Coffey Post's Mario Ramirez, second from left, is mobbed by his teammates after delivering a walk-off hit Monday night vs. Rochester to put Nashua in this morning's Senior Legion Finals at Historic Holman Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – There was no way Mario Ramirez wanted to go through it again on Monday night.

Last year the Nashua James E. Coffey Post 3 American Senior Legion team lost in the State Tournament losers bracket final, and everyone said their semi-tearful good-byes after an outfield meeting at Historic Holman Stadium.

“Last year gave me a sour taste when we lost,” said Ramirez, who just finished up his freshman year at Saint Joseph’s of Maine.

So with two outs and runners on second and third in the bottom of the seventh and Nashua down 2-1, Ramirez got a different taste. He boomed a first-pitch fastball from Rochester Post 7 starter Hunter Spencer off the billboards in left field and the Coffey Kids advanced to this morning’s finals vs. defending champion Bedford.

“All game (Spencer) was blowing by me with fastballs, and I was suspecting him to do it again,” Ramirez said. “I blinked.”

And mashed it.

“There’s a bunch of guys on this team that have so much experience,” Coffey manager Norm Kerman said. “Mario’s been on the Senior Legion team since he was a sophomore. Same for some other guys. They’ve been around this, they know what winning baseball looks like. … They know how to get it done. They have a special quality in the big moment.”

After losing to Bedford Sunday night, Nashua must now win two today to capture the title. It’s likely lefty Brendon Doughty will get the ball to start.

But for awhile, it didn’t look like Nashua would be around for today. Jacoby Caissie gave up two runs on three hits in the first inning, one run scoring on a double play and another on a hit by Brayden Comeau.

But that was it – for the game. Caissie settled right down and at one point retired 12 Rochester hitters in a row. He only allowed one hit the rest of the way.

“I was just in a rhythm,” Caissie said with a grin. “Once you get me in a rhythm, you can’t really get me out of it.”

As Rochester manager Nate Locke said, “I knew two wasn’t going to be enough.”

And he was right, even though is ace, Spencer, had no-hit Nashua through the first five frames. But Liam Ireland, leading off the sixth, laced a double to left as the ball got by a diving Wesley Drapeau. He moved to third on a ground out and scored on a base hit by Gavin Santos, who was thrown out at second on a close, controversial call.

Coffey Post’s Jacoby Cassie struggled in the first inning but was solid thereafter, helping Nashua beat Rochester 3-2 for a spot in this morning’s Senior Legion Finals at HHS. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

But that just delayed the inevitable. With one out in the seventh, Spencer plunked Nashua’s Ben Geiger with the first pitch to put the tying run on. Then,after a passed ball, a grounder off the bat of Jordy Delude put runners at first and third. Delude took second on defensive indifference.

Spencer, though, rared back and fanned Tyler Parks, setting the do-or-die stage for Ramirez.

“They’re an older team,” Locke said. “I have a bunch of 16-17 year-olds, and they have a bunch of college kids. They know how to play.”

Ramirez is hoping that rings true against a loaded Bedford team that has beaten Coffey by one run in each of their last two tourney meetings, including Sunday’s loss.

“This year it’s gonna be different,” Ramirez said. “I hope it’s gonna be different.”