Baseball title a long time coming for Bedford

When the Bedford High School baseball team came up short against Portsmouth in the 2010 Class I championship game, it seemed like only a matter of time before the Bulldogs would be hoisting a first-place plaque of their own.

That team started to put things together as the season went along, and knocked off the No. 2 and 3 seeds on its way to the title game.

The Bulldogs were led by a junior class that featured Joe Maher and Lucas Olen, but the following year, the group came up short of the championship game, falling to St. Thomas in the Division II semifinals.

It would take until last year for Bedford to get back to the title game, but once again, the Bulldogs came up short, falling to Spaulding the finale.

In a town that has seen it's Little League program and American Legion programs have success on the regional stage, the one thing missing was a high school title.

Until now, thanks to Bedford's 22-4 thrashing of Bishop Guertin in Monday's Division I championship game.

"The title puts the stamp on it, it confirms everything," Bedford senior Ryan Linehan said. "It sets the tone that Bedford baseball has really progressed into something special."

A high school championship could end up doing wonders for a youth program that's already strong.

"It gives the community one more thing to look forward to," Bedford senior Connor Lee said. "There were a lot of Little League kids here, and for them, looking up to this, how much fun high school baseball can be, will be good motivation for them.

"We have a great Little League program and the coaches there are amazing. I think that helps build the program up from year to year to year. From middle school to high school, every single coach is there for the kids. I think that's a great thing for the community."

For Lee, pitching a complete game in the championship was a bit of redemption for last year's loss.

"I was locked in from beginning. Coming off last year, I wanted to get this one done," he said. "I didn't want to feel the same way as last year. Feeling that from last year was a big motivation and factor. You have to win it from the beginning."

The Bulldogs lost 14 players from last year's runnerup, and coach Bill Chapman credits the youth programs for the team's ability to miss a beat.

"They all do a great job getting these kids ready and I'm just lucky to coach them," he said. "This is a big win for the Bedford baseball community. Not just this team, but there a lot of coaches that need to take responsibility for this, Little League all the way through Babe Ruth and our American Legion program."