After taking a pair of wins to open the New Hampshire Senior Legion State Tournament, Concord Post 21 was handed a heavy defeat, 11-1, by the dominant lineup of Rochester Post 7 on Sunday night in Manchester.
Post 21 (15-4) fell behind 3-0 in the third inning and 7-0 in the fourth before pushing across its first and only run, thanks to a swing of the bat by Jake Kelly.
Post 7 (18-1) scattered 19 hits off of Concord’s arms. Merrimack Valley’s Brian Nylen started on the hill for Post 21 and allowed 14 hits.
“Brian is a very good pitcher for us, but we needed to be near-perfect in this game,” Post 21 Coach Matt Skoby said. “We made some mistakes on the field.”
Rochester righty Christian Dow gave up a single off Connor Blandini to open the game but put the next five Concord batters down on strikes.
Concord is back on the field Monday at 7 p.m. at Gill Stadium. Post 21 will face the Nashua-Sweeney winner, which is scheduled for 4 p.m.
“Any setbacks we’ve had this season, we’ve been able to bounce back,” Skoby said.
A win on Monday would set the table for a rematch with Rochester for the championship.
Pembroke Academy RHP Cole Hapgood will start on the mound for Post 21. Concord High’s Jacob Knowles and Wesley Lamphere of John Stark are also available to throw.