Anderson does it all to help Bishop Guertin baseball to win over Alvirne

NASHUA – Brett Anderson brought his best on Wednesday afternoon at Holman Stadium.

The junior starting pitcher for the Bishop Guertin High School baseball team earned the win on the mound, striking out 12 batters and allowing only one run and three hits in six innings during a 5-1 triumph over Alvirne.

Anderson did not allow a hit through four innings and struck out the side in the second and fourth, while also going 2 for 4 at the plate with a double and two RBIs.

“Brett was good; he pounded the zone on both sides of the plate up and down,” Bishop Guertin coach Scott Painter said. “He threw his curve ball for strikes. He commanded the zone and attacked their hitters. All of our pitchers are tough when they are in a rhythm, but Brett can throw any of his pitches at any time in the count. When he is throwing the ball like he did (Wednesday), we are going to win more than we lose.”

Also starring for the Cardinals (4-0) was senior catcher Sam Boudreau (2 for 4), as he made a big-time play in the top half of the fifth, helped throw out a Broncos’ runner at home after Alvirne’s offense found a rhythm and cut the deficit down to 3-1. Senior Ryan Bue also played well in the victory, going 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run.

For the most part, Broncos junior starting pitcher Alex Boulay threw the ball well in five-plus innings, as he was charged with five runs – three of which were earned. He relinquished seven hits, but worked out of a pair of jams in the first and second, forcing a pair of fly outs with two down and runners on second and third.

Alvirne (2-2), which made three fielding errors, was led from an offensive standpoint by sophomore Nick Jacques, who went 2 for 2 with a run and a walk.

Bishop Guertin, which only made one error, found its way onto the scoreboard in the second, as Bue drove a one-out, RBI single to left, plating senior Stephen McClendon, who led off the frame with a walk. In the bottom of the third, Cardinals senior Noah Therrien tallied a one-out single to short, and then scored three at bats later, as senior Taylor Proulx recorded a sacrifice fly to left, making the score 2-0.

Anderson helped himself out in the bottom of the fourth, scoring Bue on a one-out, RBI single to left, extending the lead up to 3-0. Bue started the inning off with an infield single.

“Alvirne is a young team but they are scrappy,” Painter said. “They are going to be tough. I thought Sam Boudreau did a nice job calling the game. Offensively, we were OK. Base-running was really good (Wednesday). We made most of the plays defensively, and when we do that and throw strikes we are going to win games.”

Alvirne broke up Anderson’s bid for a no-hitter in the top half of the fifth, as Jacques led off with a single to right. Boulay was up next and he crushed an RBI triple over the right fielder’s head, cutting the Cardinals’ advantage to 3-1. Boulay was thrown at home during the next at-bat, as Boudreau retrieved the ball at the backstop and threw a strike to Anderson, who applied the tag.

During the fifth, a one-out, RBI single to center by Proulx gave the Cardinals a 4-1 cushion. A one-run double to left by Anderson in the bottom of the sixth allowed senior Aiden Coyne to cross home with the final run.

“My kids learned something (Wednesday),” Alvirne coach Mike Lee said. “We definitely have to be a little more aggressive. We got five sophomores and a freshman that start. You got to tip your hat to (Brett Anderson) because when we saw him two years ago we were able to do a lot of things on the bases. He did a nice job of keeping us a little off balance (Wednesday).”

The Broncos will travel to Portsmouth for a 5 p.m. start Thursday, while the Cardinals will make the journey to Manchester Central on Monday with first pitch set for 4 p.m.