The Londonderry High School baseball team’s season came to an end Saturday night with a tough 11-4 loss to the top-seeded Trinity Pioneers in the Division I State Championship at Delta Dental Stadium.
The Lancers entered the title game riding a strong postseason run, earning a 5-2 victory over Nashua South in the opening round, a 9-0 shutout win over the Spaulding Red Raiders in the quarterfinals, and a 6-3 semifinal victory over the Portsmouth Clippers.
In their semifinal win over Portsmouth on Wednesday, June 10, the sixth-seeded Lancers scored twice in the first, second, and fourth innings against the 15th-seeded Clippers at Holman Stadium in Nashua to advance to the championship game.
Senior left-hander Collin Philcrantz delivered a dominant performance on the mound, pitching six shutout innings before running into trouble in the final frame. He was relieved after allowing three consecutive singles to start the inning. Philcrantz earned the win, striking out five batters, walking one, and allowing six hits.
Junior Cam O’Donnell entered in relief and struck out two batters while allowing one hit and issuing one walk.
At the plate, junior left fielder Connor Loughlin led the Lancers with a perfect 3-for-3 performance. Seniors Jaylen Stott, Caden Jordan, and Jace Ruggiero each collected two hits in the victory.
Londonderry jumped ahead early, scoring two runs in the first inning after three singles and a sacrifice bunt. The Lancers added two more runs in the second inning, using two singles and three walks to build a 4-0 advantage.
In the fourth inning, two singles and a walk set up a one-out bunt from catcher Carter Washington that brought home two more runs before the inning ended on a double play.
In the Division I championship game, played Saturday night after delays caused by earlier games at the Fisher Cats’ stadium, the Lancers were looking to pull off an upset against the 18-1 Trinity Pioneers. However, a pair of big innings from the No. 1 seed proved too much to overcome.
Londonderry finished the game with 10 hits, led by Ruggiero, who collected a double, three singles, and two RBIs. Junior second baseman Sully Daron added two hits, including a double, while senior designated hitter Brody Labbe closed out his high school career with a triple and an RBI.
Senior pitcher Casey Marsh took the loss after throwing four innings, allowing six runs on six hits while striking out four and walking four.
O’Donnell once again came in as a reliever, giving up five runs on three hits with three walks and one strikeout.
Despite falling short in the championship game, the Lancers finished the season with an impressive 17-7 record and made a deep postseason run that included wins over three strong Division I opponents.
The game also marked the final appearance for 10 Lancer seniors, who had graduated the night before but returned to the field for one last championship opportunity.