High School Baseball/Softball: Pinkerton's Rioux happy to share the spotlight
May 29—TOM RIOUX would be the ace of just about any high school staff in the state, but Rioux is at Pinkerton Academy, where he shares the spotlight with strikeout king Liam Doyle, who is committed to Coastal Carolina. Doyle is the team's No. 1, and Rioux is the 1A, if you will.
Although he may be overshadowed at times, the bottom line is this: When Rioux is on the mound, opponents are facing one of the best high school pitchers New Hampshire has to offer.
"I do think when people think of the Pinkerton pitching staff, the first person who comes into their head is Liam, but Tom is one of the top arms in the state," Pinkerton coach Steve Campo said. "He's had two years now where he's proven he's one of the top arms in the state. No matter who he's played against, he's competed and put us in a position to win.
"Tom is the guy on our staff who truly pitches," Campo continued. "He has three pitches he has control of (four-seam fastball, slider and changeup). He locates his fastball well, and when he gets going, he's mid-80s. The other thing is Tom is an attack pitcher. He goes after guys. There's no fear. He's willing to allow his defense to work, and he has strikeout stuff."
A piece of the spotlight appears to be enough for Rioux, a senior right-hander who went 3-1 with a 0.86 ERA last season. He said he'd rather pitch on the same staff as Doyle rather than be the workhorse somewhere else.
"You know what? I love the one-two punch because ... this program — I would never wish to leave it," Rioux said. "I'd be the (No. 3) guy here if I had to. Pitching behind Liam is a privilege, and watching him work and knowing what he's thinking all the time ... I would never give that up.
"I think we benefit from being around each other. Liam brings many things to the mound, and I think I bring things to the mound that he can learn from me."
Rioux, a Derry resident, had a 6-0 record and a 1.28 ERA this season entering Friday's game against Winnacunnet. He had 64 strikeouts and had issued five walks in 38 innings.
A third baseman when he's not on the mound, Rioux will pitch for Colby College next season. Before that, Campo is hoping Rioux will help Pinkerton win its first Division I baseball championship since 1996.
"When picking his school, academics was the top priority, and I think that helps him on the mound," Campo said. "We're not talking about a kid who's hyper-focused on baseball. He's looking at the long-term goal, and academics is very important to him.
"He understands the game, he's a student of the game and he's always working to get better."
Blue Hawks' Crawford comes through in the pinch
If Exeter and Concord meet in this year's Division I softball championship game, they'll have a hard time topping what happened Friday, when the teams faced each other in the final game of the regular season.
Exeter trailed 3-0, but loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh before sophomore Edy Crawford hit a pinch-hit grand slam to give the Blue Hawks (17-1) a 4-3 victory and the No. 1 seed for the tournament.
It was the first home run of the season for Crawford, a sophomore.
"My coach told me to go swing a bat, so I was like, 'OK, so that probably means I'm going to get an at-bat. I have to get my mentality ready.' Crawford said. "When I stepped in the box, I was a little nervous because I swung and missed at two strikes.
"I hit it and I knew it went high. I was like, 'Oh no. Please don't be a pop up.' I was rounding first and was like, 'Oh my gosh.' It was something I wasn't expecting. It was a team effort and just a great way to end our (regular) season."
Exeter pitcher Kristen Beebe retired the first 18 batters she faced, but Concord's Delaney Duford — Beebe's travel ball teammate in the summer — drove the first pitch of the seventh over the center field fence for the game's first run. A Krys Stearns single later in the inning increased the lead to 3-0.
Crawford's home run came with one out in the bottom of the seventh.
Concord (17-1) will be the tournament's No. 2 seed.
Nashua South baseball team picks up forfeit victory
The Division I baseball standings were shuffled Thursday night after Nashua South was awarded a forfeit victory over Spaulding because the Red Raiders used an ineligible pitcher when they beat South 3-2 on May 12. The pitcher, who was used in relief, didn't receive the required one day of rest after he threw 38 pitches the previous day in a game against Keene.
The win secured the No. 3 seed for Nashua South.
Softball stars will shine at Padden FieldThe New Hampshire Softball Coaches' Association Senior Games will be played June 14 at Padden Field in Manchester. The rain date has been set for June 15.
The Senior Games feature the top graduating seniors from each division. The opening-round matchups: Division I vs. Division III, and Division II vs. Division IV. The two winning teams will play each other, as will the two losing teams.
Tournaments begin this week around the state
The NHIAA softball tournaments will begin Wednesday, and the NHIAA baseball tournaments will start Thursday. The tournament's first two rounds in each sport will be played at home sites before the semifinals and championship games are held at the following neutral sites:
Baseball
Division I semifinals: Holman Stadium (Nashua)
Division I championship game: Northeast Delta Dental Stadium (Manchester)
Division II semifinals: Memorial Field (Concord)
Division II championship game Northeastern Delta Dental Stadium
Division III semifinals: Robbie Mills Park (Laconia)
Division III championship game: Northeast Delta Dental Stadium
Division IV semifinals: Robbie Mills Park
Division IV championship game: Northeast Delta Dental Stadium
Softball
Division I semifinals: D&M Park (Plymouth State U.)
Division I championship game: D&M Park
Division II semifinals: Chase Field (Plymouth State U.)
Division II championship game: Chase Field
Division III semifinals: D&M Park
Division III championship game: D&M Park
Division IV semifinals: Chase Field
Division IV championship game: Chase Field
Top 10 baseball
1. Portsmouth (18-1)
2. Pinkerton (17-3)
3. Nashua South (15-4)
4. Exeter (13-6)
5. Londonderry (14-6)
7. Concord (13-6)
5. Winnacunnet (13-7)
8. Bishop Guertin (13-7)
9. Hollis/Brookline (15-1)
10. St. Thomas (14-4)
Top 10 softball
1. Exeter (17-1)
2. Concord (17-1)
3. Londonderry (17-2)
4. Salem (13-5)
5. Pinkerton (13-5)
6. Coe-Brown (15-1)
7. Merrimack Valley (14-2)
8. Goffstown (13-6)
9. Winnacunnet (13-6)
10. John Stark (14-2)
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