Bow, Gorham, Monadnock win titles

By rbrown
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Updated: June 8, 2024

DIVISION III
Monadnock 9, Belmont 5

Ben Dean tossed a complete game and third-seeded Monadnock (19-2) won its third Division III championship in the last four years.

Dean allowed nine hits and struck out nine.

Monadnock scored four runs in the first, one in the fourth, two in the fifth and two in the sixth. Hayden Bertolami collected two hits, two RBIs, reached base four times and scored twice a for the Huskies, who lost to White Mountains, 2-0, in last year’s Division III championship game.

Monadnock beat Somersworth 10-0 to claim the Division III title in 2021, and knocked off Inter-Lakes 11-2 to win the 2022 championship.

The game seemed to turn on a call in the fourth inning. Monadnock led 4-3 when Jake Hillard hit a sacrifice fly to center that drove in Bertolami. Belmont appealed, and Bertolami was called out for leaving the base early. After both teams left the field, the umpires huddled and allowed the run to count to make it 5-3.

Hutch Haskins had three hits and scored a run for fourth-seeded Belmont (17-3). It was 9-3 until Anakin Underhill added a two-run single in the seventh.

Underhill threw 122 pitches and took the loss.

DIVISION IV
Gorham 10, Newmarket 4

Fourth-seeded Newmarket struck for two runs in its first at-bat, but third-seeded Gorham had an answer. The Huskies scored three runs in the first inning and five in the second on their way to securing the Division III title.

“We started quickly a lot of times this year,” Gorham coach Pete Girouard said. “It just kept rolling. I couldn’t be happier with how they performed. And I think that was key answering their two with three. It was huge and I think it took the wind out of their sails a little bit.”

Gavin Corrigan drove in three runs for Gorham, which received three hits from Cam Pake.

Isaac Langlois pitched a complete game for the Huskies (18-2). He held the Mules to seven hits, six of which were singles.

‘Isaac shoved today,” Girouard said. “He’s been doing it all year. When we’ve needed him to step up big he’s steps up big.”

Newmarket (16-4) received three hits from Parker Sweitzer and two from Cam Moran. Both scored twice.

“We’ve been picked to get beat in the quarterfinals, the semis, this game — nobody believed that we could do it,” Girouard said. “We worried early, the coaches and I, about where we were going to find leadership. We have six seniors and every one took it upon themselves to be a leader.”

DIVISION II
Bow 13, Souhegan 3

Bow coach Ben Forbes said offense wasn’t a strength for his team this season, but it was Saturday. The fourth-seeded Falcons (16-5) scored seven runs in the third inning and added five in the seventh en route to a 10-run victory in the Division II championship game.

Colby Smith and Sean Guerrette each had two hits and three RBIs in the win. Brady Lover finished 3 for 4 and scored twice.

“It (the offense) took time to develop,” Forbes said “A lot of young hitters with big swings — big, long swings. It took time for us to hone those down and get them short to the baseball. This is probably one of the best offensive performances we’ve had. What a day to have it.”

Guerrette pitched 3.2 innings in relief of Nate Kiah to earn the win.

Cam Brown had three hits and an RBI for third-seeded Souhegan (15-6). The Sabers received two hits and an RBI from Joe Mayo.

“Not that I didn’t think we were capable, but it was more about trying to develop skills at the beginning of the year,” Forbes said. “We were young and our leadership was a little inexperienced. We needed some time to build, but they really put it on the fast track and by the second part of the season we were rolling.”