Baseball success in Salem didn’t end when the high school varsity season concluded. The Cardinals earned the No. 2 seed following an 11-5 regular season and went on to win the Senior Babe Ruth Southern League championship with a 7-6, 10-inning win over the Nashua Chiefs at Holman Stadium.

Nashua needed to knock off the locals twice to win the title, while Salem needed just one win. The Chiefs cruised to a 7-0 victory on July 14 to force the decisive game.

It took two days to decide a champion; the second game was suspended due to darkness July 15 and resumed July 16.

In the top of the 10th, Allen McQuarrie led off with a single. Alex Stewart then reached on a single, and Jon McQuarrie reached on a fielder’s choice. Joe Lemenager pushed home the go-ahead run with a single of his own.

Though pitcher Joe Trabucco faced runners on second and third in the home half of the inning, he escaped to secure the title for Salem.

“Each and every game we have played against each other for the last three season has been a battle, and as you can see this game has followed that mold,” said Nashua manager Jeff Dupont. “… It was only fitting that this game had to be suspended and extended another day for completion in 10 innings.”

The Cardinals began their journey through the bracket with a lopsided 17-7 win over Keene, then a 14-4 win over the Nashua Marauders in the second round.

In the winners bracket final July 12, the Chiefs and Cardinals were knotted at 2-2 until the top of fifth, when Salem showed its knack for the big inning.

Lemenager singled home Jose Ortiz to take a 3-2 lead, and the center fielder scampered home himself two batters later. Dan Peters provided the big blast of the inning when he ripped a three-run homer to cap a five-run frame en route to a 10-4 victory.

Lemenager, Trabucco, Stewart, Dan Peters, Trevor Bouvier, Clayton Landers, Matt Barbin, Jose Ortiz, Allen McQuarrie, Jon McQuarrie, Steven Howard, Jake Ratka, Alex Savastano and AJ Soucy all played in the two games against the Chiefs.

For their performances this season, Trabucco, Allen McQuarrie and Bouvier were named to the league’s all-star team.

That all-star squad fell to defending champion Granite State on July 17, but then rolled through the losers bracket and defeated the same foe in consecutive games.

The all-star tournament culminated with Trabucco’s bases-loaded walk that pushed home Bouvier for the win, which sent the squad to Stamford, Conn., to play in the regional bracket.

Eastern Massachusetts and Connecticut handed New Hampshire consecutive losses to end a lengthy summer of baseball.