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Amesbury relinquishes early lead, falls to North Andover

Thursday, April, 10 By Dave Dyer
Staff writer

For one game at least, North Andover showed some of the magic that helped carry the Knights to the Division 2 state finals last year.

Despite the influx of several newcomers and a defensive shuffle created by a recent injury to veteran first baseman Kristen O'Connor, the Knights opened their season by rallying past perennial power Amesbury, 6-4.

"It was a big win for us," said North Andover coach Brian Martin. "We have a tough schedule and getting this first win against a team like Amesbury will boost our confidence. I thought we played very well."

But Amesbury coach Chris Perry was not as pleased with the performance of the Indians.

"Their big kids played well, but we were sloppy," said Perry. "It wasn't a very good defensive game by us."

Amesbury made three errors and a muffed bunt in the fifth inning fueled North Andover's decisive four-run outburst after the Indians had taken a 3-1 lead in the top of the inning.

Veterans Ali McCarthy (2 for 3) and Krissy Whitley (2 for 4) paced the Knights' nine-hit attack off Amesbury pitcher Jordan Oliva and both scored a run, but it was sophomore newcomer Emily Cox who made what may have been the key play of the game.

McCarthy started the fifth-inning rally with a bunt single, Kate Reading followed with a single and, after Whitley reached base, Candace Waldie followed with a two-run double.

After Waldie advanced to third on a groundout, Cox executed a perfect suicide squeeze for what proved to be the winning run.

Although Amesbury's defense was not as tight as Perry would have liked, the Indians did manage nine hits off winning pitcher Nicole Jones. Abby Pare, who made a couple of fine defensive plays at second base, was 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored for Amesbury and Gabriel Magnifico had a single and double.

Oliva had five strikeouts in a losing cause for the Indians (1-1), who are at Pentucket tomorrow.