Concord News : baseball

Concord's Post 21 helps student-athletes offset some college costs

Bow Editor — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:47:00 GMT

Despite a disappointing season for the Concord American Legion baseball team, Post 21 manager Averill Cate wanted to conclude the summer on a positive note.

In fact, he said he wants to end every Legion season like he’s done this year. On Thursday, Aug. 14, Concord Post 21 and the Forty-and- Eight Club congratulated four athletes and one coach on fine performances and awarded them a total of $4,750 in college scholarships.

The players, Daniel Solomon of Concord, Matt French of Hooksett, Mitch Philibert and Nick Comtois each received $1,000 in education funds, and Brian Drew, who coached Concord’s junior American legion team this season, took $750. Drew a standout at Concord High School, currently attends Keene State College.

French, an outfielder, played his high school ball at Trinity in Manchester. Cate said the third-year Legion player has been a huge asset for the team.

Nick Comtois, another three-year player, pitched and played the outfield. He attended Coe-Brown High School in Northwood and now heads to the State University of New York Cobbleskill this fall. Longevity is not necessarily a prerequisite for the award, however.

Solomon, an outfielder who recently graduated St. Paul’s School in Concord, plans to attend the University of New Hampshire, and Hillsboro-Deering’s Philibert, a pitcher and third baseman, completed their first season with the Concord squad, yet both are reaping the benefit of a generous college scholarship.

And that’s the point, said Cate.

“If you play for our program, and you stick with it through the summer, and you’re going to college, we’re going to try and help you with $1,000,” he said. “If you go to college and you still have another year of eligibility and come back, we’ll try and get you another $1,000.”

Post 21’s eclectic group hits well but has trouble in the field

Bow Editor — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:12:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

Garde Burgess had an early idea how Concord Post 21’s American Legion baseball season was going to play out.

During one of the team’s first practices, he pulled his nine pitchers aside and asked each one how many high school innings they’d pitched. Aside from ace Mitch Philibert, the answer was five – total.

“I thought that was a pretty telling statistic,” said Burgess. “I pretty much had spring training with my players during the district season. I was out there working on mechanics with them before, during and after games.”

It came as no coincidence, then, that Philibert notched three of Concord’s four wins. He would have had six had it not been for three blown leads by the bullpen, said Burgess. Still, the coach is quick to point out the team is young, and most of the players return in 2009, many the season after that as well.

“They’ll do a lot better next year, that’s for sure, but there’s no doubt any extra pitching experience we can get will help. That was definitely our weakness,” he said.

The bats, on the other hand, boomed.

Post 21 averaged double-digit hits per game.

“A lot of games we’d have 16 hits, but we lost the game because we had given up 12 walks,” said Burgess. “Of course, you know if you give up those kind of base runners, you’re going to lose a lot of games.”

Still, Concord put runs on the board in all but one game, though Burgess noted the players often got into trouble on the base paths.

Mark Sullivan of Concord and Hooksett’s Matt French, said the coach, led the team in hitting.

French, in fact, went 16- for-19 his last four games, and would have produced even more throughout the season had it not been for a hamstring injury that caused him to miss several games.

Others contributing include Hopkinton’s Thomas Johnson and Evan Levy; Bow’s Dan Yvars; Pembroke Academy’s Zachary Cogswell, Connor Moroney and Doug Turnbull; Goffstown’s Matthew O’Brien; Daniel Solomon, Benjamin Thurston, Ryan Wakefield, Tucker White, Nicholas Comtois and John Boudrais.

“They all got along really well, which is kind of unusual with a team compiled of kids from so many different areas of New Hampshire,” said Burgess.”This was a very good bunch of guys, probably one of the most delightful bunch of guys with some of the most unique personalities I’ve ever coached.”

Legion loss – Locals take tough defeat

Bow Editor — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 19:42:00 GMT

BY RYAN O'CONNOR

Late in his first playoff game at the helm of a competitive baseball team, with his Concord American Legion junior squad tied 2-2 against top-seeded Derry and going into extra innings, Brian Drew turned to his predecessor, Averill Cate.

