Portsmouth Booma Post 6 holds off Nashua Coffey Post 3 in NH American Legion title game

NASHUA - One of the driving factors for Portsmouth Booma Post 6 was scoring in the first inning in this year's New Hampshire American Legion baseball tournament at Holman Stadium.

Booma did just that in its opening game Friday against Bedford Stevens-Buswell Post 54, against Lebanon Post 22 on Saturday, and Nashua Coffey Post 3 on Sunday.

More: Jason Pinsonnault's blistering summer with Booma Post 6: No rust for ace pitcher

However, in Tuesday's state championship game against Nashua, Booma went down in order against Elias Bourque.

But, there are different routes that can still lead to the same destination.

Devin Driscoll's RBI single scored Duncan Cullinane in the second and Timmy Avery hit a screaming RBI double to center that scored Matthew Minckler in the third as Booma jumped out to a 2-0 lead.

Portsmouth never relinquished its lead and went on to defeat Nashua, 2-1 to win the program's third New Hampshire American Legion state title. It was the sixth time in six games that Booma beat Nashua this season.

"We knew today was going to be tough," Portsmouth head coach Geoff Jablonski said. "We didn't score in the first, and we knew that was OK, but we still needed to score early; which we ended up doing. We got ahead early which allowed us to play from in front, and gave us a little breathing room."

Minckler was named tournament MVP.

What's next for Booma?

Portsmouth will represent New Hampshire in next month's Northeast Regional, which will be played at Gill Stadium in Manchester from Wednesday, August 7 to Sunday, August 11. The eight-team tournament will feature all six New England state champions, as well as the Massachusetts runner-up team, and Manchester Sweeney Post 2, the tournament's host team.

"It's awesome," Jablonski said about winning a second state title in four years. "What's nice is having already been (to Northeast Regionals) once, we kind of know what to expect. The last time we went (2021), it was kind of like 'hey, let's go have some fun.' This year we're going in to win it. We know what's coming, let's go show that we're the best in the region."

Portsmouth won its first state championship in 2008, and most recently in 2021.

"At the beginning of the year, we thought we were a good team and we knew we could (win state)," Avery said. "We proved that today by winning again."

Booma is now 21-1 on the season, its only loss a 7-3 setback to Exeter Post 23.

Pitching is name of the game

Booma starter Jason Pinsonnault allowed five hits and an unearned run in the fourth, striking out six in the complete-game win, his second win of the tournament, and seventh on the season.

Pinsonnault escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third, inducing a two-out groundball to Minckler at shortstop who fed Avery at second for the inning-ending out. Pinsonnault then got an inning-ending double play in the fifth, protecting a 2-1 lead.

Pinsonnault, a rising sophomore at Western New England University, retired Nashua in order in the sixth, and got Nashua's Jackson Goldstein to fly out to former Winnacunnet teammate Miles Pratt in center for the final out.

"(Pinsonnault) was a bulldog," Jablonski said. "We knew starting the day, he was going to go to the pitch limit (105), and the game was his. We weren't getting people loose, we were going to get him out of jams. We figured if he gets into it, he can get himself out of it and that's exactly what he did today, and that's what he's done all year."

Pinsonnault, who earned the win in Friday's tournament opener, said the inning-ending double play in the fifth was "huge."

"I knew down the stretch I had to be efficient, because early on, I wasn't and that double play was really big to help get me out of that (inning)," Pinsonnault said. "I was just letting kids put balls in play and the defense did their job behind me; they played amazing."

Bourque went six innings for Nashua, allowing nine hits and two earned runs, striking out one.

Getting offensive

Evan Gaffney and Sebastian Lampert each had two hits for Booma, while Minckler, Avery, Cullinane, Devin Driscoll and Pratt all had one.

Driscoll, the seventh hitter in order, was expecting a fastball on his RBI single that broke the scoreless tie.

"And that's what I got," Driscoll said. "Just put my best swing on it."

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Portsmouth Booma Post 6 holds off Nashua Coffey Post 3 in NH American Legion title game