Matt Benson didn’t want to imagine it any other way.

Dan Keleher had something different in mind.

On Saturday, June 14, at MerchantsAuto.com Stadium in Manchester, it was Benson who got his wish.

The fifth-year Goffstown baseball coach watched his nine seniors carry their teammates on their shoulders and across the threshold for the first Class L championship in program history.

Keleher, who three years ago led Salem to a state title, was forced to say goodbye to 13 of his leaders following a heartbreaking 4-3 loss.

“I told them they’re kids, and it’s going to take them a little while to not be mad or sad at this, but I will never think negatively about these kids,” said Keleher. “They’ve done so much for the town of Salem baseball.”

Still, Keleher admitted if his squad were to lose, he couldn’t think of a better rival to shake hands with following the game.

“We’re pretty close, Matt and I. We talk a lot in the offseason, and watch a lot of Babe Ruth games together in the summer,” he said. “I know all those guys. They’re a good, solid ball club and they’re evenly matched with our guys. They’ve had some battles since they were in Little League.“

In fact, Keleher said if the two high school squads played 10 times, the outcome would undoubtedly be 5-5.

The most recent contest, he added, may have been the most competitive title game he’s witnessed.

“It’s probably up there in the tops,” he said. “I mean, we had runners in scoring position in the seventh with less than two outs. We had a chance to do it and we didn’t.”

Indeed, Salem produced many opportunities throughout the contest.

After falling into a 2-0 hole in the third inning, and then losing another run in the fourth, the Blue Devils battled back. In the bottom of the fourth, Joe O’Dell and Kyle Johnson led off with back-to-back singles, and Larry Weymouth walked to load the bases.

After two quick outs, Brad White came into the game and notched a pinch-hit single to bring home O’Dell and pinch runner Mark Bergeron.

Weymouth and Matt Hardy kept Goffstown at bay from the pitching mound, and in the sixth inning Salem once again juiced the bases – this time with one out. Junior Josh Jones took a free pass to bring Greg Bates home and tie the contest.

But in the seventh inning, Goffstown plated the go-ahead run and put the pressure back on Salem. O’Dell and Johnson again reached with no outs – this time on walks – and then advanced on a passed ball.

After two outs, Hardy was hit by a pitch load the bases for the third time in the game, but the Blue Devils never produced the tying run.

Though the loss stung, Keleher said the bitter ending takes nothing away the team’s many accomplishments this season.

“Losing in the first round (the last two years), it’s devastating, but the end is so quick you don’t have a lot of time to reflect,” he said. “We have so many memories of the last three playoff games with these guys. It’s easy to look back and say we had a tremendous season.”

Despite graduating the majority of his team Keleher said he wouldn’t be surprised to see Salem is right back at the top of Class L next season.

“We had a pretty competitive JV team, you know, 19-4, but I don’t use teams like rebuilding or reloading. We just come out here every year and try to put a winning team on the field.

“We’ll be OK. We’re going to be right in the mix again.”

In addition to O’Dell, Bates, Hardy, Johnson, Weymouth and White, the Blue Devils graduate Hal Landers, Joe Moritz, Peter Allain, Greg Gardner, Ryan Phillips, Eric Perrault, and Matthew Peters.