The Andover baseball team managed to collect two more wins this week in close games against Belmont Hill and Cushing Academy. With these victories the team improved to a perfect 4-0 for the season. In a thrilling game against a tough Belmont Hill squad, Andover prevailed 7-6 on a walk-off double to deep right-center field by Sam Auffant ’09 in the seventh inning. Starting on the mound for Andover in Friday’s match-up was Sam Clark ’09 in his first appearance this season. Clark played strongly through four innings, keeping Belmont Hill at bay and allowing just one walk and two hits. The top of the fourth was troublesome for Andover, as Belmont Hill was able to capitalize on Andover’s defensive errors and score three unearned runs. The visitors added another run in the fifth, as they plated men who had reached on walks. Andover was able to tie the game at four, but Belmont Hill struck again in the sixth, this time scoring two more runs off of relievers Auffant and Tom Hamel ’10. After a scoreless sixth for Andover, Hamel silenced the Belmont Hill offense in the seventh. A one-two-three inning by Hamel set the stage for an Andover comeback in the bottom of the last inning. With one out, both Co-Captain Geoff Lynch ’09 and Tom Palleschi ’12 were able to work their counts full and draw walks. This loaded the bases with only one out. After another Andover out, Belmont Hill’s catcher failed to connect with his first baseman on a pickoff attempt. The botched play allowed the runners from second and third base to come around to score. With the game now tied at six, Auffant came to the plate with the winning run on second base. His double over the right fielder’s head ended the game and sent Andover players rushing onto the field to celebrate their 7-6 victory. Clark and Auffant each had two hits in the victory, and five other Andover players added one hit each. This included a triple to right center field in the third inning by Zach Burdeau ’09, who came all the way around to score on a relaying error by Belmont Hill. Coming off of this victory, Andover hosted league opponent Cushing Academy on Wednesday in a match-up of powerhouses. Starting on the mound for Andover was Glenn Stowell ’09 in his second appearance this season. While Stowell pitched well, he left the game after 5 and 1/3 innings with a no decision. With a 7-4 lead in the sixth, Hamel replaced Stowell on the mound midway through the inning, inheriting a runner at first base. While Hamel preformed well and forced Cushing into a number of weak ground balls, Andover faced a defensive collapse and allowed Cushing to take the lead for the first time in the game, 8-7. Down by a run in the bottom of the sixth, Andover batting rescued the team yet again. With runners on second and third, Co-Captain Anthony Morlani ’09 drove a line drive into left field to score both runs and give Andover the lead. By the end of the inning, Andover led Cushing 11-8. In the seventh inning, Jack Doyle ’10, who had a strong showing as the starter on opening day, came in to fill a closing role. Doyle didn’t allow Cushing to retaliate, preserving the three run lead and earning the save. Hamel was the winning pitcher of the day after his performance in the sixth. In back-to-back games, Andover proved its ability to execute in key situations, earning two victories from critical comebacks Andover looks to keep the streak going in upcoming games against BB&N on Friday and a double header at Worcester Academy on Saturday.
