The season began as most would have expected. It may end like few could have imagined.

This year, Stevens-Buswell Post No. 54 established Bedford’s first American Legion baseball team in roughly 20 years.

The junior squad, made up of local 15- to 18-year-old athletes, lost its first contest, 7-4, to Keene. The next seven games resulted in a 4-3 record, and Bedford seemed poised to straddle the .500 mark throughout the season.

“It’s just a young team,” said manager Tim Conway. “But we’ve really come around lately.” That’s an understatement.

Bedford finished the regular season 10-4, earning the No. 2 seed in the playoffs, and Conway said his boys have won eight in a row.

The last two – a 5-1 win over Derry on Sunday, Aug. 3, and a 5-3 come-from-behind triumph over top-seeded Dover on Tuesday, Aug. 5 – have Bedford in the state title game, one victory away from earning a bid to the regional tournament in West Warwick, R.I.

“Everyone’s worked hard and we’ve gotten consistently good pitching, fielding and hitting,” said Conway. “We’re just focused on the fundamentals of the game and learning to respect the game.” In their semifinal matchup with Dover, the locals fell behind, 2-0.

But in the fourth inning they put runners at the corners with one out.

While Zach Husband distracted the defense by stealing second base, Andrew Klimm snuck in the back door and scored the first run.

Matt Woodmansee tied the contest with an RBI triple. Then, in the top of the sixth, Woodmansee came through again, this time plating Robert Hunt for the go-ahead run. Brian Comiskey followed with a solid liner past the pitcher, and an overthrow to first base helped Bedford pad its lead with two more runs.

Husband went 3-for-4 setting the table for Woodmansee, who finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored.

Marc Russomano struck out five batters in four innings, and Ben Goley fanned four while garnering the final nine outs.

With Bedford on the brink of a state championship, Conway knows his greatest task is in front of him.

“A lot of kids are already talking about regionals,” he said. “But we’re trying to keep them focused on doing what they’ve done so well all year ... hitting the ball, throwing the ball and fielding the ball.”