May 11, 2011
HS notebook: Portsmouth (N.H.) keeps streak alive
by Roger Brown/
Portsmouth (N.H.) High School may have taken the toughest step on the road to an unbeaten regular season when it defeated Bedford, 6-3, Monday.
Portsmouth, which beat Bedford in the Class I championship game last season, raised its record to 9-0. Bedford began the day in second place and dropped to 7-2.
The game’s starting pitchers, Portsmouth’s Keegan Taylor and Bedford’s Joe Maher, have both committed to play baseball at Northeastern next season.
“We’re rooming together next year, so we decided whoever wins gets to choose the bunk,” Maher said. “I guess I have the top bunk.”
Taylor pitched a complete game, held Bedford to two hits and struck out 13. He raised his record to 5-0 this year, and is 19-0 during his high school career.
Taylor walked five, but all five came in the first four innings. He struck out eight of the final 10 batters he faces.
“Going from a mound at home that’s really flat and then coming here and going to a mound here that’s a little higher takes a little getting used to, but I thought I got stronger as the game went on,” Taylor said.
Taylor helped Portsmouth extend the program’s winning streak to 72 games – three short of the national record for consecutive wins.
Maher was pulled with one out in the seventh. He allowed all six runs on eight hits, but three of the runs were unearned.
It was a 1-1 game after two innings, and the Clippers held a 4-3 lead after the fourth. Portsmouth gave itself a little bit of a cushion when leadoff hitter Billy Hartmann hit a two-run single with two outs in the sixth.
“When we were freshmen we were (Portsmouth’s) first win in the streak, so we wanted to end it early rather than let them get the national record,” Maher said. “Now that it’s not us ending it, best of luck to them. Maybe they’ll get it. We’ll see them in the playoffs eventually.”
Maher and Nate Harrington, Bedford’s No. 9 hitter, collected the two hits Taylor allowed. Both hits were singles.
Left fielder Quinn McCann had three of Portsmouth’s eight hits. He delivered an RBI single in the first, and another run-scoring single in the third.
The Clippers scored three unearned runs in the third to take a 4-1 lead. Bedford committed two errors in the inning.
“We had a few errors and Portsmouth just took advantage of them, just like a good team does,” Bedford coach Craig Blahnik said. “The guys are hoping we’ll see them again in the playoffs.”
Bedford answered with a run in the third and another in the fourth, but Taylor took control after that. He retired the last 10 batters in order.
“He’s our best pitcher,” Hartmann said. “I think he showed everybody how good he is today.”
Connecticut
Southington’s Sal Romano may be the best pitcher in the state, but he wasn’t even the best pitcher in the game when New Britain defeated Southington 11-2 last week.
With a handful of scouts in attendance to see Romano, New Britain’s Albert Pienkowski held Southington to six hits in six innings and raised his record to 6-0. Romano, who has signed a letter of intent to play for Tennessee, allowed seven runs (two earned) on six hits in four innings.
Maine
Two of the best pitchers in the state were expected to start Thursday when Marshwood visits Westbrook.
Junior Luke Fernandes, who has committed to Boston College, is scheduled to start for Marshwood. Fernandes missed his last start because of tightness in his shoulder. Senior Scott Health is scheduled to start for Westbrook. Heath has committed to play for the University of Maine.
Massachusetts
Nashoba Regional pitcher Charlie Butler has given a verbal commitment to play for the University of Maine. Butler, a junior, has yet to sign a national letter of intent.
Butler, who is 6-foot-3 and weighs 225-pounds, is 6-0 with a 1.68 ERA this season. He’s also batting .462.
Rhode Island
Johnston scored 100 runs in its first nine Division II games – all victories – and had eight players batting at least .400 through those nine contests.
Pitchers Gian Bianchi and Dylan Pingatore were each 3-0 with an ERA under 1.00 during the team’s 9-0 start.
Vermont
Colchester (6-1) scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and extended its winning streak to five games by beating Burlington on Saturday.
Jared Cayia’s two-run double highlighted the three-run eighth. Matt Ravey pitched all eight innings to earn the win.
