Lebanon
This wasn’t the start Ashey was expecting from his group. Not in the slightest. And after Friday’s 10-8 loss to neighboring Hanover, the hole gets even deeper as the Raiders fall to 0-4 through one quarter of the regular season.
“I thought our defense would be solid and we’d need work everywhere else,” Ashey said. “Our defense has not been solid. It’s been bad all four games, especially the last three games. We just kill ourselves. We shoot ourselves in the foot.
“There are tremendous growing pains. More than I thought. I knew we’d have some growing pains. You can put this in the paper: I’m surprised it’s been this poor defensively.”
What’s worse is that the Raiders had their chances to win.
Lebanon built a 5-0 lead in the second inning off of a two-RBI single from junior Nathan Gariepy, and added to it with three more runs in the third. The Raiders didn’t score again after the third inning.
Hanover’s offense kept pace, tying the game 5-5 at the top of the third and tying it once again in the fifth. The Marauders’ two runs in the sixth inning, a two-run single from David Lehmann, proved to be the difference.
“We’re young. And since it’s my first year here, it’s the first year they’ve had me,” Hanover coach John Grainger said of his team’s 1-1 start. “There are a lot of things that I’m putting in place this year that next year I won’t have to teach again. It’s just the building process. We were much more into the game today as opposed to Wednesday (Hanover’s 14-1 loss to Goffstown). Against Goffstown, we gave up five in the first inning. Same thing today, except this time we came back.”
Lehmann took over for Hanover starting pitcher Avery Monahan in the fifth inning with Lebanon runners on first and second. A single by Caleb Broughton loaded the bases, but Lehmann settled in, striking out Hunter Marsh and forcing Gariepy to fly out. Lehmann, a sophomore, finished the game with two strikeouts, zero hits, zero runs and one walk over 2 innings.
“He’s a young kid,” Grainger said. “He doesn’t throw very hard, and I think that keeps kids off-balance.”
Monahan pitched 4 innings and allowed 11 hits and eight runs with two walks and one strikeout.
For Lebanon, the story has been its defensive struggles. The Raiders graduated seven seniors last year, and aren’t far removed from 2012’s 4-3 loss to St. Thomas in the New Hampshire Division II championship game.
In one graduation cycle, Lebanon has gone from one of the best teams in D-II to a winless one. All of it was a point of emphasis during Ashey’s outfield meeting after the game.
“It was just shoddy defense by us,” Ashey said. “Give Hanover credit. They took advantage of what we did. We played poorly and they capitalized on it. It’s a good victory for Hanover.
“We just have so many areas to work on,” he added with a sigh.
Perkins threw for five innings and allowed six hits, eight runs, three walks and two strikeouts. Marsh took over in the sixth inning and allowed four hits with two strikeouts and the two go-ahead runs. But it was the defense behind them, which included errant throws and countless errors, that allowed Hanover to stay in the game.
For Hanover, a young team under first-year coach Grainger, a win solidifies its progress. But more importantly, Friday’s win over a familiar opponent gives Grainger’s message to his young team some validity. For a young coach, Grainger said, it’s important.
“Any win is a good win. It’s nice it came against Lebanon,” Grainger said. “It definitely gets them excited. I think they see that the intensity is a big part of it.”
For Ashey, the important thing is getting the first victory out of the way. The longer Lebanon lingers with a zero in its win column, the more it will weigh the team down. It’s something Ashey and the Raiders coaching staff will monitor closely, particularly if frustration starts to sink in.
“I’m not going to hide it,” Ashey said. “This is a disappointing start for us. No doubt about it.”
Next chance is Monday night at home against Pembroke. Hanover will play Pembroke next Wednesday.
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or at 603-727-3306.