With two outs in the seventh inning and runners on second and third, Jacque Harrington ’20 drove a towering line drive over the left field fence, securing a home run that solidified the team’s 11-10 win over Andover High School. The team’s record now stands at 4-2.
I knew that when I stepped up to the plate, there was a lot of pressure riding on my at-bat, so I tried my best to just take deep breaths and relax, and then just went with the pitch,” said Harrington, who played defense at shortstop for Andover on Wednesday.
Six players on the team are currently injured, and as a result, other team members have had to step into their roles. Bruna Cincura ’20 and Zaina Qamar ’21 played in the outfield on Wednesday, while Katie Wimmer ’21 has filled the role of starting second baseman and Zaina Qamar ’21 the team’s starting left fielder.
The team is missing Emma Slibeck ’20, who has been the team’s starting pitcher all season, but now has an ankle injury. Co-Captain Rachel Moore ’21, who typically plays shortstop, has risen to fill her place as pitcher in the interim.
Hannah Cuff ’21 said, “I think that Rachel has done a great job stepping up. She is a great captain and leader for our team.”
This season, one of the team’s strengths thus far has been its offense. Moore and Harrington each have batting averages of .833 and .562 respectively, and the team averages more than nine hits per game. In addition, however, the team’s chemistry has been instrumental in its success, according to Cuff.
“Although we may not be as skilled as we were last year, I think that we have meshed well together. Newcomers have brought a great attitude to the team and their presence lifts the moral. We are a young team, but I think that we can still compete with more experienced teams as long as we play together.…We are off to a great start, I think we are really starting to come together as a team and are really starting to bond,” said Cuff.
With injured players slowly returning to the team, Andover hopes to continue its success against an experienced team in Tilton on Friday.
