Andover Bats Thump Danvers in 12-Year-Old Sectionals

The Andover Nationals blasted eight homers to defeat the home-team Danvers Nationals 17-5 in five innings, Thursday, at Poulin Field in Tewksbury to take game one of the round-robin tournament. 

Michael Riley got things going for Andover in the top of the first inning with a three-run shot to right field that was long gone once it managed to stay fair. Danvers threated in the bottom half of the frame with a two men on and two away, however Justin Roberto was caught stealing to get LHP Sam Conte out of a jam. It was deuces wild for Conte, who pitched two shutout innings, striking out two and surrendering two hits.

Andover struck again in the second with one out. Andrew Selima belted another three-run bomb out over the bleachers and into the parking lot to open the game up 6-0. Conte helped out is own cause with an RBI triple followed by a two-run homerun from Scott Perry, a towering shot over the right-center wall. Andover ended the second up 9-0.

“It’s unbelievable,” Andover coach Paul Finn said of his team’s offensive production. “They had productive at-bats and took advantage of [hitting opportunities].”

Danvers went one, two, three in the bottoms of the second and third innings and Andover followed suit in the top of the third.

Danvers came alive with Morril leading the way in the bottom half of the fourth. Morril crushed a two-run shot that landed somewhere near Salima’s first shot. Duncan Lawrence hit a two-run double just narrowly escaping a outstanding dive attempt by Andover centerfielder, Jack Finn. Danvers grabbed its fifth, and final, run on an error made by the Andover infield to cut the score to 12-5.

Next, it was Danny Walsh’s turn to go yard for Andover in the top of the fifth. Walsh joined the two-run HR club and put his team ahead 14-5. Reilly went deep again, (also a two-run shot) and Gillette hit his second dinger in back-to-back fashion to solidify the mercy-win after Danvers was unable to come back within 10 runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Jack Anderson of Danvers was the starter on the other end of the scorecard and got the hook after going 3.1 innings with an impressive four strikeouts, but also ten runs. Anderson was replaced by David Morrill. Andover’s Cedric Gillette closed out the scoring in the top of the fourth by getting in on the long-ball action himself with a two-run jack to put his team up 12-0.

“Danvers played well,” Finn said. “They didn’t give up and hung in there every inning.”