5/9 Saturday: Andover: 3, Deerfield: 1
5/9 Saturday: Andover: 8, Deerfield: 0
5/13 Wednesday: Andover: 2, Cushing: 1
Baseball (13–9) entered the final stretch of its season with two objectives in mind: improve its seeding and preserve its pitchers for a strong playoff run. The team faced off in a doubleheader against Deerfield on Saturday, securing the win despite a shaky first inning. Following its gritty first-round victory over Cushing on Wednesday, the team has climbed from the fifth seed to the third.
Owen Prior ’29 described the doubleheader against Deerfield on Saturday, emphasizing the key role that the pitchers played in these two victories.
“The first game was really close. We both scored one run early on, and then it was just a pitching duel the rest of the way. We scored late in the game, and then our pitcher, Grant McCubrey [’26], threw a complete game, allowing only one run. That was really big for us. In game two, we won eight to nothing. We jumped on them really early and just kept scoring. We stayed on them and did not take our foot off the gas,” said Prior.
Prior described the team’s defensive discipline and composed pitching as the decisive factor in the sweep.
“Deerfield is a pretty good team. They have some good bats, but our pitcher just kept bearing down. He gave our defense chances to make plays while also getting strikeouts. There were not very many hard-hit balls, and when there were, they found gloves. That was the big story of the day. Holding them to one run was huge,” said Prior.
In terms of standout players, Thomas Perri ’29 pointed out McCubrey, Co-Captain Michael Gilligan ’26, and Jacob Honor ’27 for their consistently strong pitching, which limited Deerfield to runs.
“Grant pitched the first game, in which we won two to one. It was very close, and we had a long week leading up to it. It was really important for Grant to give us some length and pitch well. Even after a shaky first inning in which he gave up a run, throwing six straight innings without allowing a hit was incredible to watch. Michael continued that success in the second game. Knowing we were short on arms, he threw six innings and only gave up one hit. We only had to use one more pitcher, Jacob Honor, for an inning. That really saved our arms as we now head into the playoffs,” said Perri.
Against Cushing, the team’s defense held the opposing team in check. However, Matthew Shampine PG’26 noted that the offense struggled at the plate as the team looked for gaps in the defense.
“We played very well defensively. Our offense put up seven hits, and we hit balls hard, but they were just not hit to the right spots. We ended up only scoring two runs. If we continue that consistency with hitting the ball hard, it will translate into runs against Dexter [Southfield (Dexter)] on Saturday,” said Shampine.
As the team looks to close out its season strong, Perri notes the team’s mentality and ambition as they head into Saturday’s game against Dexter.
“The Deerfield game was very important for us because it allowed us to jump from the five seed to the three seed. This led us to have a home playoff game and an opponent in Cushing for the first round. Instead of being away for possibly all three games, we were able to play at home today. That got the guys fired up. Our performance today sent Cushing home early, and that prepared us for Dexter. We have lost to Dexter twice by only one run. That feeling of losing by one run and knowing we can do better is going to get us fired up for the next round,” said Perri.
Baseball will face Dexter on Saturday and Middlesex on Tuesday.
