Nashua Coffey Post players walk back to the dugout after shaking hands with Bedford following a 7-3 loss Tuesday in the Senior American Legion NH Finals at Historic Holman Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – It’s a constant theme in sports:

You can’t make mistakes against good teams, especially really good teams.

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what the Nashua James E. Coffey Post 3 team did against tourney favorite Bedford Post 54 in Tuesday’s Senior Legion State Tourney Finals, falling 7-3 in the first and only game needed for Bedford to repeat as champions at Historic Holman Stadium.

The Coffey Kids committed three errors leading to three unearned runs, which clearly hurt.

“Yeah, they’re a good team, they capitalize,” Nashua coach Norm Kerman said. “When you give them an inch, they take a mile. There’s a reason why they went undefeated (21-0).

“I’m really proud of our guys. They competed all summer. They busted their butts. They got better. And at the end of the day, yeah, summer ball’s super fun, and the goal for summer is to get better. I can look around at our group, I said ‘I can look at all of you, and you all got better in some way, shape or form this summer.’ And that’s what it’s all about.”

Just like Monday night’s losers bracket final, Nashua spotted the opposition a couple of early runs, as Brendon Doughty got touched for two runs on two hits, one a James Gilbert RBI single and Jason Topf sac fly.

However, Nashua recovered in the third to grab a 3-2 lead against Bedford’s duo of starter Noah Durham and reliever Zach Papik. The inning included two Bedford errors, two hit batsmen (Mario Ramirez and Liam Ireland), and a big RBI double (greeting Papik) by Nick Wyner followed by a run-scoring wild pitch.

But Bedford bounced back and took over for good in the bottom half of the inning, scoring three runs as well. A dropped fly ball in right by Coffey’s Jacoby Caissie with a man on opened the door. Demetrios Hunt’s bloop just out of Nashua first baseman Ben Geiger’s reach plated two, and a wild pitch scored another for a 5-3 lead.

Bedford’s Noah Durham slides home safely while Nashua catcher Mario Ramirez waits for the throw during Tuesday’s Senior Legion Finals at Historic Holman Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

They’re a great group of kids, they come to play,” Bedford coach Henry Dubois said. “Although we don’t practice a whole lot, their IQ is up there and they know what to do when the ball’s hit to them.

“They’ve been resilient all year. We had games when we’ve had to come back four or five runs in the seventh inning. They grind it. We’ve done it all year.”

But a thorn in Nashua’s side all tourney, former Souhegan standout Brayden Hickman, made his presence felt again. Hickman drove in the game-winner in the teams’ meeting on Sunday in extra innings, and yesterday he ran down Gavin Santos’ long drive in the gap in left with the bases loaded for Nashua in the fourth. Ouch.

“Earlier in the game a ball went over my head, I was kind of using that as a read or an adjustment,” said Hickman, who pitched 20 innings for Saint Anselm this past spring. “Seeing one going into the gap, I kind of took a first step back, and kept running knowing it was going to tail and keep carrying. Off any ball off the bat I feel I have a shot at it.”

Hickman cemented the Tourney MVP Award with an RBI single (7-3) in the fifth. In the fourth, a throwing error on an infield hit had made it 6-3.

“Hickman, he’s a dirt dog at heart,” Dubois said. “That kid just shows up, plays, very even-keeled, but hyper focused. His arm, and you saw him defensively make that catch over his shoulder with the bases loaded. That was a huge defensive play. It’s a totally different game without him.”

Nashua never really threatened after Hickman’s catch. They got two on in the seventh but Gilbert closed it out. Now Bedford will next head to Worcester’s Fitton Field next Wednesday for the Northeast Regionals for the second straight year. But they know they beat at team that could also be there in theory.

“Nashua’s a great team,” Dubois said. “Very close game with them on Sunday night. Regardless of where we’re at, arms and pitching and stuff, you know they’re going to put together a great game and they did it again today. It was still close, by no means did they quit. Congrats to them on a great season.”

It included a super fun moment on Monday night with Ramirez’s walk-off hit to land Coffey in the finals, when it looked like it

“It was,” Ramirez said, “definitely a fun run.”