“He looked at me and said, ‘I’ve got more butterflies in my stomach now than when I was playing,’” said Cate. “I kind of got a kick out of it because games like that will certainly do that to you.”

Drew said he always knew there was a lot of pressure on baseball players in clutch situations; he simply never considered the constant onus on the coaching staff.

“I never imagined how strenuous it would be to make all those important decisions,” said Drew, until Cate, manager of the Concord American Legion senior baseball team, asked him to coach the first year junior squad, composed of up-and-coming high school players, age 17 and younger.

“I mean, the pressure was great and I loved it, but at the same time it’s just a totally different view of baseball than I’ve ever had before.”

Having coached Drew growing up, Cate said he would make a solid skipper.

“He had played for me back in the Babe Ruth days and then played for me a couple years when I started coaching the senior Legion program,” said Cate. “I asked him last year to help me out with the senior team and I was impressed, so this year I asked him if he’d be interested in taking over the junior program and be the head honcho.

“We were really impressed with him,” Cate continued. “He did a really nice job.”

Drew directed his squad to the first-ever American Legion junior baseball tournament, where it went on to lose the aforementioned tie game, 3-2, in extra innings.

Though there were challenges associated with guiding a first-year team through the regular season, Drew said he takes responsibility for many of the decisions that he said may have led to the Derry loss.

“The thing that hurt us the most was the calls by the coaches,” he said. “I didn’t call a hit-and-run when I should have or I didn’t tell have a guy bunt in the right situation, that kind of stuff.”

The players, on the other hand, stepped up, according to Drew.

“I told them, basically from the beginning, we’re a good enough team which has had our chances to beat the top teams, so if we were going to lose, we were going to beat ourselves and I think the players really understood what they had to do,” said Drew.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen them play so together all year. We made very few mental errors and did things well,” he continued. “It was, hands down, the best game we’ve played all year and that’s the way baseball is sometimes. You play your best game and lose.”

Still, Drew faced starting two middle infielders in the playoffs who hadn’t started there regularly during the season.

Michael Courchesne started at second base and Allenstown’s Nathan Derkacz played shortstop, both coming up big defensively, said Drew.

In the first inning, Hopkinton’s Matt Windhurst led off with a single and stole second before Epsom’s Connor Moroney moved him to third on a base hit.

Dan Solomon, of St. Paul’s School, laid down a suicide bunt to bring Windhurst home and give Concord the early 1-0 lead.

Derry came back in the bottom of the second to tie the contest, but in the fourth inning Courchesne took advantage of a shallow outfield, ripping a double over the head of the center fielder before Noah Solomon, who Drew said had been struggling with his bat, lined a double down the third-base line to plate the go-ahead run.

Derry answered, however and pushed the game into extra innings.

“We could taste the blood and were feeling the win, but their batters did a good job to work the counts and get on base when we weren’t,” said Drew.

In the eighth inning, the first of extra play, Concord put runners at first and second with no outs and moved them over on a sacrifice ground ball.

But a strikeout and a pop-out later, Concord’s threat had dissolved.

“That was one of those situations where we probably should have laid one down and I guess we missed the opportunity because we were worried about whether the batter would get the job done,” said Drew.

In the final frame, Noah Solomon walked before Windhurst tried and failed to lay down a bunt, fouling both attempts, then struck out swinging on the third pitch.

“Maybe we shouldn’t have been bunting in that situation, but you try to play technical baseball and try to manufacture runs when you can and sometimes it just doesn’t work out,” said Drew.

Moroney then walked and Dan Solomon was called out on what Drew termed as a debatable strike call, but one that had been consistently called that way all night.

Allenstown’s Zachary Cogswell, in the next at bat, made solid contact, but lined the ball right at the ranging second baseman.

In the ninth inning, with the bases loaded, Drew told his pitcher to throw a fastball, but failed to call for the proper outfield shift in time.

