Portsmouth Little League teams move to brink of district and NH championships
It will be an action-packed weekend for Portsmouth Little League baseball as three teams are playing in New Hampshire District 2 or state finals.
Portsmouth's U11 team advanced to the championship round in the New Hampshire Little League tournament with a 10-9 win over Bedford on Thursday evening at Manchester Little League.
Portsmouth will play Goffstown on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Manchester Little League's Precourt Park. Portsmouth needs two wins to take the state title and advance to the New England regional tournament in Beverly, Massachusetts.
Portsmouth's Caden Desjardins started and pitched three innings, allowed two hits and struck out two batters. Lucas Cresta came on in relief for the win going the final three innings.
Blaze Bocash [two hits, triple, two runs] and Joey St. Laurent [two hits, three RBI] lead the Portsmouth offense. Hits were also recorded by Colton McCain [three runs], Griffin McGuckin [double, run, three RBI], Desjardins [two RBI], and Jackson Lore [double, run, RBI].
Portsmouth 8-10 team reaches district final
On Thursday night, the Portsmouth 8- to 10-year-old team picked up a 3-2 win over North Manchester Hooksett Little League in a District 2 tournament game at Reece Field in North Manchester.
Portsmouth's Grady Cronin got the start on the mound, and tossed three innings, and gave up two runs on four hits, and struck out three batters. Portsmouth's Max Poulin earned the win in relief, as he pitched the final three innings, and allowed one hit while striking out two batters.
Both Portsmouth pitchers received solid defensive player in the field, including catcher Cooper Peelman throwing out a runner caught stealing in the third inning, and outfield assists by Van Godfrey and Mia Delaney.
Portsmouth's Griffin Gamester had two of Portsmouth's three hits, including a fifth-inning double that scored the go-ahead run.
Portsmouth will need to beat Lamprey River twice to claim the district title. The first game is Saturday, July 23 1 p.m. at Concord's Grappone Field. A Portsmouth win on Saturday would force a winner-take-all game Sunday for the championship.
Portsmouth Little League's ages 10-12 team previously advanced to the New Hampshire District 2 championship round and will play at 10 a.m. Saturday at Grappone Field in Concord. Portsmouth is undefeated in the double-elimination District 2 tournament.
More: Portsmouth Little Leaguers reach District 2 final round, eye berth in NH final
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Portsmouth Little League teams on brink of district, NH championships
