HANOVER — You have to hand it to the Hanover High baseball team. Even with starting pitcher Sam Sacerdote nursing an injured paw, the Bears pounded out a 14-8 victory over archrival Lebanon on Monday at Dartmouth College’s Red Rolfe Field at Biondi Park.

Sacerdote, who’s grown from a pipsqueak to a powerfully built senior during the past four years, allowed five hits and four runs, none earned, during six innings and 81 pitches of work. The right-hander, committed to play at Maine’s Bowdoin College next season, struck out four Raiders and walked one despite a fractured thumb on his glove hand, suffered during his team’s last game.

“He was splinted before the game, and he can’t catch with his thumb down,” said Hanover coach John Grainger, who began the afternoon wanting to stretch Sacerdote out in preparation for lengthier appearances in the upcoming NHIAA Division II playoffs.

“He had one rocky inning and I left him out there to get his pitch count up and see how he responded, and he mowed the rest of them down.”

Hanover led, 9-0, during the fourth inning before Lebanon scored four runs and had a runner on third with two outs.

An error by Hanover second baseman Oliver Sperry allowed Easton Wykes to reach first safely. Immediately afterward, Dawson Bates broke for home of his own volition, causing Grainger to scream for a throw to the plate.

Bates was out by five feet, snuffing the rally with the Raiders’ best hitter, Nick Brill, due up. Hanover scored three times during the fifth inning to put the game farther out of reach.

“A momentum killer,” said Lebanon coach Chauncey Wood. “We just didn’t seem like we were ready today, and that’s on me. You give somebody 16 hits, and they’re going to beat you.”

Said Grainger: “I caught (Bates) out of the corner of my eye in a really aggressive stance, waiting to go home. I was lucky to be paying attention.”

The result further cemented Hanover’s place atop the NHIAA Division II standings. The Bears (14-1) visit Souhegan (10-6) on Wednesday to conclude the regular season and will be the 19-team division’s top seed during the playoffs. Thirteen teams make the postseason, with the top three earning a first-round bye.

Hanover was the fifth seed last season and reached the semifinals, losing to eventual champion Hollis-Brookline. The Bears haven’t won a state title in program history. Lebanon, in 10th place after Monday, visits 13th-place Pelham (7-8) on Wednesday.

The contest featured good intensity and kept an estimated crowd of 300 entertained. Hanover leadoff man Jackson McBride narrowly missed a fourth-inning home run at the right-field foul pole, having to stop at second base because the runner ahead of him, freshman Hayden Avard, thought the ball was out and slowed to a trot.

Lebanon (8-7), the designated home team, and starting pitcher Zach Aldrich surrendered two runs during the first inning. Sam Bates walked with two out during the second frame, but the Raiders’ turn ended when Hanover realized Bates had batted out of order and home plate umpire Bob Bowen called him out.

Lebanon scored its last four runs during the seventh inning, which ended with Sam Bates being picked off first base by Hanover reliever Jake Toulmin.

Toulmin, considered Hanover’s No. 2 hurler, allowed four hits and four runs, all earned, while striking out one Raider and walking one. Lebanon’s Aldrich lasted 3⅓ innings, surrendering six hits and seven runs, four of them earned. He struck out three and walked three.

Raiders reliever Bennett Hewett went 2⅔ innings, giving up six hits and six runs, all earned. He struck out two Bears and walked five.

Top hitters included Hanover outfielder Jojo Drent, who had four hits, a walk, a stolen base and four RBIs.

“Jojo doesn’t hit for power, but he gives us line drives all day long,” Grainger said.

Wyatt Daigle had a two-run double for the Bears, who made six errors, three in the outfield, and left 10 runners on base. McBride and Toulmin each had two hits and an RBI.

McBride “is a really good athlete,” Grainger said of the junior, who plans to spend a second consecutive summer playing club ball in Georgia. “I think if he’d concentrated on the sport earlier, he would have been an extremely talented baseball player. We call him the ‘Little Bucket of Fire,’ and he’s done really well this year.”

Lebanon’s Ben Achmoody had three hits and Hewett had two hits and two RBIs. Sam Bates added a hit and three RBIs.

“I think we’re OK,” said Wood, whose team lost for the first time in four games and lost to Hanover, 4-2, earlier this season. “We just had a bad day, and now we move on.”

Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com.

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