BY RYAN O’CONNORFor years, coaches of the Manchester Jutras senior American Legion baseball team have tossed Bedford, Goffstown and Manchester players into a diamond- shaped mixing bowl and consistently concocted a winning recipe. Perhaps Tim Conway, who never played Legion ball, stole a page from the Jutras cookbook. On Thursday, Aug. 7, ...

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 ...

BY RYAN O’CONNORIn 2005, when Pete Kiro established Goffstown’s first American Legion baseball team in 20 years, he promised his squad would reach the playoffs by its fourth season. Perhaps Kiro has a crystal ball. More likely, after serving as an assistant coach at perennial power Jutras Post No. 43 of Manchester, he just knows what ...

BY RYAN O’CONNORStanding in the dugout, watching the group of 11- and 12-year-old Little Leaguers prepare for possibly the biggest game of their lives, Paul Gagne, Bob Gurskis and their fellow Goffstown coaches had but one thing to say to the eager players. “Real men …” they shouted. “Swing wood,” came a reply ...

BY JERRY LIPTAKCrispin’s House Inc., a nonprofit program for at-risk youths, hosts its annual one-pitch softball tournament on Saturday, Aug. 9, at the Goffstown Junior Baseball Villa Augustina Fields. First pitch is 9 a.m., but some teams have already delivered their pitch for supremacy through incendiary pre-game comments made to Al ...

BY MATT SCHOOLEYDuring last year’s state Babe Ruth tournament, Goffstown overcame an eight-run deficit to advance with a victory over Keene. This year, Goffstown made certain Keene didn’t return the favor. Goffstown pounded Keene for 10 runs in the first inning and cruised to the 14-year-old Babe Ruth state tournament title on ...

BY RYAN O’CONNOROne day after his team played its closest contest of the Matty Dobens tournament, Steve Bond watched his boys turn in their best performance on the state’s largest stage. Goffstown stole the show by winning its third title in four years with a 10-0, mercy-rule victory against Bedford on Saturday, July 26. Ryan Hall ...

BY RYAN O’CONNORAfter cruising through the New Hampshire District 1 Little League all-star winners bracket, the Goffstown 9- and 10-year-olds hit a pinstriped wall. That mass of brick and mortar was Salem American, which fell in the first round before winning nine straight games, including back-toback 4-1 and 8-7 victories over Goffstown in ...

BY RYAN O’CONNORAs it turned out, the difference between these two teams was negligible. The Bedford 10- and 11- year-old Little League all-star team, undefeated prior to a 14- 2 setback against Goffstown on Saturday, July 19, met the same foe the next day for the state title. It was Bedford’s third straight contest against its ...

BY RYAN O’CONNORAs it turned out, the difference between these two teams was next to nothing. The Bedford 10- and 11- year-old Little League all-star team, undefeated prior to a 14- 2 setback against Goffstown on Saturday, July 19, met the same foe the next day for the state title. It was Bedford’s third straight contest against its ...