Red and Blue close out unforgettable spring

Exeter and Andover return to battle after one of the longest layoffs in the rivalry's history.

By
Brian Muldoon
May 22, 2021
Phillips Exeter Academy Baseball

Varsity baseball storms the field to maul Max Lucas '21 after his walk-off single in the bottom of the 13th inning gave Big Red a 5-4 victory over Andover. 

We missed Exeter/Andover so much, we held it twice.

The second half of a two-part series rekindling prep sports’ oldest rivalry came on Saturday, with events split between the two campuses. By day's end, Big Red had piled up several big wins.

Varsity baseball opened the day in true E/A fashion on the Exeter campus. The two squads, who did not play each other last weekend, made up for lost time and opened game one of their doubleheader with a 13-inning thriller. Max Lucas ’21 delivered the final blow with a bases-loaded, walk-off single to give Big Red a 5-4 victory.

Exeter trailed 2-1 before evening the score with a run in the bottom half of the sixth inning. Andover was able to reclaim a two-run lead with a pair of runs in the eighth, but Big Red answered right back with two more in the bottom half of the inning. The score remained 4-4 until Lucas’ line drive to right brought home Jake Shapiro ‘22 for the game-winning run. Exeter pitcher JR Bozek '22 was excellent in relief for Big Red.

Andover was able to salvage a split with a 1-0 victory in the second game. Big Red hurler Owen Fox ’21 was terrific for Big Red, going the distance while allowing just the one run.

JV baseball plated seven runs in the seventh inning to erase a 3-0 deficit to come back and claim a 7-3 victory at Andover. Michael Chen ’23 struck out four and allowed just five hits in a complete-game performance.

Girls varsity lacrosse kept the excitement going as they took Phelps Stadium field looking to avenge a loss from last weekend in a rematch between two of the top teams in the region. Exeter got their offense going early and often as they ran away with a 16-7 victory.

Leadership from Big Red’s senior class powered the way, as Marymegan Wright ’21 scored five goals, while Rachel Shu ’21 added four. Tessa Shields ’21 was dominant in the draw circle, and Tia Reaman ’21 made 10 stops in goal. Girls JV lacrosse completed their two-game sweep over Andover with a 14-5 victory on Hatch Field.

After a win in Phelps Stadium last Saturday, boys varsity lacrosse hit the road to Andover and earned a season-series sweep over the Blue with a 13-10 victory. Once again it was the class of 2021 that led the way for Big Red. Casey Herod ’21 and Griffin Walker ’21 each scored three goals and Daniel Addonizio ’21 found the back of the net twice. Logan Olazabal ’23 was excellent in the face-off circle, while brother Aidan Olazabal ’24 enjoyed a terrific day in between the pipes in his first start against the Blue.

It was another record-breaking day on the track for Big Red, as Audrey Malila ’21 broke the program record in the 300 meter hurdles and Byron Grevious ’24 reset his own prep year record in the 3,000 meters.

Varsity volleyball, who played all five of their games against the Blue this season, capped their season with a perfect 5-0 record with a 3-0 sweep at Andover. Big Red got strong performances all season from James Keeling ’21, Nhat Nam Nguyen ’21 and Wiley Bahr ’21.

Boys varsity B tennis claimed a 6-1 victory, while boys JV tennis added a 9-2 triumph over the Blue, while boys varsity A dropped a 7-0 decision. Girls varsity A dropped a hard-fought battle to the Blue, 7-2.

Exeter crew traveled south for a great day on the Merrimack River where boys and girls boats combined for six wins in eight races. The girls first boat topped the Blue by 12 seconds, while the second and fourth boats each added wins by more than 16 seconds. On the boys side, Andover clipped Exeter in a thrilling first boat race by less than one second. The boys second, fourth and fifth boats each powered their way to victories.