Legion baseball
No. 9 hitter Jimmy Walsh looked more like the cleanup hitter with a career performance, going 3 for 3 with a double, a pair of runs and three RBIs as Andover took a key 11-1 drubbing of Methuen on Sunday.
"I don't think a lot of people had us in the hunt," Andover coach Joe Iarrobino said. "We're working towards our goal of making the playoffs, and if we don't make it we'll be very disappointed."
Leadoff hitter Christian Lightner added three hits and scored a run and John Hennessy had a three-run triple, scored on a wild pitch and added another RBI on a sacrifice fly. Adam Risman added two RBIs and Sean McQuillan drove in another.
Andover starter Tom Palleschi outdueled his Phillips Academy teammate Tom Hamel. Palleschi allowed only one run in 4 2/3 innings and added an RBI.
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Bennett Deady dominated, throwing a complete-game six-hitter to lead Andover to a 7-2 win over Swampscott last Friday. Deady walked just two and struck out six.
"He pitched very well," Andover coach Joe Iarrobino said. "He was around the plate and got out of one (bases-loaded) jam. He got stronger as the game went on and had a very good breaking ball."
Brothers Sean and Mike McQuillan led the Post 8 attack. Mike was 2 for 4 with a double and three RBIs while Sean added a pair of hits and drove in a run. Christian Lightner chipped in with a double and scored twice and John Hennessy had two hits and an RBI for Andover.
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Dan Gusovsky's three-run triple sparked a 10-run fifth inning that led Andover to a 17-4 drubbing of North Andover last Thursday.
Brian Charlebois, Jake Ponti (3 RBIs) and Sean McQuillan each tallied three hits and Christian Lightner added a pair of hits for Post 8.
Jon Levenson struck out seven in 5 1/3 innings, and Colin Norris retired all five batters he faced to close out the win.
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Tom Palleschi continued to shine on the mound, allowing just two hits — both singles — and struck out eight as Andover topped Gloucester 5-0 last Wednesday.
Dan Gusovsky tallied a pair of hits and drove in two runs while John Hennessy tripled home a run and Post 8 played some small ball, with Adam Risman and Jimmy Walsh each plated a run with textbook safety squeeze bunts.
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Dan Gusovsky knocked a three-run double to lead the Post 8 All-Star squad to a 5-0 victory over District 5 last Tuesday. John Hennessy was also a member of the squad from Andover.
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Dan Gusovsky continued to star with a pair of hits, but Andover fell short to 4-1 to Middleton on Monday.
Jake Ponti chipped in with a hit and an RBI and Colin Norris allowed just a single earned run and three hits with three strikeouts and one walk in four innings for Post 8.
