations.”
Keegan Daly and Evan Trepanier combined to allow five hits and one earned run while striking out five.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Exeter, Rochester stay alive in legion state baseball tournament