Baseball: Bishop Brady falls to Monadnock, 2-1, in D-III final

Bishop Brady pitcher Owen Thornton (12) tags out Monadnock's Xavier Thompson as he attempts to steal home plate. The Giants were sharp in the field, but didn't have the bats in the Division III championship as Monadnock won the title with a 2-1 victory on Saturday at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester.

Bishop Brady pitcher Owen Thornton (12) tags out Monadnock's Xavier Thompson as he attempts to steal home plate. The Giants were sharp in the field, but didn't have the bats in the Division III championship as Monadnock won the title with a 2-1 victory on Saturday at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester. Chip Griffin / Photos By Chip

The umpire calls out Monadnock’s Xavier Thompson (left) after Bishop Brady pitcher Owen Thornton (12) tags him out at home plate after Thompson attempted to steal. The Giants were sharp in the field, but didn’t have the bats in the Division III championship as Monadnock won the title with a 2-1 victory on Saturday at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester.

The umpire calls out Monadnock’s Xavier Thompson (left) after Bishop Brady pitcher Owen Thornton (12) tags him out at home plate after Thompson attempted to steal. The Giants were sharp in the field, but didn’t have the bats in the Division III championship as Monadnock won the title with a 2-1 victory on Saturday at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester. Chip Griffin / Photos By Chip

Bishop Brady’s Winn Thomas (7) is congratulated by teammate Henry Thresher (16) after scoring a run in the first inning of the Division III baseball championship. The Giants took an early 1-0 lead, but couldn’t muster anymore runs as Monadnock won the title with a 2-1 victory on Saturdayat Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester.

Bishop Brady’s Winn Thomas (7) is congratulated by teammate Henry Thresher (16) after scoring a run in the first inning of the Division III baseball championship. The Giants took an early 1-0 lead, but couldn’t muster anymore runs as Monadnock won the title with a 2-1 victory on Saturdayat Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester. Chip Griffin / Photos By Chip

Bishop Brady pitcher Jack Spiess (9) delivers a pitch in the Division III baseball championship on Saturday at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester. Spiess struck out six Monadnock batters and allowed just one run and one hit in three innings in relief, but the Giants didn’t have enough offense at the plate. Monadnock won the Division III title with a 2-1 victory.

Bishop Brady pitcher Jack Spiess (9) delivers a pitch in the Division III baseball championship on Saturday at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester. Spiess struck out six Monadnock batters and allowed just one run and one hit in three innings in relief, but the Giants didn’t have enough offense at the plate. Monadnock won the Division III title with a 2-1 victory. Chip Griffin / Photos By Chip

By DAN ATTORRI

Monitor staff

Published: 06-15-2025 12:29 AM

MANCHESTER – The Giants were in the finals for the first time in 36 years. The Huskies were the defending champions making their fifth straight finals appearance. 

Bishop Brady showed it belonged in Saturday’s Division III baseball championship game, taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but Monadnock scored the go-ahead run in the sixth inning and sophomore starting pitcher Chris Rouleau threw a complete game with a strikeout in the sixth inning with the bases loaded as No. 5 Monadnock (18-3) won its fourth championship in five years with a 2-1 victory over No. 3 Bishop Brady (17-3) at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium.

“It was a really good, well-played baseball game. We just came up one run short. Could've gone either way,” Brady head coach Skip Foy said. 

Riding high after a commanding 10-0 mercy-rule victory in the semifinals that only needed five innings and 60 pitches from senior ace Owen Thornton to complete, the Giants got off to a fast start with junior Winn Thomas (1-for-2, two walks) and sophomore Max Guerra (1-for-3, walk) opening the game with back-to-back singles. Bedard (1-for-3, walk) singled to left to score Thomas.

Brady had the chance to tack on some more, with Guerra and Bedard advancing on a ground out by sophomore Henry Thresher, and Thornton walked to load the bases before sophomore Koltan Gaudreault grounded out to first to end the inning.

“Our approach coming into the game was to ride our momentum,” senior center fielder and relief pitcher Jack Spiess said.

The Huskies tied the game in the top of the fourth when sophomore Wesley McWhirk (reached on a single) scored from third base on a wild pitch. 

Despite the low score both teams did a good job consistently getting runners on base, with the Giants stranding runners in five innings and Monadnock stranding runners in the first six. Spiess was outstanding in relief, striking out six batters and allowing just one run, one hit and three walks in three innings on the hill.

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Thornton allowed three hits and four walks, while striking out five in four innings pitched.

But the Huskies’ bats were just a bit more effective. Junior Koby Kidney hit a deep ball that dropped in between all three Brady outfielders racing towards it to score junior Nick Ball for the game-winning run.

Senior Chase Elliott made a highlight reel diving catch in deep left field in the fifth inning and Rouleau (struck out Guerra after Gaudreault (single), senior Ryan Bossch (single) and Thomas (walk) loaded the bases.

“We were hoping for more on the barrels, but we didn’t quite find them today,” said Spiess who went 1-for-4 and had one of Brady’s six hits (all singles). “They made some great plays in the field. We really clobbered some balls that got caught in the outfield.”

Rouleau, who had pitched just one inning in the Huskies three previous playoff victories, finished the game with four strikeouts, five walks and six hits allowed in seven innings. 

While the Giants were hoping to end their 36-year championship drought, Brady had one its best seasons in the last couple decades with 17 wins and continues to trend in an upward direction. After falling below .500 and exiting the tournament in the first round in 2022, the program has reached the semifinals (2023) and quarterfinals (2024) in recent seasons building up to Saturday’s final.

“Hard fought game. It’s too bad we came out on the short end, but what are you gonna do. We had a hell of a season,” said Foy, who was also head coach of the 1989 championship team in his first stint with Bishop Brady. “I’m really proud of my players and the season we had. I feel bad that they lost, but that’s sports. We fought as hard as we could. That’s all you can ask.”