NORWICH— Temperatures in the low 40s. Jarring bursts of wind. Sleet falling with a pitter-patter on spectators’ jackets and the aluminum bleachers before turning to rain.

Welcome to Wednesday’s NHIAA Division II opening day for Hanover High and Lebanon High baseball.

At least the 18-month-old playing surface at the Dresden Athletic Fields was dry and the latest episode of the local rivalry was completed, albeit in abbreviated fashion when Hanover prevailed, 10-0, in five innings. The Bears had only five hits but were aided by seven walks, two hit batters and three Raider errors, along with several mental mistakes on the visitors’ part.

“It was the first varsity game for a lot of our kids, but the fundamentals were there,” said fifth-year Lebanon coach Chauncey Wood, who’s rebuilding a team that suffered significant personnel losses after last season.

“Each game is a building block to getting better, and if these kids can focus on the small things, we’ll be a lot better by the end of the season.”

First-year Hanover coach John Bagnulo was not as pleased.

“I thought we could have played a lot better,” the former Vermont club team boss said. “There’s a lot of stuff to improve on, but the elements are here for a really good season.”

Hanover starting pitcher Alex Boone allowed two hits in three innings while striking out six Raiders and walking three. He was followed by Jack Lobb, who allowed one hit in two innings while striking out two opponents and walking three. Bagnulo, however, noted that each hurler threw more than 50 pitches and said he desires better efficiency.

The Bears scored three runs during the first, fourth and fifth innings and once during the second frame. They left only one runner on base while Lebanon stranded eight. The visitors had two runners aboard with no outs and the bases loaded with two outs during the fifth inning.

The Raiders opened with a freshman battery of pitcher Mason Jordan and catcher Emmett Reichert, and the former allowed one hit and four runs, three of them earned, while striking out one Bear and walking two in two innings.

Reliver Maddox Gushanas, a transfer from Texas, surrendered no hits and two runs, both earned, while striking out one foe, walking three and hitting two.

Patrick O’Neil pitched the final inning for Lebanon, giving up three hits and four runs, two of them earned. He struck out one and walked two.

“No one who pitched today had varsity experience, and they got behind hitters but were able to work back,” Wood said. “They didn’t hang their heads and they were willing to compete, which is all I’m asking.”

Lebanon lost seven seniors, including six starters, to graduation last spring and had junior pitcher Declan Brandis transfer to Kimball Union Academy. Three of the four players who would have been seniors on the roster this spring elected not to return, including captain and starting shortstop Dominic Calandrella, who hit .400 as a junior.

Wednesday, the Raiders also played without starting catcher Ryan Lundrigan and starting outfielder Will Healey, who were on family vacations during their school’s spring break. On a positive note, the Raiders have a 17-player junior varsity, the vast majority of whom are freshmen.

“I really don’t mind these rebuilding seasons at all,” said Wood, whose eighth-seeded team won a playoff game last season. “People can put us at the bottom of the barrel, but we’ll see where we are at the end of the season.”

Hanover has never won a state title and was eliminated in last year’s quarterfinals, after which it graduated four starting seniors. The 2024 campaign, during which the Bears finished 9-9 and were seeded 12th for the postseason, was their worst season in nearly a decade. Ninth-year coach John Grainger resigned upon its completion.

The Bears return 11 upperclassmen from last year’s roster, however, and figure to be pushed hard under Bagnulo, a physiologist with a Ph.D in human metabolism who earns a living consulting with high-level athletes on how to maximize performance.

Rest, nutrition and strength training figure heavily in both Bagnulo’s professional and coaching outlooks and his players hit the weight room following a pair of scrimmages last weekend.

“My expectations are really high,” Bagnulo said. “Of these five innings today, I think two were solid but we gave them a couple of extra outs and gave away some of our at-bats. We had guys with their shoulders flying open and pulling off the ball. There were some pitches we could have taken the other way.”

“I think we should be a pretty good team, but I think we have to play a lot better than this.”

Notes: Bagnulo pitched at Norwich University and then transferred to Boston College, where he saw limited action for the Eagles ... Contributions from Hanover families and the school were enough to purchase a new batting cage, which is in the process of being assembled. Such structures generally cost between $5,000 and $8,000.

Tris Wykes can be reached at ctwykes@aol.com.