Co-Captain Evalyn Lee ’23 is pictured at bat.
Co-Captain Fallon O’Connor ’23 is a pitcher for Andover Softball.
With the game tied at 7-7 in the final minutes against Austin Preparatory School (Austin Prep), Andover Softball Co-Captain Kiley Buckley ’23 stepped up to bat and hit the game-winning home run. Andover also defeated Tilton 6-0 and Noble & Greenough (Nobles) 5-3 this week, which puts them on a four-game win streak to start the season.
The team hosted Tilton on Friday prior to its nail-biter against Austin Prep on Saturday. Isabelle Quito ’25 described some of the team’s strengths in its sweep over Tilton.
“I think we had a lot of good fielding. We had some pretty amazing hits, I think we got two home-runs that went really out of the park. They were amazing and I think it brought the team morale up, I would say we were all extremely hyped,” said Quito.
Saturday’s game was a major improvement from the team’s 8-0 loss to Austin Prep last season. Evalyn Lee ’23 highlighted Buckley’s game-winner.
“We were up I think 7-1, and then [the other team] started coming back, and they tied the game. Kiley Buckly hit a home-run to break that tie and we won 8-7 because of [it]. That was a really cool moment, and I think that defensively we made a lot of important plays,” said Lee.
Lee described the atmosphere of the game against Austin Prep. This year, Andover had something to prove, according to Lee.
Lee said, “I think it was super intense, especially because we knew that Austin Prep was a strong team… Because it was such a close game, you could feel that tension, intensity, and focus throughout the team.”
On Wednesday, Nicole Celi ’23 hit two runs, leading the team to the win over Nobles in its first away game of the season. In the top of the eighth inning, teammates gave it their all and broke the 3-3 tie from the previous inning, noted Andie Shim ’25.
“The team played very well both offensively and defensively. Our bats and base running were consistent throughout the entire game but really pulled through in the top of the eighth,” said Shim.
Andover Softball will play Governor’s Academy on Friday and St. Paul’s on Wednesday.
