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Bulldog baseballers ripping up all opposition in 5-0 start

The Bedford High baseball program simply won’t let spring, and this slew of uncooperative weather, drag it down.

Coming off a state runner-up season, Bedford is back at it again, 5-0 in the early going, a point that coach Billy Chapman has to be happy about.

“We have plenty of room for improvement and we certainly don’t want to be playing our best baseball until June,” said Chapman. “It’s always nice to start the season with a few wins.”

Chapman knows that at this point in the season, it’s about pitching as the hitters play catch-up and the depth shown by the Bulldog staff has been impressive.

“We have been lucky to have four quality starts by four different starting pitchers,” the coach said.

Geoff Mosseau, Patrick Harrington, Tim Saltzman and Evan Schwartz have all been impressive in their starts on the hill.

But it’s been the offense, which has dominated the opposition, that continues to be mighty.

“Usually pitchers at this time of the year have a slight advantage as hitters readjust out of cages and back on to the diamond,” said Chapman. “So far we have scored 27 runs in four games while only surrendering two. That is a formula for success at any level of baseball and it will be hard to keep up.”

You don’t have to look further than Friday’s win against Keene to see what gets the Bulldogs moving. Sophomore leadoff man Trevor Anibal, currently hitting .417, walked, Joey Barrett singled and Grant Lavigne blasted a home run for a 3-0 lead before any lawn chairs were even unfolded.

“Grant is the kind of hitter who can change the game with one swing,” said Chapman.

“I don’t think we have any big surprises. Some of the top performers are new to varsity, but I expected them to play at a high level. Each game we have had a few players step up in big ways.

“Pitching wise we have some very good arms that I feel comfortable throwing in many different situations. If we continue to throw strikes and limit walks, we will likely be tough to score on.”

Bedford was the only 4-0 team in the state to begin this week, but six other unbeatens still remain in Division I, which looks like a case of many haves and more have-nots.