AMHERST – Tim Beliveau hit two solo home runs and Robert Graham drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh Monday to help lead the Souhegan High School baseball team to a come-from-behind win over Milford.
Beliveau led off the third and the seventh inning with home runs for the Sabers (2-1 in Division II) and Graham had two doubles, driving in Chris Chininis on the second hit for the 4-3 walk-off win over the Spartans (1-2).
Terry Dugdale got the win, pitching a complete game and allowing three runs on five hits and a walk to go with seven strikeouts. Despite a rough stretch in the fourth and fifth innings, Dugdale managed to outduel Milford’s Logan Danforth, who went six-plus innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out five.
Souhegan's Tim Beliveau is greeted at home by Eric Howard, left, and Chris Chininis after Beliveau's first home run.
“It’s absolutely a great high school baseball game,” Souhegan coach Bill Dod said. “(Milford) did a great job and I’m very impressed. It’s a big win for the kids because we were down and playing well and Milford was playing better. They worked and kept putting the ball in play and waited for something to drop.”
Jordan Walker took the loss, going one-third of an inning. Danforth helped his cause with a RBI single while Ryan Britton had two hits and drove in a run.
“(Danforth) pitched a whale of a ball game,” Milford coach Brett Jepson said. “To keep Souhegan to three runs is a great job. I couldn’t ask for anything more from him.”
Beliveau gave Souhegan a 1-0 lead with his first home run in the bottom of the third, but Milford got the run back in its half of the fourth. With two out, the Spartans put runners on second and third when Danforth hit a hard shot that got past shortstop Seth Learned.
Colin Chaput came in from third to tie the game, but Eric Howard’s throw to catcher Cameron Crook was in time to get Milford’s Kevin Poulter for the inning’s third out.
The Spartans took the lead in the fifth, loading the bases with one out on a dropped third strike, an infield single and a walk. Cam Douglas made it 2-1 Milford with a sacrifice fly that scored Nick Webster, and Britton blooped a single into right field to plate Sean Stroehlein to make it 3-1.
But Dugdale settled down and got Chaput to fly out to left, starting a stretch where the Souhegan senior retired seven of eight batters.
Graham led off the bottom of the sixth with a double and cut the Milford lead to one when he scored on a single by Learned. Beliveau then tied the game in the seventh with his second homer off Danforth, chasing the Milford junior.
Milford's Connor Borne stops a ground ball.
“I thought I was seeing the ball well, we’re down one, and leading off the inning, I thought tying it up would be something great,” Beliveau said. “I found a pitch I liked and I put a pretty good swing on it.”
Walker came on in relief and walked Howard before hitting Chininis to put two on. Tyler Ford hit in to a fielder’s choice for the first out, but Graham followed by pulling a double just inside the third base line to score Chininis from second.
“It’s tough being on this end of it because we were so close,” Jepson said. “Terry (Dugdale) is one of the best pitchers in our division. To play with him the way we did, I can’t be any prouder of this group.”