Following a loss to Salem National, Bow tripped up and fell into the losers’ bracket of the District 1 baseball tournament.

Three wins after that setback, a confident Bow squad found itself hoping to plan a different kind of trip.

On Monday, July 13, the 11- and 12-year-old all-stars won their third consecutive game with a 5-3 win over Derry American and earned a spot in the losers’ bracket semifinal against Bedford in a game scheduled for Wednesday, July 15.

Should Bow overcome Bedford, it would find itself in the losers’ bracket final with a rematch against Salem National, hoping to avenge an 11-1 loss from July 3 and earn the right to face Windham, the victor in the winners’ bracket.

Bow manager Jamie Vulgamore said he has confidence his team would be able to defeat Windham the required two games, and he has his eyes set on a higher goal.

“We’ve been playing every other day and we’ve had every type of game,” said Vulgamore.

“We’ve had to come back, we’ve had to hold the lead. I don’t think our kids are concerned at all. They think that they could win two against the Windham, and they think they could go to Connecticut (to the East Regional tournament).”

In the victory over Derry, Nate Corriveau hurled 4 2/3 innings and struck out eight batters to earn the win in addition to smacking a two-run home run in the fourth. Corriveau was scheduled to pitch against Salem National if Bow can defeat Bedford. and advance.

Number six hitter Sabastian Strong hit his first long ball of the tournament in the second inning against Derry to open the scoring, pounding a solo shot to give his team a 1-0 advantage.

Nate Cunningham added to the lead with an RBI single in the third inning before Corriveau’s home run, which was followed shortly after in the fourth by Colby Fortin’s solo shot to give Bow a 5-0 lead.

“We have a lot of big hitters,” said Vulgamore. “I have the deepest lineup that I think a Bow all-star team has every had. My six through nine hitters are just as good as my leadoff and second hitters.”

In six tournament games, Bow has pounded out 50 runs for a 5-1 record.

The team’s pitching has also been solid, and Vulgamore said unlike many Little League teams, he doesn’t have to rely solely on his ace.

“For me, it’s hard figuring out who to start. I really have three aces. I never have to worry about getting through one game to get to our ace pitcher,” said Vulgamore. “We knew coming into this year that it was our time to make a run at it. This has been our best shot in Bow for a while, and we’ve known that for a while.”