Merrimack catcher Ben Flanders tags out Nashua South's Dean Adams during Friday's 10-inning Tomahawks' 7-6 win at Holman Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – Perhaps some special force was on the side of the Merrimack High School baseball team on Friday.

It certainly seemed that way as they rallied to outlast Nashua South 7-6 in 10 innings at Holman Stadium in a game to remember.

Tomahawks freshman Elliott Medlock certainly will. He tossed six innings of one-run relief and escaped certain extinction for the day as the Panthers had runners at second and third with no one out in the bottom of the seventh after the ‘Hawks had rallied to tie the game at 6 in the top half of the inning.

And in the bottom of the ninth, South had a runner at third with one out when a muffed suicide squeeze turned into an inning ending, morale killing double play.

Medlock was pitching with a heavy heart, as his best friend who plays on the Jvs suddenly lost his mother earlier in the week. In fact, the whole Merrimack team seemed inspired.

“It’s been a rough couple of days as my best friend didn’t have the best news,” Medlock said. “But the boys have been with us.”

When there was second and third and nobody out in the seventh, Medlock was thinking “Strikes, strikes.” When South’s Dean Adams popped up a bunt attempt with River Hart charging in to score on the squeeze attempt and Merrimack third baseman Evan Roy charged in to grab it for the double play, Medlock said “My third baseman’s got him.”

“He’s a freshman but he playes like a senior,” Merrimack coach Mike Dudash said. “Every inning I’d say ‘Are you all set to go Elliott? And he’d say ‘I’m ready to go, I’m fired up.’.

“We’ve won four in a row, and the boys are finally getting confidence. And I can’t remember the last time I saw a suicide squeeze but thank God Evan was right there to make the play.”

It had to be a crushing loss for the 3-11 Panthers, who got solo home runs from River Hart (first) and Jake O’Connor (fourth) and O’Connor just missed one in the eighth. South led 6-2 going into the top of the seventh but the ‘Hawks rallied for four off reliever Drew Frost on four hits and an error, but the big blow a two-out, two-run single by Ben Flanders to tie it.

In the bottom half of the frame after Isaiah Hedquist was hit by a Medlock pitch to start and Hart doubled, it looked like South was a cinch to win it in regulation. But Medlock got two pop ups and caught Chris Keefe looking to escape.

And then there’s the one-out squeeze that squeezed the Panthers instead in the ninth.

“I totally called the squeeze on that play,” South coach James Gaj said. “You want to pressure the defense, we’re in extra innings. … The ball gets on the ground, we win the game.

“It was a tough one. We win the game with the exception of the seventh inning. In high school baseball, whoever makes the least amount of mistakes wins. I just told them they played a phenomenal baseball game and we’re getting better each and every day.”

In the top of the 10th, Adams, visibly frustrated, plunked Dylan Brander to lead things off. After a fielder’s choice, Flanders stole second and eventually scored on Hart’s throwing error off a Roy grounder that should have ended the inning. A run without the benefit of the base hit.

“It was a great game,” said Dudash, who said his varsity players had spend some time with the shaken jayvee kids on Thursday. “Nashua had their opportunities toward the end, but we were able to come up with the ‘D’.”

It almost seemed like it was meant to be.