MANCHESTER, N.H. – It’s official: The North Manchester/Hooksett All-Stars are New Hampshire Little League State Champions in the 9-to-11-year-old division, defeating Salem on Tuesday night, 14-3.
North Manchester/Hooksett put runs across the board in all five innings of the contest, starting with a six-run rally in the opening frame that could have grown even larger if not for a daring double steal that came up just short at the plate.
Landon Ishimwe singled home Ethan Lemire in the second to bring North Manchester/Hooksett’s lead up to 7-1, and Felix Lapierre’s RBI triple scoring Andrew Arvantis in the third would increase that lead to 8-1. An RBI single by Braylon Frometa and a bases loaded hit-by-pitch of Nathaniel Chesley added two more runs in the fourth, with Lincoln Scott’s two-run double in the fifth capping the victory for North Manchester/Hooksett.
Scott and Lapierre combined for four of North Manchester/Hooksett’s 10 hits in the contest, with each of the team’s 13 batters reaching base at least once.
On the mound, Anthony Coski pitched all five innings in the victory, allowing just four hits and only one earned run.
This marks the first time North Manchester/Hooksett, as well as any other team from District 2, has won the state championship in the 9-to-11-year-old age group, following the 11-to-12-year-old North Manchester/Hooksett team reaching the Little League World Series in 2021.
Since coming together in late June, the team is now 8-3 and has not lost a game in over two weeks. Their next contest comes against a team from New York on Monday.