NASHUA, N.H. — In June, every mistake gets amplified—especially when you’re facing the top seed in the state.
Timberlane Regional’s baseball team dazzled on defense and kept pace with the Pioneers, but the Owls’ underdog playoff surge ended in the Division I state semifinals, 6-2.
“We talked about not necessarily being perfect, but focusing 100 out of 100,” said Timberlane coach Alex Horgan. “Ninety-seven out of 100 is not always good enough when you play a team like that.”
Back on May 18, the Owls were 4-11 and staring at the prospect of missing the playoffs. Instead, they closed their run at 11-12, winning seven of their last eight.
“I thought we played our butts off. They’re pretty good. We asked these guys to compete all year, and they’ve brought it. They made a few more plays than us at the end, but I thought we played tough,” said Horgan. “These last couple weeks have been surreal.”
Timberlane jumped on Trinity starter Mason Ellison early, scoring two runs thanks to two walks and an infield error that loaded the bases. Kieran Lamb singled in a run, and Nate Hutchins doubled home another.
Trinity answered with a run in the bottom half, but Timberlane’s defense held. Matt Fitzgerald ended the first inning with a diving catch in center, saving at least one run. In the second, Lamb picked off a runner at second after a leadoff double.
Left-fielder Kaden Linehan ranged deep into the gap in the fourth to take away extra bases, keeping the game tied until the Pioneers managed an unearned run to even the score at 2-2.
Fitzgerald flashed the leather again in the fifth, robbing another hit with his second big catch of the night. After Tristan Lucier’s RBI single put Trinity up 3-2, second baseman Carter McIntyre kept Timberlane afloat with a full-speed, back-to-the-plate catch in short right field.
Timberlane’s best shot to tie the game came in the sixth. The Owls drew four walks but couldn’t push a run across. A pickoff at second and an infield force at home—both close calls—went Trinity’s way.
“Tough calls. Those guys officiated a great game,” said Horgan. “It’s tough. It’s hard to swallow when you go to war with these guys every day. You root so hard for them.”
Trinity, now 20-1, broke it open with three runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Junior lefty Kieran Lamb gave everything he had on the mound, leaving with the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth, trailing 4-2 when his pitch count expired.
“The guys on Kieran. He’s an all-time competitor. He pitched his heart out,” Horgan said. “He was on point. The kid is a fierce competitor. Any time he takes the ball I feel confident we have a chance.”