By the time the outfielders had received Drew’s orders and initiated their shift, the batter had lined the ball into the gap to knock the locals out of the tournament.

Jared Peick threw seven innings of seven-strikeout ball for Concord.

This year’s Concord squad sent four players to the junior Legion all-star game, including Hopkinton’s David Brandt and Windhurst, as well as Peick and Dan Solomon.

Playoff push – Locals lead Post 21 juniors to postseason date with Derry

Bow Editor — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 21:30:00 GMT

BY RYAN O'CONNOR

It was a regular-season contest with a playoff feel. Concord Post 21, 6-8, and Salem Post 63, 5-9, both entered the game facing the same scenario: continue playing with a victory or bid farewell to teammates with a loss.

Behind solid mound and plate efforts from Hopkinton’s David Brandt, Concord held off a late Salem rally to win, 7-6.

After his team allowed four runs to cross in the seventh inning, bringing Salem within one run, Brandt pitched the final 2 1/3 innings to protect the lead and secure a Concord appearance in the first American Legion junior baseball tournament.

The top four teams of six made the playoffs.

Brandt, consistently hitting around .400 all season, went 2-for-4, including a double.

Matt Windhurst of Hopkinton went 2-for-2 and drew two walks.

Bow’s Josh Kleinberg and Hopkinton’s Thomas Johnson each added a hit.

Allenstown 15-year-old Zachary Cogswell went 1-for-3.

Despite the playoff appearance, however, it has been a season of constant challenges for Concord, said coach Brian Drew.

“I think that we deserve to have a better record for the kind of team we are,” said Drew, whose team started 2-3. Each loss, he said, came after his team blew a late-game lead. “That’s just the kind of season we’ve had. We’ve either lost late or gone down big early and had to work our way back.”

Moreover, four players left the squad during the season.

Drew said he couldn’t choose from the 18 players who tried out, so Post 21 suited up four more than the normal 14-player squad, leaving the team fully loaded for the postseason – despite the sudden vacancies.

“We’ve been able to compete with every team in the league, but we’ve had consistency problems, and it’s just a matter of who’s going to show up and get a job done on a given day, which makes it really hard to field the same nine players,” said Drew.

“They’ve all worked hard and have been really competitive, so they’ve made my choices difficult,” he continued. “I guess that’s a good thing.”

The competitive nature of his players, said Drew, is exactly what gives his team a solid chance at a title.

Concord opens the playoffs at Manchester’s Gill Stadium against 11-6 Derry, the No. 1 seed, on Friday, Aug. 10, immediately following another playoff match-up which begins at 4 p.m.

“I’m happy we’re playing Derry first because if we can come out sharp and knock them off,” said Drew, “it’s all downhill from there.”

Jr. achievement – Concord Legion’s seniors miss playoffs, younger team reaches postseason

Bow Editor — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 20:10:00 GMT

BY RYAN O'CONNOR

Going into a doubleheader with Plymouth, the Concord American Legion junior baseball team held a 4-6 record and was on the outside looking in at the fourth and final playoff spot.

But after a two-game sweep of Plymouth, the team previously ahead of them, Concord players are now preparing for the postseason, carrying a 6-6 record and sole possession of the last tournament bid.

Following the games, manager Averill Cate said he found out Plymouth will not move on, even if it finishes ahead of his squad, because the local high school football coach is forbidding his gridiron players from participating.

Though the news guarantees his team the playoffs, Cate said he would rather his team earn the berth and noted he was disappointed to hear of the Plymouth policy.

“They call themselves educators and then they put that kind of pressure on them,” he said. “Well, that’s a laugh and a half.”

Playing its final week, the Concord senior team’s players didn’t fare as well as their junior counterparts.

After winning two in a row and gaining some positive momentum, Concord lost its final two in-division regular season games to complete the summer with a 7-13 record.

Concord lost at Laconia, 9-6, on July 25, and to Exeter, 7-5, during a rainout make-up game on Friday, July 27.

