HAMPTON – Back in the middle of May the St. Thomas Aquinas baseball team suffered back-to-back losses to Division I Dover and fellow Division II Hollis-Brookline by a combined score of 25-1.
Following the Hollis-Brookline game, a 9-0 loss on May 15, head coach Eric Wells gathered his Saints and delivered a simple message – “we can’t play with fear.”
The Saints then responded with Division II wins over Merrimack Valley (18-1), Pembroke (10-2) and Sanborn (18-2).
St. Thomas visited Division I Winnacunnet on Monday, May 25 and continued its “fearless” run with an 11-4 Memorial Day win over the Warriors, who return six starters from last year’s team which advanced to the state championship game.
“(Recently) we got blown out by a couple of teams and had a tough week,” Wells said. “Playing without fear was our next step. I thought we were playing pretty good baseball against teams that we should beat, but the next step was playing well against the juggernauts.
“Coach (Aaron) Abood and Winnacunnet has been a powerhouse in the state for a long time,” Wells continued. “They made their run last year, and they still have a lot of guys from that team. I felt like today was going to be a huge test coming in here. Our guys came in here and really showed no fear.”
St. Thomas opened the game with two runs in the first inning, added three in the fifth, broke the game open with five more in the sixth and added one in the seventh.
“Give credit to St. Thomas,” Winnacunnet head coach Aaron Abood said. “They showed up with good energy, they showed up swinging early, and they put the pressure on us early.”
Junior right-hander earns win for St. Thomas
St. Thomas junior right-hander Hayden White scattered seven hits over 5.2 innings, allowing three runs, one earned, while striking out three and walking three. He threw 98 pitches, 63 for strikes.
“Winnacunnet has a lineup that can swing it, they have athletes up and down the lineup and there’s a little bit of pop,” Wells said. “(White) did what he’s done all year. He’s been our rock, and we brought him here on short rest and did exactly what he needed to do.
“He controls both sides of the plate, he throws three pitches for strikes, and he just challenges, challenges, and challenges,” Wells continued. “He really gutted through (this game) for us, and he did what he’s done all year; I’m super proud of him.”
White kept the Warriors off the scoreboard until a two-out balk scored Brantson Larck in the fifth, cutting the STA lead to 5-1.
“I went out and dealt the whole game, but I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” White said. “They were constantly picking me up, especially when I gave up that first run. But other than that, I was on, and that’s all that really matters. We’re a complete team, and we’re constantly picking each other up. I think we really have a chance in the playoffs this year.”
Larck, Ethan Roy and Ryan Giuffre all had two hits for the Warriors, while Harvey Reynoso, Braeden O’Hara and Bryce Pinsonnault all had one.
“(White) was good on the mound,” Abood said. “He kept us off balance, and they played better than we did.”
Saints spray 13 hits around the field
Brandon Skowron and Finn Perry both had three hits for the Saints, while Ryan Gould had two, and Colin Healy, Kenny Avery, Cam Stowell, Gabe Carlisle and Conall Ciaschini all had one.
Perry had three RBIs, Gould and Avery both had two, and Healy and Carlisle both had one.
The Saints jumped on Winnacunnet starter Oscar Fritz for two runs in the first. Avery’s single to right scored Skowron, and Avery later scored on a wild pitch.
In the sixth, Gould’s single to center scored Skowron, giving St. Thomas a 7-1 lead. Perry then drew a bases-loaded walk, Carlisle singled to center to score Avery, and Gould scored on an error for a 10-1 lead. The Saints left the bases loaded as Ciaschini struck out swinging to end the inning.
In total, five Winnacunnet errors led to six unearned runs.
“We need to be better defensively to win baseball games,” Abood said. “We’ll keep grinding. No one game defines the year, there’s a lot of ups and downs. Today St. Thomas showed up, played hard, and we didn’t, and that’s the way it goes.”
Coming up
St. Thomas Aquinas, now 13-5 and winners of four straight, will conclude its regular season at home against Oyster River on Tuesday, May 26. Winnacunnet visits Nashua South on Thursday, May 29 and Bedford on Friday, May 30 to end its regular season.
Editor’s Note: Winnacunnet’s Bryce Pinsonnault is the son of Seacoast Media Group sports editor Jay Pinsonnault.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NH baseball, ‘Fearless’ St. Thomas knocks off Division I Winnacunnet