NH Newts bring sandlot baseball to Robbie Mills Field Saturday

LACONIA — The New Hampshire Newts Sandlot Club is coming to Robbie Mills Field this Saturday, for some low-key baseball during their 2nd Annual Condiment Classic. 

Attendance at the July 11 event is free, and festivities will begin at noon, with the first pitch thrown at 1 p.m. The game goes until 5 p.m. There will be a coffee and donut truck, merchandise for sale, and other vendors. A raffle with prizes from Baseballism, Ken’s Original, and Camp Snap Cameras will directly donate proceeds to the Humane Society for Greater Nashua.

The NH Newts, based out of Manchester, got their start as a sandlot baseball club in late summer 2024. Organizer Andrew Allan first initiated movement for the club earlier that year. He wanted to get involved in something, and it “started out as a way to just do something different.” Allan was not very sporty growing up, and didn't play baseball past Little League. He looked around his area, only to find competitive leagues, or men’s softball. But he had a “hankering to throw a baseball.”

Allan posted on Facebook he was looking to throw around a ball for a bit, and went to a local field. Seven people showed up, and casual pick-up play eventually turned into enough interest to start a team.

Allan said the idea for the intrasquad Condiment Classic started as an inside joke. One day at the field, the team was debating their favorite condiments, and things got heated. Allan said bleu cheese reigned supreme, and a teammate was backing ranch. As a joke, they thought, what if they could bring the feud onto the field?

Last year, team Ranch beat team Bleu Cheese in a 19-7 game, signifying ranch as the superior dipping sauce, and generating a couple hundred dollars for the humane society.

This year, the NH Newts will divide again, team BBQ Sauce taking on team Honey Mustard. Allan hopes to do even better in fundraising, and go out to have a great time with his teammates.

The Newts are part of the Sandlot Revolution, a quickly-growing network of over 200 baseball teams across the country, who connect via Instagram to plan their seasons. Teams are open people of all skill levels and ages. Their website reads, “Sandlot is baseball for all y’all.”

Following the Condiment Classic, the Newts will host the Elm City Char, from New Haven, Connecticut, from noon to 5 p.m., Sunday July 12, also at Robbie Mills.

The NH Newts are also part of the Cider League, a sandlot baseball league connecting teams from Connecticut, New Hampshire, and New York, for low-key games.

Every Sunday, the NH Newts hold their weekly sandlot games at Lions Field in Goffstown, noon-5 p.m. The 2026 season started out in March, in North Carolina, and will conclude Nov. 8, as the Newts take on the Buntings in Longtime, Texas.

To view their full schedule, visit instagram.com/nhnewts.