With a four run, fifth inning, led from a three RBI double from Captain Bennett Carroccio ’10, Andover Boys Baseball slipped by Worcester Academy in a close 5-4 game. “I was just looking for a pitch I could hit. Our bats were quiet up to that point, so I really wanted to put a good swing on it and get something going,” said Carroccio. After rain postponed a double header this past weekend, Worcester and Andover squared off in a rescheduled game expected to be a close one. Jack Doyle ’10 got the start for Andover and, after a two run first inning, settled down and took control of the game, pitching four 1/3 innings, and recording four strikeouts. In the second inning, Andover’s hitting heated up, as Tom Palleschi ’12 started the inning with a double. Both Zac Elder ’11 and Brian Delaney ’12 contributed with singles of their own to score Palleschi, closing the gap to 2-1. Worcester then jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the fifth inning, but in the bottom half of the inning, the Andover bats came to life, scoring four runs to jump to the 5-4 lead. In the fifth inning, shortstop Chris Cameron ’11 returned to the lineup after a minor injury last week and led off the inning with a walk. Tom Sullivan ’10 was then hit by a pitch, and Sam August ’10 also walked, leaving the bases loaded for the captain. Carroccio stepped up to the plate and ripped a shot into right center field, scoring three runs to tie the game up at 4-4. Carroccio then came home on a wild pitch to score what would be the winning run. Post-graduate Fred Shepherd ’10 earned the save as he pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to finish the 5-4 win. On Wednesday, the team struggled against Pingree, losing 10-1. Jeb Roberts ’11 had a solid performance pitching for Andover, allowing three runs in four innings, but he got no support from the offense as the team struggled to get runners in scoring position. After three scoreless innings of play, Pingree jumped out to a ten run lead over the last four innings. Second baseman Mike DiFronzo ’11 said, “We came out flat and really didn’t have much going our way. Balls were dropping in for them but not for us. Our pitching was strong, but things just weren’t going our way.” Both August and Cameron went two for three at the plate, but other than that there was no offense for Andover. In the field, the fourth and fifth innings were a disaster for Andover. Andover committed four errors in these innings, which allowed Pingree to jump out to a 4-0 lead. After the tough loss on Wednesday, the team looks to regain momentum this Saturday against NMH. Elder said, “After a tough loss like the Pingree game, it’s really important that we come out firing on Saturday against NMH. They are a league opponent as well, making these wins even more critical.” “Although we won both last year, they have improved greatly from last year and we expect both to be close games,” he continued. Both games are away at NMH, with 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. start times.
