By Chris Paul
The Londonderry American Senior Legion Post 27 squad added three more wins in their second week of the Summer season and finished the week at 5-1-1.
The local squad had victories against Rochester, Exeter, and Salem, but also suffered their first loss against Salem in a double-header.
The team’s week started at home, on Tuesday, Jun 20, with a win over Post 7 of Rochester, getting on the board in every inning to come away with a one-sided 14-1 win.
Post 27 had four runs in the bottom of the first, thanks to two errors, two walks, and a single by Jayden Hamilton.
In the third inning, a single and seven walks led to six more runs for the home squad and a 12-1 lead.
Two doubles in the fourth gave Londonderry their final two runs of the game.
The doubles in the game were hit by Jackson Marshall, Liam Stot, and Kevin Rourke.
Joey Cafaro was the winning pitcher, going four innings and allowing just one run on five hits with six strikeouts.
The following day, in another home contest, Post 27, out dueled Post 32 of Exeter for a three-run win.
Three runs in the third inning led the Londonderry squad to a 4-1 victory.
Two errors, a double, and two walks gave Post 27 a 3-0 lead, which they never gave up.
Ryan Williams earned the win, pitching five strong innings with just one run given up on two hits, while striking out four.
Mike Crowley came into the game in the fifth, striking out five and keeping Exeter hitless.
On Thursday afternoon, June 22, the Post 27 squad suffered its first loss of the season in the first game of a doubleheader against Salem Post 63.
Londonderry lost 6-12 despite having just one hit less than their opponents.
Rourke had an uncharacteristic loss, giving up eight runs on eight hits and striking out just four.
Hamilton, Marshall, and Owen Carey all went two for four at the plate and Marshall had the team’s only extra base hit, a double in the fourth.
In the second game of the meeting, Londonderry bounced back, getting a one-run lead into the final inning, here both teams scored six runs and Post 27 came away with a 10-9 victory.
Marshall had another two-bagger for the team’s only extra base hit.
Hamilton pitched five and two-third innings to help secure the one-run victory in the second game. He gave up four of Salem’s eight hits, struck out four, walked four, giving up just three runs.