Exeter baseball sees season come to an end with 5-4 loss to Concord

EXETER – You win some, and you lose some, and for the Exeter High School baseball team, it was on the unfortunate side of the stick on Saturday.

In a game that needed extra innings to decide the winner, the second-seeded Blue Hawks fell to No. 7 Concord, 5-4, in a Division I quarterfinal at Exeter High School.

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Concord’s Mitchell Coffey’s go-ahead RBI single scored Dawson Fancher from second base, giving Concord the lead. The Blue Hawks couldn’t push across a run in the bottom, ending their season at 16-4.

Concord (16-5) will play No. 3 Pinkerton (18-4) in a semifinal at Holman Stadium on Wednesday. Pinkerton defeated No. 6 Portsmouth, 10-2.

“Hell of a high school baseball game, you don’t see too many games like this in your career, never-mind in the post-season,” Exeter head coach Bruce Joyce said. “Both teams obviously made mistakes and both teams had great chances. This game could’ve ended every which way. Give both teams credit for sticking it out and making it tough on both teams either way.”

Exeter took a 4-3 lead in the seventh, but the Tide tied the game at 4-4, forcing extra innings.

With runners on first and second, and one out, Concord’s Zanis Lauris hit a grounder to second, but an Exeter fielding error allowed Nate Wachter to score the tying run.

“In a game like that, it’s tough at the end of the year to lose,” Exeter’s Cam Snee said. “But if you battle hard as a team, then that’s all you can ask for.”

Here are five highlights from Saturday’s game.

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Keaveney strikes out side in top of sixth, Blue Hawks take lead

The best outcome Exeter probably could have asked for in the sixth inning of a 3-3 tied ballgame was not allowing the Tide to score, and then let the offense come around to take a lead in the bottom – and that’s exactly what the Blue Hawks did.

Keaveney struck out the side in the top of the sixth. Then Finn Adams reached on an infield single to lead off the Exeter half of the inning sixth. Adams advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Shea LaFleur.

Roger Davis then hit a grounder to shortstop, but the throw to first was high and off-target, allowing Adams to score and giving Exeter a 4-3 lead.

“Can’t ask for more than what (Keaveney), he was fantastic throughout the course of the game,” Joyce said. “He kept us right there and gave us a chance the whole way.”

Snee ties game at 3-3 with third RBI of the afternoon

Concord led 3-2, but it wouldn’t last for long. With two outs and two on – George Young (single) and Keaveney (single) – Snee stepped to the plate with a big opportunity. On the third pitch of the at-bat, Snee singled to right and Young scored, tying the game at 3-3.

“You try to sit outside of the plate to the best of your ability and drive it the opposite way, but when you get an inside pitch like I did there, it’s just all instinct,” Snee said. “So, when it’s inside, you react and good things happen.”

“Another great at-bat out of (Snee),” Joyce said. “It was a two-strike count and he laced it over the first basemen’s head and gives us another RBI. Cam has been a leader for us all year long, offensively, defensively, and emotionally. He’s been a great leader as a senior, so good for that to come out of him for sure.”

Concord takes its first lead of game

Exeter took a 2-1 lead into the fifth, but Concord would took the lead. After Armen Laylagian was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Daniel Revellese struck out for the second out of the inning.

Just an out away from escaping the jam, and with Jacob Plante at the plate, two consecutive balls in the dirt got by the catcher and allowed Fancher and Wachter to score, giving Concord a 3-2 lead. The inning ended on a strikeout of Matt Drewes.

Snee’s deep drive to center opens scoring

The Exeter offense was at it early. Hayden Schimoler singled to right to lead off the off the first. Young reached on a fielding error. Keaveney lined out to right, but Jakob Schwarz was hit by a pitch, loading the bases.

In a 2-1 count, Snee hit a rocket to deep center to drive in both Schimoler and Young for an early 2-0 lead.

“We were talking about jumping on them early to hopefully quiet their enthusiasm and all of their thoughts of winning the game,” Snee said. “When I saw a curveball over the plate, I just thought to put it in play somewhere and let some people come in; it just happened to find a gap which is all you can ask for.”