Despite falling 7-8 to Worcester Academy in the team’s first game of a three game weekend this past Friday, Andover Softball emerged the decisive victor in its two games against Worcester on Saturday, winning 14-1 and 11-1, respectively. Andover’s record is now 3-4.
Kylie Frank ’22 described how working as a team helped shift the momentum of the games and the mindset of the team.
“I think at our first game on Friday, our energy was a little down which is why we probably ended up losing, but our two on Saturday, we came in with really good energy, really high, really excited energy, and that’s what I think led to our very high-scoring wins… I think one of the things that stuck out to me is us being able to come back the next day and beat the same team that beat us by a lot; I think that was a pretty cool thing in general for this team this season,” said Frank.
The team came into Saturday’s games with a new and positive attitude, thinking through its plays and supporting one another on the field. According to Olivia McManus ’23, the team’s camaraderie was one of its key factors in the victories on Saturday.
“On Saturday when anyone was up to bat, everyone was screaming and cheering for them and when we were in the field, the people who weren’t playing were cheering for our pitcher and when anyone made a great play, it was so loud, and there was so much more energy than there was on Friday and I think that really helped the team,” said McManus.
After losing Friday’s game in the seventh and final inning, the team was able to learn from its mistakes and implement solutions to give itself an advantage during the next two games, according to Sophia Eno ’23.
“I think a big takeaway was using communication… [during] the Friday game, we were going pretty strong until the last inning. We were trying to get that last out and [the inning] kept going on and on and we lost a lot of runs there. That was a big learning experience I think for all of us. Going into Saturday’s games, we were a little more conscientious of throws and calls in the middle of the game and were able to make very smart decisions in the midst of the stressful game. We were able to value runs versus outs in a way that allowed us to hold up a lot better than we did on Friday,” said Eno.
Eno also expressed that the support from friends and family in Andover’s third game was a welcome sight. Having spectators not only made the game feel more engaging but also reminded players of competitions before Covid-19.
“[The third game] was just really fun, a lot of friends were there and it is always nice to see people that you know, especially after [Covid-19] and finally coming back, it is much more like a real game experience when you have friends and family there,” said Eno.
Andover looks to add to its two-game winning streak at Pingree this Friday.
