Merrimack's Dylan Brander delivers a pitch to Nashua North's Alex Meesig during the Tomahawks' 4-1 win Monday at Holman Stadium. Brander tossed a complete game four-hitter. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – Dylan Brander didn’t expect to have such a busy, productive day.

After all, Monday was the season opener, but the first high school game the Merrimack junior was pitching in in two years, and first overall since the summer.

A few innings, no muss, no fuss.

But yesterday at Holman Stadium, he was too efficient to take out in a 73-pitch complete-game 4-1 win over Nashua North.

“I was confident, but I didn’t think I was going to go the whole way,” Brander said after allowing just four hits, striking out four, walking one with one hit batsman. “But I got it done.”

Indeed he did, while his Tomahawks took advantage of four North errors and a couple of other mental miscues.

“Total control, a complete game win on a four-hitter, more than we expected,” said Merrimack coach Mike Dudash after the first win of his young varsity career. “The plan was to go three or four innings, depending on the pitch count. He just had command of his pitches, his curve ball was great, his defense was great behind him.”

“He was good today,” North coach Zach Harris said of Brander. “We tip our cap to him. He was definitely better than we were today.”

Each team had scored an unearned run until the Tomahawks grabbed the lead for good in the fourth on Pat Browning’s infield hit until they almost ran their way out of the frame. But they put things away in the fifth off North starter Alex Meesig with two runs on five hits and an error. The RBIs came from an Aidan Ponder groundout and Evan Roy (3 for 4) single.

Meesig was tough, though, as he picked off four Tomahawks.

“We really wasted one of Alex’s starts today,” Harris said. “We had errors, not making routine plays. If Alex didn’t pitch the way he did and pick off guys, this game probably would’ve been 10-1.”

The two teams meet again on Wednesday in Merrimack, but first the Titans host Windham at Holman today. Their best chance to score off Brander was in the sixth when they loaded the bases with one out. But ‘Hawks third baseman Roy snared Jacob Langenfeld’s soft liner and doubled up Ryan Bourgeois off third to end the threat.

“Some defense, some key hits, some base running,” Dudash said. “This year, we’ll be aggressive on the basepaths until we find somebody that’s going to calm us down. That’s going to be our philosophy, the way we are, until we run into somebody who can stop us.”

“My curve was pretty good today, I felt like I controlled that than I previously have,” Brander said. “Just the energy today was great from my guys and it helped me a lot.”

Both teams were thrilled to be out there, but as Brander mentioned, the Tomahawks seemed extremely fired up.

“The energy was there,” Dudash said. “The whole team was constantly up. They were excited about playing baseball.”

Especially with Dylan Brander on the mound.