In the last at-bat of her Andover Softball career, Captain Ravenne Nasser ’15 smacked the ball over Phillips Exeter Academy’s centerfield fence to break the single-season home run record. Nasser’s tenth home run of the season helped Andover to an 11-0 victory in the second game of its doubleheader on Saturday.
“I actually didn’t know what the record was so I was just going into the game trying to help the team out. I think it really meant a lot to Coach [Drench], and the team was all really excited for me. It was pretty special,” said Nasser.
Andover had similar success in the first game of its doubleheader, with an 8-0 win, as well as a 9-0 win over Concord-Carlisle High School earlier on Thursday. With the three wins, the team finished its season with an undefeated record of 18-0. This season marked the second time Andover Softball finished undefeated.
The majority of Andover’s runs in the first game were scored late in the game, with a sixth inning explosion of seven runs.
Andover’s pitching kept Exeter bats quiet in both games. Nasser took the mound in the first game, and Kristina Haghdan ’17 pitched her fourth shutout of the season in the second game. The pitching duo of Haghdan and Nasser struck out 163 batters this season and only allowed 45 hits in 110 innings.
The pitchers were supported by strong defense from Andover’s infielders and outfielders, specifically third baseman Victoria Bergeron ’16 and shortstop Courtney Erickson ’15.
Antonia Tammaro ’17 said, “On defense, [Bergeron] made key plays at third base, and [Erickson] made an amazing catch to get Exeter’s lead runner out at second base [early in the first game].”
Co-Captain and Catcher Mackenzie Bradford ’15 added, “The Exeter double headers were [some] of our slower games offensively, but we played some of the best defense I’ve seen our team play. In the first game there were a lot of ground balls that we needed to be outs and were handled with ease. Overall, we played two really great games.”
In its fourth and fifth times facing Exeter this season, Andover knew what to expect from opposing pitcher Courtney Gibley.
Bergeron stood out with four hits and five R.B.I. across the two games, while Erickson had three R.B.I.
Earlier in the week on Thursday, Andover celebrated its six Seniors in its last home game of the season with a 9-0 win over Concord-Carlisle. Unlike its games against Exeter, Andover found offensive momentum early and scored seven runs in the second inning.
Nasser went three-for-three in the game with two R.B.I. Bergeron also had two R.B.I., while Bradford, Haghdan, Tammaro and Erickson each batted in one run, respectively.
Nasser pitched a complete game, striking out six and allowing four hits.
Against Concord-Carlisle’s youthful team, nearly every Andover player entered the game and contributed to the win. With a shutout win and high-intensity offense, Andover’s Seniors ended their final game at Peter Drench Park on a high note.
Editor’s Note: Victoria Bergeron ’16 is a Sports Editor for The Phillipian.