But Cate was quick to note that many of his younger players stepped up their play the final two weeks after two of his veterans were suspended.

Hopkinton’s David Brandt, going into his senior year of high school, and Concord’s John Andersch, who recently graduated, both contributed.

Thomas Mullen of Concord, also entering his senior year, was one of the team’s best finds, playing second base and making consistently solid contact at the plate, said Cate.

The team’s final three non-division games have been canceled, said Cate, so the players and coaches can concentrate on the junior squad’s playoff run.

Conquered – Concord National falls in losers bracket semis

Bow Editor — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 17:22:00 GMT

BY SAPNA PATHAK

It was as difficult as Dave Angus imagined.

Standing in the dugout, facing his 11- and 12-year-old players, the Concord National manager struggled to find the right words in his final postgame speech. After an emotional 10-9 loss to Salem American in this year’s District 1 Little League majors baseball tournament, Angus relayed to his all-stars the only thoughts he could muster.

“I’m proud of them … I’m just really, very proud of this group of boys,” said Angus after the game on Wednesday, July 11. “This was a prime example of two great teams meeting. That’s what this tournament is all about. It seems like life or death out there when you’re playing, but every coach has to make that farewell speech, and it’s one of the hardest things you have to do.”

Hosting the victors in the losers bracket semifinal, Concord climbed back from a 5-0 deficit to take a 9-5 lead. But Salem’s timely hitting against Concord hurler Nathan Strowzewski fostered the come-from-behind win.

Strowzewski took over with two out in the first inning when starter Cody Ferns was touched for 5 runs on 46 pitches.

Concord’s offense came alive in the bottom of the third inning after Strowzewski led with a double. Braden Smith
reached on a fielder’s choice before Cody Barnhart’s RBI single scored Strowzewski.

Cam Alosa knocked in two runs on a double to the center-field wall, while Connor Angus did the same with a bases-clearing triple to score Alosa and Austin Erickson. Connor Angus came around on Alex Bashios’ two-run home run, putting Concord ahead, 7-5.

“I knew we’d come back because we’re a good hitting team,” said Dave Angus. “But they had a hard time with Salem’s reliever. He was the difference in the game. We couldn’t get to him and instead, Cody had a hard time with the umpire’s tight strike zone.”

Salem pitcher Phil Smith entered the game after Bashios’ home run, quieting Concord’s bats for most of his outing.

National’s lineup did manage two runs in the bottom of the fourth on a two RBI triple from Barnhart.

“We’d just come off a big win (against Goffstown), and we really thought we could keep it rolling,” said National’s mentor. “But the deeper you stay in the tournament, the better the teams you’re going to be seeing. This really could’ve gone either way, because the competition’s that tight.”

The game marked Angus’ last as a Little League manager. Rounding out his roster were Sean Mamos, Harrison Murphy, Jon Dunn and Chris Bartlett.

Umps and grumps – Officiating crew called out – and other things – by Concord fans

Bow Editor — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 17:18:00 GMT

BY SAPNA PATHAK

Sure, the stakes were higher – it was one of two losers bracket semifinal match-ups in this year’s District 1 11- and 12-year-old Little League tournament – but the four volunteer umpires calling the game thought they were prepared.

They were wrong.

A controversial call in the bottom of the sixth inning – Concord National player Cody Ferns was called out at third base – angered National fans, who hurled food and profanities at the umpires after the game, a 10-9 Salem American win on July 11.

National fans were outraged after Ferns was called out at third, then ejected from the game for “throwing a fit” in the dugout, according to National manager Dave Angus, as well as a called third strike against National batter Cody Barnhart to end the game.

“I got hit in the head with pizza and in the arm with pizza,” said umpire Dan Bachand, who posted his statement on WMUR-TV’s Web site July 12.

Bachand, an umpire in Manchester Central’s Little League organization, monitored plays at second base and said he was struck with food while walking past the concession stand at Memorial Field in Concord after the game.

