Hudson is headed to American Legion World Series after rally to Northeast title

MANCHESTER, N.H. — After a six-run second inning, it looked like the Cardiac Kids were poised to become the Blowout Boys in the American Legion Northeast Regional championship game.

It turns out, you can't escape fate.

“We get out to a six-run lead, and I’m guilty," Hudson Post 100 manager Ryan Bowen said. "I’m thinking, ‘All right, this is pretty good, we haven’t been here before, we have a nice lead, let’s try to hold it,’ and all of a sudden we blink an eye, and it’s gone.”

Cumberland Post 14 answered with a five-run third and eventually took a 9-8 lead in the sixth, and for the fifth straight day at Gill Stadium, Hudson Post 100 had to rally from behind at Gill Stadium.

Hudson scored seven runs in the bottom half, highlighted by No. 9 hitter Anthony Moura's three-run double, to earn a 15-9 victory for the regional championship, Post 100's second triumph over the Rhode Island state champion in as many days.

Next for Hudson is a trip to Shelby, North Carolina, for the American Legion World Series, which begins Thursday.

“It just speaks to the versatility of those guys," Bowen said. "They have good at-bats. They don’t let the count dictate what they’re going to do. Bobby (Long Jr.), he’s an on-base machine. He was on base all tournament, and he was huge for us.

"Even if it was to just extend an inning, whatever it is, make the pitcher throw more pitches, he’s the guy we want up in that spot.”

Long had one of the more unique stat lines a player can have. He went up to bat five times Sunday, was walked twice and was hit by a pitch three times.

Long has been hit by a pitch nine times in Hudson's last six games. Which leads to an important question, does he like to get hit by a pitch?

“Yeah," he answered with a laugh. "Getting on base is very important in baseball, especially when we’re chasing one run or we’re trying to get on the board early. I’ve just been getting on the plate. If I think a guy can’t throw three pitches by me and jam me inside. I’m not going to move if they throw it there, for sure.”

Sure enough, Hudson's big sixth started with Long getting hit by a pitch. However, a Chase Barrett flyout and Chase Donahue strikeout gave Hudson two down, but as the team has done all season, it didn't give up.

“I didn’t have my day at the plate when my team depended on me, but we flip the switch like that, and it didn’t end up mattering, and everyone of my teammates picked me up," Donahue said. "Dan Demirjian, the guy hitting right behind me, drove in runners when I couldn’t.”

DeMerjian came up big again, whacking his third RBI single of the day to left field to tie the game at 9-9.

Peter Ward then ripped a single to left-center, which bounced off the knee of left fielder Donovan Lopez, giving DeMerjian an opening to score the eventual winning run.

“It’s kind of hard to practice, tied game, bottom of the sixth, two outs, full count," Donahue said. "That’s the stuff you dream of when you’re in the back yard playing Wiffle ball with your cousins, or your brother or sister."

On Thursday, Hudson opens World Series play in the Stars Division at 4 p.m. against Troy, Alabama, the Southeast Regional champion.

Troy won the World Series title in 2022, when Shrewsbury Post 397 advanced to the semifinals.

Post 100 enters World Series play a united ballclub.

"This definitely comes in with the fact of having so many different guys from so many ways of life," Donahue said. "You got Bromfield, myself, Marlborough, Hudson, college guys, not college guys, still in high school, not playing ball in college. It’s all the different experiences that we rely on each other, and we trust each other no matter what we have to say.”

Donahue was named tournament MVP. While he may not have had a great day batting, going 0 for 5, he was big in the field at shortstop, helping out on two inning-ending putouts, including one in the first inning, when his flashy glove kickstarted a 6-4-3 double play while keeping Cumberland off the board.

“Our defense has been exceptional all year long," Bowen said. "You build the team up the middle, and even the guys who aren’t up the middle are strong. Chase and Anthony (Moura) up the middle are unbelievable, Marshall (Kehlhem) is unbelievable in center field.

"Any ball that gets hit into play, I’m confident we can make the play. It’s more of a shock when we don’t.”

—Contact Michael Shattuck at michael.shattuck@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @MikeShattuck.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Hudson is headed to American Legion World Series after rally to Northeast title