Led by a 13 strikeout performance by Fred Shepard ’10, the Andover baseball team split a double header with archrival Phillips Academy Exeter last weekend.
Shepherd dominated on the mound, allowing only one run in his complete game outing. “Last Saturday I had nine strikeouts with the curveball. It was a warm day, so my fastball was a little loose, but I still had great success because I got through the entire lineup without showing my breaking ball. The second time around really fooled them by putting the breaking ball in on their hands, which didn’t allow for much contact,” said Shepard.
The Andover offense was on fire early in the game, scoring four runs in the first inning. Tom Palleschi ’12 got the offense started with a double, leading to one run. Jack Doyle ’10 also hit a double, which plated two runs, contributing to a commanding 4-0 lead after the top of the first.
Shepard’s control allowed Andover to take the first game, 7-1. In the second game, a ten-run fourth inning by Exeter was too much for Andover, leading to a 18-2 loss.
The team had a busy week that started off against powerhouse Cushing Academy last Wednesday, falling 6-0. Captain Bennett Carroccio ’10, who had one of two Andover’s hits in the game, said, “They had a good pitcher in. He was throwing very hard and it was a good experience for some of our younger guys who haven’t really seen quite this level of pitching. Obviously, things didn’t go our way the first time around, but odds are we will see them in the playoffs, and things will hopefully go our way next time.”
Following the tough loss, the team squared off with Nobles and Greenough in what proved to be a very exciting game, ending with Andover on top, 7-6. With doubles from Zac Elder ’11 and Shepherd in the top of the seventh, Andover pulled out to a 7-6 lead. Kyle Franco ’10 came in for relief in the seventh and held off the Nobles offense, clinching the Andover victory.
“It was kind of a back and forth game the whole way. It was a great team moment because it showed we can come back from deficits, something we haven’t been doing well this season. It also gave us momentum going into the weekend double header with Deerfield,” said Elder.
In the first game of this double header, Andover fell to Deerfield, 7-4. In the second game, Andover flipped the scores, defeating Deerfield 7-4.
On Tuesday, Andover dominated Worchester Academy 13-0. Palleschi was dominant on the mound, striking out nine batters and allowing one hit in five innings of work. The Andover offense was on fire, combining for 11 hits. Mike DiFronzo ’11 went 2 for 3 on the day, with two singles and 3 RBIs.
Andover fell short on Wednesday against Tabor Academy, losing 14-8. The wheels fell off for Andover in the fourth inning, as the team allowed seven runs. The deficit was too much for the Andover bats to overcome.
Receiving the third seed, the team will face the second seeded Exeter on Saturday morning in the preliminary round of the Central New England Tournament. If they win that game, the team will play either the first seeded Cushing or fourth seeded Northfield Mount Hermon. All the action will take place at Holy Cross University in Worchester, Massachusetts.