Alvirne pitcher Nick Jacques was in complete control on Friday, striking out 12 Nashua South hitters in five innings of work in the Broncos' 7-0 at Holman Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – Alvirne High School senior Nick Jacques isn’t 100 percent sure if he’s going to be playing baseball next spring at Western New England University next year, but he’d like to.

He should send the tape of Friday’s 12-strikeout performance at Holman Stadium in a 7-0 win over Nashua South to the WNE coaches. They’ll certainly take notice.

Jacques did his mound wizardry in five innings of two-hit shutout ball, fanning seven in a row at one point. His strikeouts, he said, were the most he’s ever had as a pitcher at any level.

“Me and my catcher, Evan Beals, we went into it to try and keep these guys off balance, and I think we did a great job of that,” Jacques said, while crediting his team for giving him run support. “I kept mixing in curveball, fastball, kept them off balance and they couldn’t really touch it today.”

Alvirne coach Adam Perkins expected a good performance from Jacques, a player he’s been impressed with since he saw him pitch in the snow vs. Concord a couple of years ago.

“Absolutely,” Perkins said. “He’s a guy that battles. Doesn’t matter what’s going on around him. That’s part of his makeup and his demeanor out there, too.”

And part of how the Broncos play the game in Perkins first year as coach, taking over for longtime head man Mike Lee, now retired, but who watched yesterday from the fence off first base. They’ve won three straight since losing the opener to Pinkerton.

“Our practices are very high paced, and they do a great job of coming to work every day,” Perkins said. “We’re excited.”

Meanwhile the Panthers (1-2) just couldn’t muster enough offense against Jacques, three hits overall vs. him and reliever Ty Baker.

“The Alvirne pitchers controlled the tempo the entire game,” South coach James Gaj said. “They got up in the box, they filled the zone, and that’s all you have to do in high school baseball.

“You throw strikes, put the ball in play and good things happen. They did that today and we didn’t. But we’re a young team. I was happy with the way they played, though the scoreboard didn’t suggest that.”

Down 1-0 in the bottom of the first, South had runners on second and third with one out. Then Jacques began his strikeout streak of seven straight.

“He was just filling up the zone,” Gaj said. “Some days all you have to do is fill up the zone, attack hitters and compete. I tip my cap.”

But Gaj also tipped his cap to Alvirne’s two-out hitting. Six of their seven runs were scored with two out, beginning with Josh MacDonald’s RBI single in the first, Jake Dufour’s RBI triple in the second, RBI hits by Alex Blais and Richie Thibeault in a three-run fifth, and Kyle Boulanger’s RBI double in the seventh.

That hit followed junior Dufour’ s second triple of the day, as the Broncos leadoff man and center fielder had as good a day as his starting pitcher – three for three, two triples, an RBI, two runs scored and reached base five times.

“We just could not put them away today,” said Gaj, who used four pitchers, including starter Dean Adams, in order to preserve arms. South’s hits came from Adams, River Hart, and pinch hitter Yenzy Morel.

Alvirne has two with Nashua North next week while South has Bishop Guertin.

“It’s going to be tough,” Gaj said. “Rivalry games are always crazy.”

Not as crazy as watching a pitcher strike out 12 in five frames.

“Once I figured it out,” Jacques said, “I got into a groove.”