GOFFSTOWN — Bedford came up big when it mattered most, engineering a 5-4 win over baseball rival Goffstown, the fourth-seeded squad, to earn a third straight trip to the Division II semifinal round.

Bedford will face the winner of today's quarterfinal game between top-seeded St. Thomas of Dover and No. 9 Pembroke at Dover Point in a Thursday evening semifinal to take place at Memorial Field in Concord.

Offensively, the fifth-seeded Bulldogs put their leadoff hitter aboard five straight times and plated three of the runners. Ben Philbrick successfully put down a suicide squeeze bunt, pushing across the eventual game winning run in the top of the seventh.

Defensively, third baseman Philbrick, shortstop Eric MacDonald, along with outfielders Cory Snell and Ryan Gancarz made clutch defensive plays while senior pitcher Ryan Mossman stranded 10 Goffstown base runners. Five were perched at third, with the potential tying run leading off second when the righty induced a game-ending grounder.

“I throw strikes and let the defensive do its job behind me. But when a runner gets to third, it's up to me to get the last out. It seemed like there were 100 on third,” said Mossman with a relieved laugh after upping his record to 6-3. All three of his strikeouts occurred with multiple base runners aboard when a base hit would have changed the lead.

The righty got key outs by getting ahead of batters and then tailing two-strike fastballs and curves over the outside corner of the plate.

“He (Mossman) made money pitches. We didn't, and they got the key hits. Their veteran team made the plays and our youth and inexperience showed today,” said Goffstown coach Eddy Coulombe, who used six sophomores in the game.

Mossman doubled a 2-2 pitch to center, scoring Daniel Hughes in the second. Hughes stroked a two-out RBI single his next time. William Hughes and Greg O'Brien plated runners from third with a groundout and fly ball, respectively.

“We've talked all season about being clutch at the plate,” said first-year coach Bedford coach Billy Chapman. “Damage control has been the motto on defense and with our pitchers. They key is to avoid a big inning.”

Tim Riehl singled and came home on Adam Routhier's fly in the third, when Goffstown stranded two. Routher struck an RBI single in the fifth when the Grizzlies left two aboard. Tucker Allard and Zach Storro each drove home runs in the seventh before Mossman got the third out with runners at first and second.

“I wondered if I was leaving him out too long in the seventh,” said Chapman. “We had an adult conversation before he went out there and he wasn't about to be taken out. He gave me that look, but that was the last batter he was going to face.”