Joining Bachand around the diamond were third-base umpire William Dreckmann, home-plate umpire Matt Lemear and first-base umpire Eugene Emmons, a 30-year veteran of Little League game calling.

“I was afraid for my safety,” said Dreckmann on WMUR.com. “I wanted to call the police.”

This is not the first incident involving Manchester Central umpires, who had to be escorted by state police following a game in Salem a few years ago. The league also hired a police detail once after repeated cursing during games.

Chris Mamos, president of Concord National Little League’s board of directors, was unavailable for comment, but board members posted a letter on the league’s Web site on July 13. It reads in part: “We are truly sorry that these events transpired at our home field.

“We are in the process of working through the issues and situations that led up to this event in hope that we can avoid any future incidents.”

For the full statement, visit concordnll.com.

Weather or not – Concord National strikes down Goffstown

Bow Editor — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 21:49:00 GMT

BY RYAN O'CONNOR

Concord National earned the District 1 Little League victory, 4-3, but few could blame the players or coaches if they were doing a rain dance in the dugout.

With Goffstown’s leadoff runner on first base in the top of the sixth, a single bolt of lightning in the distance caused the umpires to stop play.

Three illuminating strikes later – lightning strikes, that is – and the game was called, Concord was victorious in the 11- and 12-year-old all-star baseball tournament and moved to the losers bracket semifinals against Salem American on July 11.

But Mother Nature alone can’t be credited with the win.

In the fourth inning, with the two teams tied, 3-3, Concord manager David Angus looked up at the blackening sky and changed his strategy, deciding to manufacture a run rather than outslug the opponent.

After Sean Mamos lined a leadoff double over the head of Goffstown’s first baseman, pinch-hitter Austin Erickson laid down a successful sacrifice bunt to move Mamos to third.

Cam Alosa chopped the ball back to the mound but reached safely when the pitcher overthrew first base. The miscue allowed the go-ahead run to score.

In the top of the fifth, Alosa gave up a one-out single but, following a 20-minute rain and hail delay, came back to strike out the next two batters.

“To me that was his best inning,” said Angus. “Cam went through the heart of the order there, and he threw some nice sliders to keep them off balance.”

The next inning, after allowing a single, Alosa was pulled because of a high pitch count.

Before backup Cody Barnhart could throw a pitch, however, the game was stopped.

“We’ve had a nice run, winning five of six so far, but tonight’s win was the best of the bunch, beating one of the premier teams in the state,” said Angus. “We’ve had a lot of tough losses against (Goffstown) over the years. We were lucky to get a few breaks along the way, and the weather certainly helped.”

Tournament notes

Four days earlier, National defeated neighboring Bow behind a two-run home run from Cody Ferns and a 275-foot shot by Barnhart.

Alosa held Bow to five hits and one run on five and two-third innings, including eight strikeouts.

On Saturday, July 7, Concord beat tournament host Manchester East, 7-3, to advance to the Goffstown game.

Bedford awaits the winner of the Concord National/Salem American game in the losers bracket final at Manchester East on Thursday, July 12, at 6 p.m.

The winner of that game plays undefeated Manchester North for the District 1 title.

Slow start to blowout – Concord National falls behind early, wins handily

Bow Editor — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 21:24:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

Though he hit a walk-off grand slam in the Concord Little League playoffs, Connor Angus said it meant more to accomplish the feat in the second inning of the first round of the 11- and 12-year-old Little League District 1 all-star tournament.

Up, 2-1, with one out in the second frame, Angus stepped up to bat with the intention of putting the ball in play, but when Windham pitcher Colin Begin grooved a pitch right down the middle, Angus said he little choice but to put his best power swing on the offering.

Concord National won the first-round match-up, 8-1, on Monday, June 25, but not before a slow start.

Its first three batters fanned against Begin, who then led off the second inning with a solo home run.

“I wasn’t nervous and I was hoping (my players) weren’t,” said David Angus, Concord National manager. “I have a lot of confidence in them because I know the way they can hit the ball.”

