Champions will be determined Saturday

By rbrown
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Updated: June 7, 2024

NHIAA CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
Saturday | Delta Dental Stadium

Division III | 10 a.m.
No. 4 Bow (15-5) vs. No. 3 Souhegan (14-5)

Bow upset top-seeded John Stark, 10-2, in the semifinals. Bow starter Nate Kiah allowed one earned run on two hits and struck out three in four innings. Sean Guerrette, the Division II Pitcher of the Year, allowed two walks and no hits with one strikeout over the final three innings. Both are available to pitch Saturday. … Souhegan advanced with a 2-0 semifinal-round victory over 10th-seeded Oyster River. Brayden Hickman, a junior, tossed a complete game and struck out six to earn the win. Hickman is 2-0 since returning from an ACL tear that he suffered in October. … Souhegan is in the Division II championship game for the first time since 2017, when it fell to Portsmouth 5-0. The Sabers won two state titles (2003, 2016) in four previous championship game appearances. … Bow is seeking its first title since 2019, when it beat Hollis-Brookline 5-4 in the Division II championship game. … The teams did not meet during the regular season.

Division IV | 1 p.m.
No. 4 Newmarket (16-3) vs. No. 3 Gorham (17-2)

Newmarket is making its sixth straight appearance in the Division IV championship game. The Mules beat Littleton 5-4 to win last year’s title. … Gorham’s last appearance in the championship game came in 2014, when it lost to Sunapee 6-5. … Newmarket trailed Littleton 6-1 in Wednesday’s semifinals, but rallied for a 7-6 victory. Nate Fluet had four RBIs for Newmarket, which received two hits and two runs from Cam Moran and a hit and two runs from Parker Sweitzer. … Cam Pake (two hits, three RBIs) and Brendan Saladino led the Gorham offense during its 8-2 triumph over Woodsville in the semifinals. Jack Saladino went the distance on the mound in that win. … Saturday’s probable starters are Cam Moran (Newmarket) and Issac Langlois (Gorham). … The teams did not meet during the regular season.

Division III | 4 p.m.
No. 4 Belmont (17-2) vs. No. 3 Monadnock (18-2)

Monadnock beat Belmont 8-5 during the regular season, but it’s a deceiving score since Belmont was missing several starters and Belmont junior Michael Collette made the first start of his career on the mound that day. … Monadnock, which lost to White Mountains in last year’s Division III championship game, has outscored its opponents 45-2 in the postseason. The Huskies reach the Division III final by beating second-seeded Campbell 14-0 in the semifinals. … Both of Monadnock’s regular-season losses came against top-seeded Conant, which lost to Belmont 5-2 in the semifinals. Anakin Underhill tossed a complete game for Belmont. Underhill also had a bases-loaded double. … Both Underhill and Monadnock ace Ben Dean are available to pitch Saturday. Dean signed a national letter of intent to play baseball at Dayton. … Belmont reached the Division III championship game for the first time since 2017, when it lost to Campbell, 6-5.

Division I | 7 p.m.
No. 2 Exeter (21-1) vs. No. 1 Pinkerton (20-1)

It’s fitting these teams will meet in the Division I championship game, since they were by far the two best teams during the regular season. The Blue Hawks and Astros each finished 18-1, and Pinkerton earned the No. 1 seed — and a first-round bye — thanks to a better record against teams that qualified for the tournament. Every other Division I team had at least six losses during the regular season. … Exeter’s only loss was an 11-1 setback against Goffstown. The Blue Hawks have won 18 in a row since then. … Pinkerton’s lone loss came against rival Londonderry, 2-1. The Astros enter Saturday’s matchup having won 10 in a row. … Exeter pitcher/outfielder Cam Keaveney was named the Gatorade Player of the Year. He was the winning pitcher in Exeter’s 5-1 triumph over Londonderry in the semifinals. … Pinkerton first baseman Jackson Marshall was named the Divison I Player of the Year. … This is Pinkerton’s third straight trip to the Division I championship game. Pinkerton beat Londonderry 2-0 in 2022, and lost to Londonderry 4-3 last season. The Astros knocked off 13th-seeded Nashua North 5-4 in the semifinals (nine innings). … Exeter advanced to the championship game for the first time since 2018, when it beat Bedford 6-2. … Saturday’s probable starting pitchers: Cam Piwnicki (Exeter) and Michael Cioffi (Pinkerton).

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