5/16 – Andover: 11, Exeter: 1
5/16 – Andover: 10, Lawrence: 1
5/17 – Andover: 5, St. Paul’s: 2
5/20 – Andover: 10, Brooks: 0
Softball (21–0) capped off a dominant season by capturing the Big East Tournament title, having already won it last season, and extending its winning streak. Andover opened the tournament defeating Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter) and routing Lawrence Academy (Lawrence). In the championship match versus St. Paul’s, Softball overcame an early deficit to claim the victory. Audrey Gotha ’28 — the tournament’s most valuable player — pitcher Ashley Schuman ’27, and Co-Captain Rihana Gomez ’26 were honored as part of the All-Tournament Team. Wednesday, the team defeated Brooks in a shutout.
Against Exeter, Victoria MacKenzie ’28 powered the offense with two home runs, while Gaby Potter ’27 added a three-run home run to extend the lead. In the second matchup against Lawrence, Schuman anchored the defense with eight strikes in three no-hit innings. Assistant Coach Karen Douyon described key moments during Mackenzie’s standout performance against Exeter.
“For Victoria’s first homerun, the count was full, three balls and two strikes. This means you have to be very strategic at the plate and smart with your swings. You have to really protect. Maddie Marshall [’29] and Sydney Moore [’28] were on base, and Victoria had a great swing, to have a three run homerun. Then for the second one, she hit off the first pitch. As I was watching the swing, as soon as she hit it, I just knew it was over the fence. It was gone,” said Douyon.
Heading into Sunday’s championship matchup, Softball knew it would be a challenge after an early season meeting ended with a narrow 1–0 victory, its smallest margin of victory this season. Andover struggled in the first two innings, going hitless and finding itself down 0–2 early on. But in the third inning, Marshall sparked the comeback with a simple base hit that got the offense flowing. From that point on, the team rallied for five runs to finish the game and secure the championship title. MacKenzie described the crucial moment that ignited the winning run.
“Maddie had two balls on the count, so she was really looking for a pitch that she wanted to drive. When that ball came, she hit a ground ball up the middle, and it was a great hit. It really got everything started. And even though it definitely wasn’t her best hit, it got her on [base], got our momentum going,” said MacKenzie.
MacKenzie continued, “After Maddie got that first hit, our energy just started skyrocketing. Our momentum was just built off of that. We all started hitting the ball. We started getting on base, having productive at bats. Even if we got out, myself personally, I had a deep pop out, sacrifice fly, so I drove in a run, even though I got out, which was still a productive at bat. But we were getting on base somehow, finding ways to get on, whatever we could do.”
On Wednesday against Brooks, Softball started slow before a walk shifted the momentum. What started as a 1–0 game through the first four innings quickly turned into a 10–0 victory as Andover gained momentum from a seemingly insignificant walk. Sierra Lee ’28 described the walk that served as a turning point during the game.
“We just didn’t explode in the beginning like we should have, and it was actually a really close game for the majority of the game. And then one inning, we finally dialed in our focus and we scored six runs and then we ended up winning 10–0. We just started off slow, we weren’t focused. It was just a walk that got us started, those are the kind of things that unexpectedly can be able to start a rally. So the walk was followed by a hit and then we were gifted a couple errors by the other team. From that point on, we were really able to explode,” said Lee.
Softball posted an undefeated 21–0 record and defended its title as Big East champions. Its success has been fueled by months of hard work and commitment. Coach Douyon emphasized the team’s dedication and high standards as the foundation of this season’s success.
“I live right next to the softball field, and I see Audrey, Maddie, and Sarah[-Alysse Williams ’28] out on the field. Even if it’s raining, they still show up. That level of dedication is really important. And then even on the weekends, when school’s not even in session, Victoria is still out there. There’s just a certain level of performance that our team brings and a certain high expectation that every girl has of themselves. That’s what brings us together to create such an amazing team that is unstoppable. Everybody wants to beat, but nobody can,” said Douyon.
Girls Softball will play Exeter on Senior night this Saturday for its final game of the season.
