An aggressive slide into home by third basemen Stephanie Clegg ’08 won the Andover Varsity Softball Team’s first game of its Big East Invitational Tournament this weekend against BB&N. After an intense battle by both teams, Andover came through in extra innings with an amazing 5-4 win. Andover beat Lawrence Academy 3-1 behind pitcher Claire Fox ’06. After a competitive first three innings, tension was mounting in the dugouts of both uncompromising teams as the score became 0-1 BB&N. In the bottom of the fourth, Andover’s bats finally came alive to score an impressive three runs. After Amy Prosper ’06 reached first on a drive to the left field hole, Ainsley LaHue’s ’06 Sam Demetriou ’05 pulled through, slamming a huge hit to drive in Amy Prosper ’06 and Lindsey Maroney ’07, the score mounting to 2-1. Catcher Megan Winn ’05 followed with a big hit to drive in Demetriou and end the inning with a 3-1 advantage. It may have seemed like smooth sailing for Andover from there, but an eruption from BB&N in the sixth inning put Andover under pressure to come through with a win. An error and a big hit drove in three BB&N runners, making the score a nail-biting Andover 3, BB&N 4. Andover was able to force the game into extra innings. With two out and a runner on first, Prosper was hit by a pitch to set up the play for LaHue. With runners on first and second base, LaHue batted in Amy to make the game 4-4 and put the international tie-breaker system into play. Andover refused to let its hard work go to waste, and in the eighth inning, Clegg scored to win the game 5-4. PA’s second game of the day versus GDA was a disappointing 5-2 loss for the team, as Andover gained a quick 2-0 lead in the second inning, but was unable to hold the tenacious offense of Governor Dummer. To stay alive and make it to the next day of play, Andover had to put on an excellent show against Lawrence Academy. The Girls did just that, as pitcher Claire Fox ’06 led the team to a commendable 3-1 victory. Andover, determined to stay in the tournament, silenced Lawrence, who was unable to effectively penetrate Andover’s smart defense. Andover, previously unable to score runs, came alive in the sixth. Shortstop Maroney slammed one to the center field hole and successfully reached first. A single by Winn put runners on one and two, and with two outs, unbelievable pressure was mounting on the Andover runners to score. LaHue stepped up to drive in Maroney, tying the game at 1-1. Fox put a complete end to the game by cracking a huge hit, driving in two Andover runners, finishing off the game 3-1 and securing Andover a spot in the Sunday games.
