Rain meant that Hudson's Jake Dufour (2) and Nashua Coffey Post's Drew Gryniewicz will have to wait a bit before they see each other again. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

Rain washed out what would have been a great local American Senior Legion District B showdown on Wednesday between Nashua James E Coffey Post 3 and Hudson Post 48.

But it didn’t dampen the 6-1 District B start Nashua is off to.

“We’re about two-and-a-half weeks in now, and the biggest thing is the kids are getting adjusted,” Coffey Post manager Tim Lunn said. “Early on, we weren’t capitalizing on getting the leadoff runner on, or runners in scoring position. Opportunities weren’t coming through.”

But they are now. Lunn said that a big part is getting the entire team together from other commitments. But he knows what has been another huge key, and it may have started the role the team is on — starting pitching.

Lunn points to a win pitched by Corey O’Day over Salem as a big key.

“It speaks to the strength of our starting pitching,” Lunn said. “Corey gave us a great start and that started a special streak of all of our starters. Every starter has gone four, five or six innings, doing what I ask.”

And what Lunn asks is throw strikes and let the defense do the job. Case in point is the pitching of Hollis Brookline’s Charlie Hale, who just completed his sophomore season but pitches like a senior.

“He’s got a lot of great pitches in his game, and he can strike you out,” Lunn said. “But that’s not his game. It’s ‘I’m going to come at you. I’m going to throw this pitch and have you put the ball in play and trust my defense to make the plays.'”

And that’s what Lunn has asked of his pitching staff. Don’t try to do to much all by yourself, he tells them; there are seven fielders behind them, and he wants his pitchers to make full use of them. So far, they have. Hale has two complete games (seven innings) and has given up just two runs total in his last two starts, including a 5-1 win over Hudson and then the other night’s 9-1 win at Rochester.

Lunn would have loved to have played Hudson again, he was out working on Elliott Field at Bishop Guertin at noon on Wednesday in the heat. But he saw the forecast change around 4:30 as thunderstorms were popping up all over the map and arrived at 5. Lunn said Wednesday no makeup date had been set as of yet; today isn’t an option as Nashua is headed to Newport, R.I. and the campus of Salve Regina College to compete in the Firecracker July 4 tournament.

Actually, Nashua will play one game today, two on Friday, then one on Saturday. They will have July 4 and 5 off and resume District B play not until next Wednesday vs. Salem at Elliott Field.

Hudson, meanwhile, will be busy. Post 48 will be at Exeter on Friday (at Phillips Exeter Academy), at Dover on Monday (Dover High School), and host Londonderry Tuesday and Portsmouth on Wednesday. All of those games are at 5:30 p.m.

Merrimack Post 98, meanwhile, in District A is set to host Sweeney Post today at 5:30 at Merrimack High School, weather permitting of course. Post 98 is now 2-1 in district play after beating Weare on Tuesday, 4-2 at Saint Anselm College.