RallyNorth.net

Andover Golden Warriors Baseball '08

Tue, Jun 03, 2008 04:00 PM @ Andover
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Final
Playoff Game Division 1 North - Quarterfinals
Lowell 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 10
Andover 0 0 1 0 4 0 0 2 0 7

Tough start dooms Andover

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Wednesday, June, 04 By David Willis
Staff writer

In the third inning, Andover third baseman Zach Burdeau hit a blast that landed just short of the wall and would have plated at least one run. But the ball rolled under the fence for a ground-rule double, and no runs ended up scoring.

That play turned out to be symbolic for the Golden Warriors' day yesterday ... close but no cigar.

After falling behind by six runs after two innings, No. 5 Andover battled back to twice cut the lead to one, but could never tie the game and fell to No. 13 Lowell, 10-7, in the Division 1 North quarterfinals.

"We felt like we could come back," said Golden Warriors first baseman Sam Clark. "But we just couldn't get that extra run. We kept battling back, but we couldn't finish it off."

The Red Raiders, who split with Andover in the regular season, posted two runs in the first and four more in the second thanks to four hits and two Golden Warrior errors.

"The seniors had the senior safari last night," Andover coach Ken Maglio said of the school-organized all-night function held after Andover's graduation. "So they were out until 5 a.m. We really didn't wake up until the third inning."

The Golden Warriors began the rally in the third when Mike Taylor blasted a solo homer over the right field fence. They continued that success in the fifth. Burdeau had an RBI single, Dan Gusovsky singled in two runs, and a fourth run came home on a throwing error to make the score 6-5.

That chased Lowell starter and MVC Division 1 Player of the Year Zac Roy. But the next three batters were retired and Gusovsky ended up stranded at third.

Meanwhile, Shawn Carlson was shutting down Lowell. The reliever pitched six innings, striking out seven and allowing only four hits.

"Carlson did a great job," said Maglio. "He came on like gangbusters. He gave us a warrior effort. We only had to take him out because he had thrown 104 pitches."

Andover was set down in order the next two innings, but did muster one more comeback in the eighth. Kevin Hitchko singled and scored on an error and John Hennessy singled home P.J. Farnham to make the score 8-7. But Andover could not manage another hit.

"All season long we have fought and competed," said starter Ryan Walsh. "But it didn't work out today. We made a few mental mistakes and it cost us."

Clark led the Golden Warriors with two hits, and pitched out of a jam in the ninth. Mike Morander scored once and caught a runner trying to steal third.

"We hit the ball hard," said Maglio. "We hit some bombs, but they were playing about 375 feet back. And when we needed to make the stops we didn't."

 

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