Softball Sports Spring Sports

Softball: Andover Still Undefeated After 2-0 Week

Antonia Tamarro ’17 smacked the ball over the left field fence to drive in three runs in the top of the third inning of Andover Softball’s game against Worcester on Saturday. Tamarro’s home run brought the score to 9-0.

“[Head Coach Peter Drench] always tells us to focus on finding a good pitch to hit. The first pitch the Worcester pitcher threw me was a high fastball, so I took advantage of it,” said Tamarro.

Behind formidable pitching from Kristina Haghdan ’17, Andover went on to win the game 13-4. Haghdan allowed only four hits in the game and proved to be an offensive threat herself, hitting an R.B.I. triple in the top of the seventh inning.

Haghdan said, “We came out strong in the beginning, which shut down Worcester’s will to battle back. We had really good precision and accuracy at the plate.”

Securing a lead early gave Andover flexibility with its lineup. Nearly every player on the team batted, accounting for 16 total hits.

Kayla Thompson ’15 ripped a triple into the depths of Worcester’s outfield.

Tamarro said, “It was great to see everyone contribute something offensively.”

Drench said, “Thanks to the work they’ve put in during batting practice, we all felt rewarded. Much of the credit for their progress at the plate goes to Assistant Coach Lindsay Maroney. The whole team adjusted to what it was seeing at bat and got good pitches to hit after the first time through our batting order.”

Andover’s defense wavered after making some defensive substitutions. The team committed three errors in the bottom of the sixth, allowing Worcester to score four runs on just three hits.

Drench said, “Defensively, we hit a bump in the sixth inning, but showed resilience and rebounded quickly.”

On Wednesday, Andover continued its momentum as it faced BB&N for the second time this season. Andover again proved its dominance with a 9-1 win.

Andover had a slower start than usual. It did not score until the third inning, when Victoria Bergeron ’16 hit a line drive double to center field to score Tamarro.

As the game progressed, Andover gained offensive momentum. The surge began with a home run from second baseman Colby Bere ’18 to bring the score to 3-0. Then, three more home runs followed from shortstop Courtney Erickson ’15, Captain Ravenne Nasser ’15 and Co-Captain Mackenzie Bradford ’15. Bradford’s came as a grand slam with two outs.

“I’ve been working a lot on shortening my stride. When I get nervous, I overstride, which makes me hit underneath the ball with little power. Coach Drench, Coach Lindsey and I have been working so hard to keep me tall, my stride short and to get all of the power I possibly can when I make contact,” said Bradford.

The infield remained defensively sound while Nasser pitched, only allowing one run on two hits from BB&N.

Andover now stands at 8-0 and is the only undefeated team on campus. It will play against Lawrence Academy on Friday and travel to Deerfield on Saturday for its final two games before the Big East Tournament next weekend.

Editor’s Note: Victoria Bergeron ’16 is a Sports Editor for The Phillipian vol. CXXXVIII