BY MATT SCHOOLEYDuring this year’s Matty Dobens tournament, Goffstown was plain offensive. The 9- and 10-year-olds tore through the bracket for 78 runs in six games, cruising past the competition for a second consecutive title. From top to bottom, the lineup showed its offensive prowess, beginning with leadoff batter Ethan Skinner, who was ...

BY MATT SCHOOLEYThe rain and the hits kept coming for Goffstown’s 9- and 10-year-old Little League baseball all-stars, even when their coach wanted both to stop. In the third and decisive game of the state championship series against Portsmouth on Wednesday, July 29, Goffstown, to say the least, started quickly. After surrendering two runs ...

BY MATT SCHOOLEYWindham was knocking on the door, but Dylan Skinner and Kyle Jalbert slammed it shut. Goffstown’s 10- and 11- year-old baseball all-stars saw their four-run lead cut to one. Then, with two outs, Windham was poised to knot the score at 7-7 during the title game July 25. Windham’s batter lined a single to center field, ...

BY MATT SCHOOLEYGoffstown’s 10- and 11- year-old Little League baseball team is powerful. In the state title game, Windham nearly caused a power outage. Despite trimming Goffstown’s four-run advantage to one in the fifth inning on Saturday, July 25, Windham was unable to take the lead and eventually fell, 10-6. Windham gave Goffstown ...

BY MATT SCHOOLEYGoffstown’s 11- and 12-year-old all-stars worked deep into the losers’ bracket of the District 1 baseball tournament, but fell just short of a chance at redemption. On July 6, Windham came away with a 2-1 victory to send Goffstown into the loser’s bracket, where the locals earned victories over Manchester East ...

BY MATT SCHOOLEYWhen the Goffstown High School baseball squad won the Class L state championship in 2008, the team bus made a stop on the short ride home from MerchantsAuto.com Stadium in Manchester. The bus pulled into the town’s Little League complex. Lights were on. Games were in progress. Upon seeing the bus, the players ...

BY MATT SCHOOLEYAfter winning the Class L baseball title in 2008, the Goffstown Grizzlies were unable to hold a 5-1 lead and were eliminated by eventual state champion Keene in the quarterfinal round on June 6, 7-5. Poor defense haunted Goffstown, which out-hit Keene 10-4 on the afternoon. The Grizzlies made four errors in the contest. Sophomore ...

BY MATT SCHOOLEYThe Goffstown High School baseball team is one of the hardest hitting small-ball teams around. Though the Grizzlies have scored 124 runs in 2009, the defending state champions know what it takes to win once it becomes a single-elimination season. “They understand their job at the plate, whether it’s moving a runner ...

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 ...