Bedford hangs on to beat Dover

NASHUA – Tim Conway didn’t want to have to make a pitching change Saturday night, but it looked like he might have to.

After breezing through six innings, Bedford Post 54 pitcher Joe Maher hit a bump in the seventh. Dover scored two runs on an error by Maher and a balk to make it one-run game, and with runners at the corners, Post 54 seemed to be in trouble.

Conway didn’t panic, and neither did his players. Maher battled back to strikeout Josh Young to end the seventh, the first of seven straight batters Maher sat down to end the game. And the Bedford offense added insurance runs in the seventh and the eighth to take a 6-3 win over Post 8 in the New Hampshire American Legion baseball tournament at Holman Stadium.

“Joe was pitching well, his pitch count was low, he had some very quick innings and that was our thinking,” Conway said of the seventh. “He was still feeling good and he was starting to come back. We talked in the eighth inning whether he should go out or not and we started warming up our closers.”

Fortunately for Conway, he didn’t have to go to either Spencer Damon or Ryan Mossman, as Maher struck out four of the final seven Dover batters he faced.

A Post 8 error gave Bedford a run in the seventh to make it 5-3 and Pat Parker led off the eighth with a solo homer to left for a three-run lead.

Parker finished the day with three hits and two runs scored, while Ian Urquhart had a two-run home run as part of three-run fourth inning that gave Bedford the lead for good. Mike Skilton also drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

“It doesn’t happen all the time, but it’s nice when it does,” Conway said of the home runs. “Urquhart was telling me how he’s been going the other way all season, and to hit it that way (to left field) was nice.”

Dover’s Steve Carlberg was the tough-luck loser, pitching eight innings and allowing six runs – three earned – on seven hits. Carlberg struck out just one, but walked none.

Maher pitched a complete game for Post 54, striking out six while giving up one earned run on five hits and three walks. Bedford’s defense helped out by making two double plays, and the pitcher caught a break to end the top of the third inning.

With two out and a runner on third, Maher uncorked a wild pitch. Dover’s Tyler Cash headed home, but the ball caromed off the backstop right to catcher Justin Walsh.

Walsh made a perfect throw to Maher, who rushed in to cover the plate and tagged Cash for the final out of the winning.

Now Bedford will face off against Nashua Coffey Post 3 for the third time this season, as the two meet in the winner’s bracket at 7 p.m. Sunday. They split two games in the regular season.

“They’re a good team and they can hit the ball,” Conway said. “They have some pitchers that can throw hard. They’re a team that can hit and if you don’t pitch them the right way, they’re going to hit like that. Luckily we’ve seen them a bunch of times in the last three years, we know what to do with them.”

The winner will be the lone undefeated team left in the tournament, and will play at 7 p.m. on Monday. The loser will take the field at 3:30 p.m., also on Monday.