Kevin McGowan and the Nashua North baseball team are on a 10-game winning streak.
The situation was pressure packed, the prime spot for a high school pitcher to wilt.
The kind of situation Kevin McGowan loves.
The Nashua High School North baseball team had been cruising through a game against Exeter, and the Titans led 8-2 heading into the top of the seventh inning, needing just three outs to close out their seventh-straight win.
Instead, the Blue Hawks rallied, scoring five runs with two outs in the inning. After Exeter’s Brad Tiernan hit a three-run home run out of Holman Stadium, and with the tying run coming to the plate, North coach Will Henderson brought in McGowan.
“I like pressure situations,” McGowan said. “I just like knowing that my coach will go to a senior and I have to go out there and mow them down. It’s very exciting.”
McGowan ended the excitement quickly, inducing a groundout to second base to end the game and preserve a North victory.
There have been plenty of wins for the Titans this season (14-3), as they’ve now won 10 in a row, including Friday night’s 11-7 victory over Goffstown. At one point, North trailed 7-1 but rallied for the win and a tie atop the Class L standings with one week to go in the regular season.
“It’s great,” McGowan said of this season. “We’re on a big win streak. Everyone seems to be improved. There aren’t many errors, we’re not giving up many runs.”
In 10 of their wins this season, the Titans have held the opposition to two runs or less. McGowan, along with teammate Alek Morency and Kyle Turner, have led the way on the mound.
Kevin McGowan fields a ball during a North game earlier this season.
Although McGowan admits his pitching has been better than his hitting this season, he’s considering doing both next year, when he continues his baseball career at Franklin Pierce University.
“I like them both a lot,” McGowan said. I’m going to college and do both and hopefully figure out which one I want to do. (FPU coach Jayson King) told me I could do both. I just have to work really hard. It will be a challenge, but we’ll see how it goes.”
Before that happens, McGowan is looking forward to finishing his high school career on a high note.
With two regular-season games left against Winnacunnet (1-16) and Manchester West (4-12), North is great position to wrapup the No. 1 seed in the Class L tournament.
“I love it but it’s kind of sad,” McGowan said of coming to the end. “I haven’t been hitting the ball as well as I wanted to, so hopefully I’ll break through the last couple of games. Hopefully catch fire for the playoffs.”