The Hooksett 11- and 12-year-old Little League all-star bats were slowed for the first three innings of a District-1 losers bracket game at Plaistow. But a mid-game acceleration in bat speed mirrored the rapidly increasing numbers on the visitors’ side of the scoreboard.

Hooksett scored 11 runs in the final three frames en route to a 12-1 victory over Plaistow on Monday, July 7. They were scheduled to face Salem American on Wednesday, July 9.

Aidan White threw an efficient complete-game effort for Hooksett, throwing just 76 pitches, while Andrew Kehas scored three runs and drove in four to pace the offense.

Kehas stepped to the plate with two on in the top of the fourth inning and smoked a line drive to left-center field. The ball quickly sailed over the mediumsized fence and landed in the dirt and rocks, giving Hooksett a 4-1 lead.

“That was big,” said Hooksett’s head coach, Jim White. “You shouldn’t have to wait until a home run to get excited, but that really did pick them up.”

Hooksett scored four of its runs on wild pitches from Plaistow pitchers and was aggressive on the base paths all night.

White said the team’s defensive efforts are key to continuing in the tournament, and his fielders showed why against Plaistow, turning multiple double plays in the contest to thwart rallies.

“The defense was good in both games,” he said. “Then I thought we started hitting, and it became consistent. We couldn’t get a big hit against Salem (National), but we were able to do that (facing Plaistow).”

Hooksett defeated Derry American on June 30, 5-2, in its first game of the tournament before falling to Salem National on July 2, 4-3, to drop into the losers bracket, where it defeated Manchester Central on Saturday, July 5, 10-0, to advance to the contest versus Plaistow.

In a five-run inning against Plaistow, Michael Martinez and Brian Jutras chipped in RBI singles following Kehas’ three-run blast.

The next inning Jake Bjornberg added an RBI single and Kehas struck with a run-scoring double before crossing the plate himself on a wild pitch.

White said the offensive outburst provides a lesson his team can take deeper into the tournament.

“It should just show them that it’s a team sport,” he said. “We had some heads hanging down, thinking about what they didn’t do instead of what the team did do. Not just one person can carry the team.”