Rochester Post 7 looks like favorite heading into American Legion senior baseball tournament

No matter the location nor the type of bats, the one thing that seems to hold true of the American Legion senior baseball tournament is this: the team with the best pitching tends to win.

That was the case last year, when Dover Post 8 had a glut of pitching that helped it win its first state championship in 14 years.

This year, two teams were at the top of the league in pitching – Rochester Post 7 and Exeter Post 32. Each team allowed fewer than three runs per game, and chances are, that pitching prowess is likely to hold up a lot better than any team’s offense.

Here’s a look at each team in this year’s field.

No. 2-A Bedford Post 54

• Record: 13-5.
• Last title: 2011.
• Run differential: +98.
• Record vs. tourney teams: 4-2.

Two weeks ago, Bedford looked like a co-favorite with Rochester, slugging its way to an 11-game winning streak. Since then, Post 54 has lost four of six and scored an average of 3.3 runs in those four losses. But, Bedford won its final game of the season over Lebanon, a fellow playoff team, and scored nine runs in the process. For the season, Bedford’s 168 runs scored and plus-98 run differential was tops among playoff teams.

No. 4-B Dover Post 8

• Record: 11-7.
• Last title: 2014.
• Run differential: +40
• Record vs. tourney teams: 3-3.

Dover defeated Nashua Post 124 on Saturday to grab the tiebreaker for the final playoff spot, and then snapped Rochester’s 12-game win streak on Sunday to clinch the fourth and final spot outright. Post 8, after starting the season 1-4 and 2-5, will try to become the first team since Jutras in 1996-97 to win back-to-back state titles.

No. 2-B Exeter Post 32

• Record: 14-4.
• Last title: 2006.
• Run differential: +83
• Record vs. tourney teams: 2-4.

Exeter enters the playoffs as the one team everyone wants to be – the team with the best pitching, at least statistically. Post 32 allowed 49 runs this season, fewest of any team in the field, and had three of the 14 shutouts in the district during the regular season. Exeter can also score runs, ranking third among playoff teams with 132.

No. 3-A Lebanon Post 22

• Record: 13-5.
• Last title: never.
• Run differential: +37.
• Record vs. tourney teams: 3-3.

With a playoff spot locked up, Lebanon could have claimed the top seed with wins over Bedford and Sweeney in its last two games. Instead, Post 22 dropped both, the only time all season it lost back-to-back games, as Lebanon finished the regular season losing three of four.

No. 3-B Londonderry Post 27

• Record: 12-6.
• Last title: 2009.
• Run differential: +29.
• Record vs. tourney teams: 2-4.

Londonderry gave up 88 runs this season, an average of 4.9 per game, but in its six losses, it allowed more than half of those runs (51). Take out its two close losses to Rochester, and Post 27 allowed 10.5 runs per game.

No. 4-A Milford Post 23

• Record: 12-6.
• Last title: never.
• Run differential: +2.
• Record vs. tourney teams: 2-4.

Milford is in the state tournament for the first time, and has the look of a team that won’t last long, except that its two wins against tourney teams were vs. top-seeded Sweeney. Post 23 scored the fewest runs of any team in the tournament and allowed the most.

No. 1-B Rochester Post 7

• Record: 16-2.
• Last title: 2013.
• Run differential: +97.
• Record vs. tourney teams: 5-1.

For the second year in a row, Rochester enters the tournament with a 16-2 record. But last year, the pitching let Post 7 down, as it was bounced from the event much earlier than usual. This year, Rochester has the offense to go with the pitching, finished second in runs scored (147) and runs allowed (50) among tournament teams. Rochester was 7-2 in games decided by three runs or fewer, including both its wins over Exeter and Londonderry.

No. 1-A Sweeney Post 2

• Record: 13-5.
• Last title: 2007.
• Run differential: +47.
• Record vs. tourney teams: 3-3.

Sweeney took advantage of the struggles of Bedford and Lebanon down the stretch, winning three of its final four games, and four of six, to claim the top seed in the district. Post averaged 7.8 runs per game in that six-game stretch, and that average jumped to 9.5 in the four wins. Sweeney actually allowed fewer runs per game against playoff teams (4.0) than non-playoff teams (4.08).

Tournament schedule

Friday (at Holman Stadium)

• Game 1: Milford vs. Rochester, 12 p.m.
• Game 4: Dover vs. Sweeney, 3 p.m.

Saturday

• Game 2: Lebanon vs. Exeter, 11 a.m.
• Game 3: Londonderry vs. Bedford, 2 p.m.

Sunday

• Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 3, 9 a.m.
• Game 6: Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 4, 12 p.m.
• Game 7: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 3, 4 p.m.
• Game 8: Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 4, 7 p.m.

Monday

• Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 8, 1 p.m.
• Game 10: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7, 4 p.m.
• Game 11: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 7 p.m.

Tuesday

• Game 12: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10, 4 p.m.
• Game 13: Winner Game 12 vs. Loser Game 11, 7 p.m.

Wednesday

• Game 14: Winner Game 13 vs. Winner Game 11, 10:30 a.m.
• Game 15: If necessary, 1:30 p.m.