Viewers of the Little League World Series learned a lot about the North Manchester-Hooksett all-star team. They learned about the Lucier family’s lucky penny tradition and that Adam Sandler once played baseball in that league.
They also learned that the New Hampshire and New England Region champions could hit the ball. Hard.
North Manchester-Hooksett belted five home runs in less than 24 hours in a pair of games – a 14-6 win over Lake Oswego, Ore., on Tuesday night and a 4-3 loss to Hamilton, Ohio, on Wednesday afternoon in South Williamsport, Pa.
Wednesday’s loss against the Great Lakes Region runner-up team eliminated North Manchester-Hooksett from the Little League World Series, but Tuesday night’s victory proved historic.
North Manchester-Hooksett’s 14-6 win tied the club with the 1993 Bedford Little League all-stars and 2006 Portsmouth all-stars for the most wins by a Granite State team at the Little League World Series (all with 2-2 records).
New Hampshire went yard four times against Oregon on Tuesday night with Mason DeVall (two-run home run in the top of the first inning), Tristan Lucier (three-run homer in the second), Calen Lucier (two-run home run in the fifth) and Ryson Michaud (solo shot in the sixth) all smacking hits over the wall at Lamade Stadium.
New Hampshire delighted fans early, taking an 8-0 in the top of the second inning, but Oregon scored all six of its runs in the bottom of the second to cut N.H.’s lead to 8-6.
But Jacoby Acevedo struck out four in 3⅓ innings of shutout ball in relief, and DeVall, Tristan Lucier and Michaud all hit 3-for-4, while nine New Hampshire players combined for a team total of 16 hits.
That victory tied the New Hampshire record for the most wins at a Little League World Series, and North Manchester-Hooksett nearly won a third game.
Calen Lucier hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning, cutting Hamilton, Ohio’s lead to 4-3 and Tyler Chauvette singled to put the tying run on base, but Hamilton reliever Kaleb Harden struck out two batters in the last inning to end the comeback.