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# Clippers take out Bulldogs to return to baseball final
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/clippers-take-out-bulldogs-to-return-to-baseball-final/
- Published: 2011-06-13T06:34:56.000Z
- Updated: 2011-06-13T06:34:56.000Z
- Description: CONCORD – The Bedford High School baseball team was just as good as Portsmouth Sunday in the Division II semifinals, except for one thing – defense.
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division II, Spring Sports, baseball, Bedford, playoffs, Portsmouth, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/bhsbaseball0612-p3-2.jpg "BHSbaseball0612 P3-2")

CONCORD – The Bedford High School baseball team was just as good as Portsmouth Sunday in the Division II semifinals, except for one thing – defense.

When the Bulldogs put the ball in play, the Clippers did what needed to be done. When Portsmouth did the same, Bedford came up a little short in the field and it translated into a 4-1 loss to the Clippers at Memorial Field in Concord.

No. 1 Portsmouth scored two unearned runs in the fifth inning and squashed any chance at a rally by No. 4 Bedford in the sixth and seventh by making big plays in the field. On a day when both pitchers were putting up similar numbers, any small difference was going to be the game.

“If there were going to be some errors, that’s where the runs were going to come from,” Bedford coach Craig Blahnik said. “Who ever had the most errors was going to lose and that’s what it came down to. The past few games, there’s been a number of errors from our defense.”

The Clippers win streak now sits at 82 games with the only one that counts up next. Portsmouth will face No. 7 St. Thomas in the championship game Saturday at 7 p.m. at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester.

“One more big game against one of our biggest rivals,” Portsmouth pitcher Keegan Taylor said. “I definitely didn’t have my best stuff (Sunday). Not velocity, but I was able to throw strikes. Towards the end, I got a little wild, but I was able to work through it and my defense behind me was spectacular.”

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/bhsbaseball0612-b32-4.jpg "BHSbaseball0612 B32-4")

Taylor went the distance, striking out nine while allowing one run on five hits, one walk and one hit batter. Bedford pitcher Joe Maher had similar numbers, going six innings, striking out eight and allowing two earned runs on four hits, three walks and two hit batters.

The serious damage came in the bottom of the fifth inning.

With Portsmouth leading 1-0, leadoff hitter Aidan O’Leary laid down a bunt back to Maher. The Bedford pitcher threw to first, but O’Leary got there before the throw.

After O’Leary stole second, Bill Hartmann put down a bunt of his own and this time, Maher’s throw got away from Harrington, allowing the runner to score to make it 2-0.

Connor McCauly followed with a ground ball back to Maher, who was able to force out Hartmann at second. The Bulldogs tried to turn the double play, but shortstop Zach Husband’s throw to first was off the mark and McCauly wound up at second.

Maher got Quinn McCann to hit a slow roller to Husband, but Harrington couldn’t handle Husband’s throw, and McCauly came around to make it 3-0\. McCann stole second to get into scoring position, but Maher battled back to strike out Matt Feeney and Ricky Holt to end the inning.

“I felt like we did enough of the small stuff, the bunt game, the run game, and putting the ball in play in key situations allowed us to be successful,” Portsmouth coach Tim Hopley said. “That was the game in a nutshell, that and the fact that our infield defense is really, really good.”

Taylor had seven strikeouts through the first four innings, but as the game wore on, Bedford put more balls in play, including several ground balls. Portsmouth’s defense came up with the plays, making nine of the final 11 outs on grounders.

“We were able to make the plays when they put the ball in play, and they struggled a little bit when we played some small ball,” Taylor said.

Bedford got a run across with two outs in the sixth. Maher, Andy Lalonde and Ryan Gancarz put together three straight singles to make it a 3-1 game. But Taylor came back to strikeout Dan Hughes to end the inning.

Brice Buxton had a one-out triple for Bedford in the seventh, but he stayed there, as the Clippers’ infielders each made a play to get Portsmouth out of the inning and into the final.

“They played some good small ball and we didn’t have an answer,” Maher said. “That’s how they keep that streak going, they know how to win.”