Indeed, Concord National answered immediately with all eight runs in its half of the second.

Prior to Angus’ grand slam, Cody Ferns doubled, advanced to third base on a passed ball and scored on an error. Braden Smith walked, followed by singles from Cam Alosa and Sean Mamos.

Jon Dunn hit a sacrifice fly to deep right to score Concord’s second run, before Harrison Murphy reached on a pop-up infield single lost in the setting sun.

After Angus plated four, Peter Bashios doubled and Ferns, batting for the second time in the inning, hit a two-run shot.

“We can hit that kind of pitching,” said National’s manager. “It was good, but I’ve seen a lot better, and as we go down the road in the tournament, we’re going to see a lot faster than that.”

The elder Angus said his current team is the best hitting bunch in his nine seasons coaching, and he recognized the importance of taking a first-round victory.

“You can’t say enough about it. You get in the losers bracket and you’ve got to come back in win something like 11 in a row,” said Angus. “I don’t care how good you are, you’re going to run out of pitching, and you’re going to run into problems.

“So you really need to win your first two or three games and then, even if you drop one, you get into the losers bracket and you can win six or seven in a row,” he added. “But to lose this early, it’s almost impossible.”

Concord National was scheduled to play city rival Concord American on Wednesday, June 27.

Salvage operation – Tide look to flip first-half record with second-half surge

Bow Editor — Wed, 09 May 2007 18:54:00 GMT

BY MATT STOUT

The Concord baseball team envisioned itself as a state tournament-qualifying team at the onset of this season, and 10 games in, it still does.

But as his teammates gathered up their things behind him in the visitors’ dugout following an 11-0 loss to Salem on Monday, May 7, Tide captain Evan Leary spelled out a realistic scenario.

With nine games to play, including a contest against Nashua South on Wednesday, May 9, Concord would have to play .500 baseball or better if it had any hope of salvaging this season. Because it’s not just about making the Class L playoffs; Concord believes it’s capable of that. It’s making them with a chance of advancing.

“We don’t want to go in and have to play these guys first round,” Leary said, gesturing to the Salem players walking across the nearby infield. “That’s not what we’re looking to do.”

But after starting the season 2-0, Concord has dropped seven of its last eight to stand at 3-7 entering the Nashua South match-up, with many reasons for the slide.

When it’s not a lack of hitting, it’s a lack of pitching. When it’s not a late-game collapse, it’s an early inning hole the team can’t escape. The alternating scenarios have been maddening at times for coach Scott Owen and his players, as is the team’s inability to produce the clutch hit.

Monday’s loss to the first-place Blue Devils was more a case of a hot team running into a slumping one, but as Concord enters the second half of the spring, it’ll still have to contend with a busy schedule that has it playing four games a week and a pitching staff still in search of the depth to handle the extra work.

There have been positives. Juniors Bill Swasey, batting at the top of the order, and Taylor Smith, in the middle, were both hovering around .400 entering the Salem game. And on Wednesday, the Tide planned to get a boost from their top pitcher, John Andersch.

Concord’s only experienced hurler, Andersch started the team’s season-opening win over West and has been solid since, but was saddled with the loss in a 1-0 setback to Goffstown on May 1 and took a no decision in a 4-3 loss to Pinkerton Academy at the end of April.

Owen has looked up and down his bench for arms, handing the ball to Jack Mullen and Tommy Mullen, who started against Salem; sophomore Griffin Tewksbury, son of former pro pitcher Bob; Murphy Rainville, also the team’s cleanup hitter; and Leary, who threw 2 1/3 innings of relief on Monday in his third game in the two weeks.

“The only thing is we have a lot of confidence when John is on the mound, but we have to get some confidence when we have other guys up on the mound,” Owen said. “I think we can play with anybody when we’re playing well. But we have to play well, and we haven’t done that so far.”

Concord hosts Nashua North on Thursday, May 10, before traveling to play Trinity on Friday, May 11.