Legion baseball notebook: Shrewsbury, Hudson compete in state tournament

By
Evan Walsh
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31

Legion baseball notebook: Shrewsbury, Hudson compete in state tournament
Hudson Post 100’s Anthony Moura tosses the ball to first base to get the out. Hudson is currently competing in the Massachusetts American Legion Baseball tournament. (Photo/Evan Walsh)

WORCESTER – The Massachusetts American Legion Baseball tournament is underway.

From July 27 to July 31, eight American Legion baseball teams from across Massachusetts are competing for the state title at the College of the Holy Cross’ Fitton Field. Two Community Advocate region teams are among the competitors. Hudson Post 100 – which won the Zone 4 championship last week to secure its state playoff spot – and tournament host Shrewsbury Post 397 are each finding success.

Here are the highlights of the tournament, including notes, stats, and thoughts from players and coaches.

Opening Round, July 27: Lowell Post 87 – 10, Hudson Post 100 – 7

Fresh off winning the Zone 4 championship, Hudson Post 100 entered the state tournament against Lowell Post 87, a former Zone 5 rival. After finding themselves behind, 7-2, entering the bottom of the fifth inning, Post 100 players rallied back to tie the game at 7-7. Chase Donahue went 2-5 with 3 RBIs, while Matt Gogan hit a two-run homer.

It wouldn’t be enough for Post 100, though, as Lowell fought back to win this extra-inning game, 10-7. While the defeat was disappointing – and set the team up for a do-or-die, losers’ bracket contest the next day – coaches were proud of the team’s effort and ability to battle back.

“We battled back from down 7-2 in the fifth inning. That’s the kind of heart we have had all year. It just shows we’re able to play with anybody. We’ve got a long road ahead of us if we want to win this thing, but at the same time, I think we can,” Hudson Head Coach Ryan Bowen told the Community Advocate.

Opening Round, July 27: Shrewsbury Post 397 – 3, Needham Post 14 – 1

Shrewsbury Post 397 was hitless through 5 2/3 innings, but scored three in the sixth inning to top Needham, 3-1. Jimmy Mitchell started the rally with a two-out single, Tedy Cove walked, and key hits from Noah Basgaard and Tommy Kursonis put Post 397 ahead.

“We’ve been through the ups and down of the season. We play a lot of games on a lot of days. We’ve been in some dogfights … A tight ballgame like that — it’s second nature to us,” said Post 397 Acting Head Coach Chris DeSantis.

Connor Herlihy was sharp on the mound, pitching a complete-game shutout. Herlihy allowed three hits and struck out six.

 

Second Round, July 28: Hudson Post 100 – 6, Hingham Post 120 – 5

After losing a close contest less than 24 hours earlier, Hudson Post 100 found itself in another battle – this time in a win-or-go-home game. Down to its final strike, the team rallied to tie the game, and ultimately won in extra innings against Hingham Post 120.

“Once we got down, the message was, ‘If we’re going to go out, let’s go out having fun.’ We got down early, and the guys just stuck to it,” said Bowen.

Ryan Graf came out of the bullpen and pitched 4 2/3 innings of scoreless relief for Hudson. Peter Ward – a 2023 Nashoba graduate – proved to be the hero; his RBI single drove in the winning run in the ninth inning, sending Hudson to the next round.

Second Round, July 28: Shrewsbury Post 397 – 7, Hyde Park Post 78 – 2

Connor Rice led Shrewsbury’s offense, going 4-4 with three doubles, as Shrewsbury Post 397 defeated Hyde Park, 7-2. Basgaard, who went 3-4, broke the game open in the sixth with a 2-RBI double. Cove kept Hyde Park’s bats quiet, pitching a complete game.

“Our offense has had some great games, and we’ve had some stagnant games. It’s great to finally click as a team during the playoffs,” said DeSantis. “We try to tell the boys we have to keep Uncle ‘Mo’ on our side — you know, have to keep the momentum going.”

Third Round, July 30: Hudson Post 100 — 13, Hyde Park Post 78 — 3

After back-to-back close games to open the tournament, Hudson Post 100 led from the start in this third-round matchup, defeating Hyde Park 13-3. Every player in Hudson’s order registered a hit; Marshall Kehlhem and Gogan each went 3-4, while Chase Donahue went 2-4. Post 100 had 17 hits and only struck out twice.

“It’s amazing what happens when you show up and play good baseball for seven innings,” Bowen said after the game. “Our offense did great.”

Third Round, July 30: Shrewsbury Post 397 — 12, Belchertown Post 239 — 2

Still undefeated in the state tournament, Shrewsbury Post 397 topped Belchertown 12-2 in a mercy-rule-shortened game. With the win, Post 397 guarantees itself a spot in the tournament championship game.

Jack Roche was strong on the mound, striking out nine over five innings of work. Almost everybody contributed offensively: Mitchell went 4-4 (HR, 3B, 2 1B), Herlihy had 3 RBIs, and Basgaard went 3-4 with 2 RBIs.

Semifinal, July 31: Hudson Post 100 — 9, Belchertown Post 239 — 8

Down 8-0 after the first inning, Hudson Post 100 scored another come-from-behind win, defeating Belchertown 9-8 to keep the season alive. Ryan Graf came out of the bullpen and shut Belchertown down, while just about everybody contributed offensively.

“We’ve got to stop (getting behind and coming back) — I’d rather not get down 8-0 after the first inning — but we just had to have our at-bats. Our team can hit with anybody, anybody in the world,” said Bowen.

 Semifinal, July 31: Shrewsbury Post 397 — 10, Lowell Post 87 — 5

In a game that stretched past 1 a.m., Shrewsbury Post 397 continued its undefeated tournament run, defeating Lowell 10-5. JJ Ferguson went 2-4 to lead the offense. Shrewsbury will face Hudson at 4 p.m. for the tournament championship.

Should Shrewsbury lose the 4 p.m. game, Hudson would need to knock off Shrewsbury once more at 7 p.m. to win the championship.

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