Hector Longo photo -- Padraig Mac Seain rocks and fires for Coffey Post of Nashua. The lefty earned the win with a sharp five inning start against Weare. Unfortunately, the club's tourney run and season came to an end with a loss to Londonderry later on Monday night.

NASHUA – With the deck stacked against them due to an opening night loss, the Nashua Coffey Post 3 players fought to the very last pitch.

“That’s really all I can ask for,” said Post 3 coach Tim Lunn after Nashua’s season came to a close on Monday night, with the bases loaded in a 7-5 loss to Londonderry Post 27.

Coffey Post finishes the summer at 19-3, bowing out in the penultimate night of the State Legion Championship Tournament.

Tuesday at 4 p.m., Londonderry will play unbeaten Concord for the title. Post 27 would have to win two straight to win the championship, while Concord simply needs to win one.

“Pitching all season was our strength,” said Lunn. “It was our strength the whole tournament. We just didn’t swing the bats well enough against Londonderry.”

Earlier in the day, Nashua beat Weare Post 65, 10-4, to reach Monday night’s semifinal.

That set up the nightcap with Post 3 righty Charlie Hale opposing Londonderry’s Adam Wholley on the mound.

The difference in the game was basically one inning, the third in which Londonderry grabbed a 4-0 lead.

Jack Marshall, Kevin Rourke and Owen Carey had run-producing hits in the frame.

“It’s one of those situations, they were able to string a few hits together,” said Lunn. We were able to do that in every game till this one. That’s baseball.”

Still, Nashua’s grit was undeniable.

The hosts answered with three in the fourth.

Isaac Zhang and Max Riordan singled then bumped up to second and third on a wild pitch. Ryan Bourgeois had an RBI base hit, moving up to second on the throw home.

Jake O’Connor and Dom Monico then followed with back-to-back RBI groundouts to second, slicing it to 4-3.

Londonderry, the state Division I finalist during the high school season, just wouldn’t be denied, though.

Jack Marshall had a clutch RBI hit and the margin bumped back up to 7-3 before Nashua made a couple final challenges.

In the sixth, Post 3 loaded the bases with one out, but reliever Ryan Perry escaped that jam with a strikeout and ground out.

Luke Anderson walked to start the Nashua seventh. With one out, Zhang’s grounder was booted and Riordan was hit by a pitch to load the bases, again with one out.

Bourgeois earned a walk to make it 7-4.

Jake O’Connor’s liner to center was run down for the second out, though. Monico worked a work to make it 7-5, but that’s where the rally and the season ended.

Lefty Padraig Mac Seain was the story in the early game. The recent Hollis Brookline High School grad, staked to a 5-0 lead in the first, just took charge with five sharp innings of work to earn the win.

“Padraig was awesome in game 1,” said Lunn. “He did everything we asked of him, and then Brady Sullivan came on to nail it down.”

Mac Seain is one of five stud grads on his team that will go on to play college ball and that have most likely played their last game for Coffey Post.

Among them is Zhang, the longest tenured vet in the program.

“He’s a heck of a player,” said Lunn of the outfielder/pitcher Zhang. “He’s been a cornerstone for us for five years.”

Zhang is headed to prestigious Washington University in Missouri.

Mac Seain will head to St. Joseph’s in Maine, while others moving on to play in college are Nolan Mederos at Rivier, Riordan at Fitchburg State and Bourgeois at Salem State.

State American Legion Championships

Friday’s Games

Game 1: Concord 3, Dover 2

Game 2: Londonderry 3, Merrimack 0

Game 3: Portsmouth 10, Sweeney Post 0

Game 4: Weare 11, Nashua 8

Saturday’s Games

Game 5: Dover 5, Sweeney Post 4 (Sweeney eliminated)

Game 6: Nashua 11, Merrimack 5 (Merrimack eliminated)

Game 7: Concord 3, Portsmouth 2

Game 8: Londonderry 10, Weare 0

Sunday’s Games

Game 9: Nashua 12, Portsmouth 0 (Portsmouth eliminated)

Game 10: Weare 4, Dover 0 (Dover eliminated)

Game 11: Concord 7, Londonderry 5

Monday’s Games

Game 12: Nashua 10, Weare 4 (Weare eliminated)

Game 13: Londonderry 7, vs. Nashua 5 (Nashua eliminated)

Tuesday’s Games

Game 14: Concord vs. Londonderry, 4 p.m.

Game 15: Winner Game 14 vs. Loser Game 14 (if needed)

Newsletter