When Rochester and Goffstown played for the American Legion state baseball championship, one team came out flat from the first pitch. But it wasn’t the team that had completed its previous game just an hour earlier.

Goffstown beat Londonderry and Rochester within six hours to complete its first-ever title run on Tuesday, July 27, at Holman Stadium.

To reach the decisive game, the locals toppled Londonderry, 19-7. Jake Glauser smoked a three-run triple in the eighth inning to push Goffstown over the mercy-rule limit, and the game ended after the home half of the frame.

Championship-game starter Steve Beal allowed two first-inning Rochester base runners, but he wriggled free and allowed the Goffstown offense a chance to put the game out of reach. Goffstown went on to win 12-2 in seven innings to complete a difficult climb through the losers bracket; the team won its final three contests via the mercy rule.

“It’s amazing to me,” said Allan Palmer, the team’s assistant coach. “What worried me was that they decided to go bonkers energy-wise in the dugout from the start of the first game. Even though we had to play twice, (Rochester) looked like the tired team.”

Glauser and tournament Most Valuable Player Josh Lafond opened the bottom of the first with hard hit singles for Goffstown. After the next batter was retired, Mike Bisceglia ripped a two-run double, and Alex Hickey chipped in a long run-scoring double of his own.

Goffstown added two runs in the second, three in the third, and two runs in the fourth and fifth to blow the game open. Beal allowed just three hits in seven innings for the win.

The summer continues for Goffstown. The locals advance to the Northeast Regional beginning Thursday, Aug. 5, against Middletown, Conn., the regional tournament’s host. After an 8-3 win over Laconia to open tournament play, Rochester put the locals one loss from elimination with a 7-6 win on Sunday, July 25.

Goffstown then earned a dramatic walk-off win over rival Jutras later in the day to stay alive. Trailing in the bottom of the ninth inning, Ryan Beal singled in Riley Palmer to knot the score at 5-5, and Brad York dove headfirst across first base to reach safely on an infield hit that scored Bisceglia and sealed a 6-5 win.

On Monday, July 26, Goffstown earned redemption against Rochester with an 11-1 win in eight innings to reach the final day of the tournament.

“This now put us on the map. I can’t say enough how much that means to the program,” said Goffstown manager Pete Kiro. “We’ll be listed as state champions forever.”

Kiro and Palmer will both be leaving the team following the regional tournament. Kiro has led the team since its inception six years ago.

Championship team members include Josh Andruchuk, Ryan Beal, Steve Beal, Bisceglia, Colby Couture, Dante DiStaso, Steven French, Glauser, Andy Gordon, Hickey, Robert Hunt, Lafond, Pat Naughton, Palmer, Ryan Smith, Gregory Van Horn, Alex Wageling and Michael York.

A large group of players on the roster played on the Goffstown High School team that earned the No. 2 seed in the Class L baseball tournament, but was stunned in the first round.

“This team had a lot to prove to themselves after they got bounced in the first round,” said Kiro. “Anything short of a state title was a failure for them.”