MANCHESTER, NH- The No. 3 Belmont High School varsity baseball team defeated No. 5 Derryfield High School 10-2 to capture the NHIAA DIII Championship, their first baseball state title since 1988.
In the past three years, Belmont had reached the semi-finals three times, but were unable to make it to the title game on each occasion, coming up just short on repeat. But finally, after a 18 win season, the Red Raiders broke through and captured the elusive championship that the team has been chasing.
“These guys deserve all the credit in the world,” Belmont Head Coach Matt LeBlanc said postgame. “They’re out there, they put the time in, blood, sweat and tears. They are the ones that deserve the credit. I’m just so proud of them.”
The star of the game for the Red Raiders was starting pitcher Wyatt Divers, who threw a complete game, striking out seven while only allowing two runs on six hits and two walks.
“It feels incredible,” Divers said afterwards. “The whole town’s out here, it’s like a community. I saw everybody I think I’ve ever met out in the stands, it was awesome.”
“He’s a bulldog,” Coach LeBlanc said. “He’s recorded every out for us throughout the playoffs and he’s such an experienced kid. Like I said, he’s a bulldog out there.”
The action kicked off right in the top of the first inning, when Derryfield sophomore Jake Larson came through with two strikes, as he dropped a single into left field, driving teammate Keith Townsend in from second to give the Cougars the early 1-0 lead in the State Finals.
However, it was all Belmont from that point onward as the offense put up three runs in the bottom half of the first, with key walks from Jack Crockford and Sam Binder to drive in said runs, the lead was now 3-1 at the end of the first inning.
Once Belmont took the lead, they never looked back, allowing for Divers to work his magic on the mound, shutting down Derryfield with authority.
“My bread and butter is my slider away,” Divers said. “They were disciplined hitters, they made me throw it to them. But, if we got the fastball across, the slider away did its job.”
In the third inning, the Belmont offense exploded for seven runs to put the game out of reach. The key moment was when senior Eddie Rochenski came to the plate with the bases loaded and hit the ball right by the third baseman, who was unable to track down the grounder, allowing for two runners to cross the plate.
“I’m just so proud of those guys,” Coach LeBlanc said. “I’m so happy that they all got to contribute all the way throughout the playoffs. We’re not here with guys like Eddie.”
As for Derryfield, their season ends in heartbreaking fashion, but Head Coach Kevin Gray doesn’t want the loss to numb their successful 17 win season.
“I’m super proud of the group and how far we came,” Coach Gray said. “We made a mark on Derryfield baseball. 13 kids, no JV theme, second year in DIII, we get to the finals.”
If a moment could summarize a season for Derryfield, then it would be the interaction Coach Gray had with his two base runners in the top of the seventh.
Down to their last out and Belmont on a mound visit, Coach Gray went over to Adam Willett and Casey Peters to share an emotional embrace.
“Look at what we’ve accomplished.” Coach Gray reiterated. “Look at the mark you’ve left on the program. I’ll always remember that.”
Box Score:
| Box Score: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs | Hits |
| Derryfield | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Belmont | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 10 | 6 |