North baseball coach Zach Harris hugs freshman reliever Nolan Sullivan after the Titans fell 5-4 in nine innings to Pinkerton Wednesday night in the Division I semifinals at Holman Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – The feeling among most of the close to 1,000 fans on Wednesday night at Holman Stadium as the Division I Nashua North-Pinkerton baseball semifinal was headed for extra innings was that the upstart No. 13 Titans had the top seeded Astros right where they wanted them.

After all, wasn’t this North’s plan, get the dramatic win? The Titans became the darlings of the tournament with close 3-1 wins over Keene and then Dover, the latter in nine innings.

But sometimes the baseball gods will throw you a curve. And despite yet another near-dominant relief effort from incredible freshman reliever Nolan Sullivan, it’s the Astros who will be playing in the title game in Manchester vs. No. 2 Exeter on Saturday thanks to a 5-4, nine inning win on a Brendan Horne sacrifice fly.

Freshman reliever Nolan Sullivan had, as he did all tournament, handcuffed the Astros, striking out seven and not allowing a hit through four innings of relief. But in the bottom of the ninth, Pinkerton catcher Elijah Sharp doubled to left center leading off. The No. 9 hitter in the lineup, Preston Libby, bunted him to third and Horne lofted a fly ball to right center to score sharp with the game-winner.

It ended a good surprise run that captured a lot of good feelings for the Titans.

“It took us a while to buy in to the way we needed to play to compete with teams like (Pinkerton),” North coach Zach Harris said. “We’ve got to do it a little differently than they do. We’ve got to play the game a little differently. … It took us 17, 18 games to realize just because it’s different doesn’t mean it’s any worse and doesn’t work. We’ll play our style and we’ll make it work against anybody.”

“I can’t believe that kid’s a freshman,” Pinkerton coach Steve Campo said. “The way he throws, the way he presents himself on the mound, he’s an unbelievable pitcher. He’s going to be giving us trouble the next three years.

“We tried to change our approach a little bit and be a little more simple, and I think we didn a good job with that. Against a pitcher like that, you’ve got to hit when he gives you one to hit. And we got lucky that we did towards the end.”

Ironically, the Titans almost didn’t send Sullivan out there for the ninth, as Owen Forcier was warmed and ready.

“There was talk about it,” Harris said. “Then we went to Nolan and he said, ‘What are you guys talking about? I’m going out there.’ I would say what he’s done so far this season and in these playoffs, he’s earned the right to make that call. I’ll live and die by that kid any day.”

Pinkerton had jumped out to a 3-0 lead against North starter Jonathan Medrano. They got two in the first as he hit Jackson Marshall, Tony Caruso doubled, and on a sac fly that plated Marshall, Caruso came around to score on an errant throw to third. Sharp added an RBI hit in the second it was 3-0.

But that’s when Titan junior catcher Mario Ramirez gathered the troops and whatever he said seemed to spark the Titans vs. Pinkerton starter Leo Boucher. They loaded the bases but didn’t score in the third, but in the top of the fourth North sent 11 to the plate, scoring four runs on four hits, a walk and catcher’s interference for a 4-3 lead. Austin Suchecki’s RBI single got them on the board, followed by a bases loaded catcher’s interference call with Ty Byrne at the plate, and then a big two-run single by Jayce Martinez for the lead.

That chased Boucher in favor of lefty Michael Cioffi, and eventually he got Sullivan on a called third strike with the bases loaded to end the inning.

“Just full team contributions,” Harris said. “I had guys who hadn’t had that many hits for us all year getting big hits in this game.”

But that was it for North’s scoring. Meanwhile, the Astros got a run across in the bottom of the inning on three hits and a wild pitch, but the key was Boucher scoring from second on an infield hit off the bat of – who else – Sharp.

“That was unbelievable base running by Leo,” Campo said. “I’d like to say it was me that told him to go but that all him, it was instinctive. He ran the bag and got it.

It’s little things like that that help you win a game against a good opponent like that.”

Pinkerton’s Elijah Sharp slides into second as the ball bounces away from Nashua North infielder Jayce Martinez during Wednesday night’s Division I baseball semis at Holman Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

Pinkerton’s Elijah Sharp slides into second as the ball bounces away from Nashua North infielder Jayce Martinez during Wednesday night’s Division I baseball semis at Holman Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

While Sullivan was dominant, the third Astro reliever, Hunter Brasier, was steady after his initial fifth inning. North loaded the bases in the fifth for the third inning in a row but he caught Byrne looking to end the threat. From that point on, he found a rhythm and tossed four scoreless frames.

But Campo knew that this was a struggle as North took his Astros to the wire.

“Again, the way North’s been playing this last week and a half, they belonged here, they showed they belonged here,” Campo said. “The job they’ve done over on that side is unbelievable.”

“The last week and a half we grinded together,” Titans catcher Mario Ramirez said. “It took time….We play like a family…We’re a fighting team no matter what.”

Harris said this run should be a huge boost for the program.

“We’ve got opposing teams rooting for us, opposing fans, coaches from around the state, everyone’s pulling for North,” he said. “If you’re a kid at our school, or a youth kid in Nashua, and you’re reading about this or were here tonight, how do you not want to come play for us.?

“And for our kids who are in this program already, they know what it takes to win now. Let’s go build in it.”