The Londonderry High School Softball team had their 2023 season end in the Quarterfinals of the Division I State Championship after a twelve-game winning streak and an impressive 15-5 overall record.
They are scheduled to begin their 2024 spring season on Monday, April 8, at home, against the Winnacunnet Warriors, starting at 5 p.m.
The Lady Lancers were the #5 seed in the 2023 State Championship and hope to improve on that this year.
This years roster includes: Addie Browning, Addie Martinez, Allison Chambers, Abbey Austen, Vivian Belanger, Olivia Cutuli, Elisabeth Kearney, Ginny Flaherty, Grace Nutter, Jen Raza, Riley Campo, Sadie Moore, Sara Daniels, Shannon Crowley, and Zoey Nelson.
Londonderry had two scrimmage games last week, to help warm up for the season start, winning two of three games against teams from south of the Massachusetts border.
The Lancers beat the Peabody High School squad 1-0 in extra innings on Wednesday, March 27 and had a 2-0 win over Tewksbury on Saturday, March 30.
Also on Saturday, Londonderry suffered a late-inning loss to Tyngsborough. Falling 5-3 after an inside-the-park home run was hit by the opposition to score two in the fifth inning.
In the 1-0 win over Peabody, Campo hit a solo homerun to center field in the top of the eighth for the thrilling victory.
Londonderry had just four hits in the game, Campo had one, with the homer, Kearney had two doubles, and Nelson hit a single.
In the circle, Cutuli started the game, pitching four scoreless innings with eight strikeouts, zero walks and no hits. Kearney came on for the win, getting 11 strikeouts, with one walk and one hit. The two pitchers combined for an impressive 19-Ks.
In the second pre-season shutout, against Tewsbury, Kearney and Cutuli shared duties again in the circle with Kearney getting the win. Both pitched three innings and combined for 13-strikeouts and three walks. Kearney gave up the only hit.
Austen had two of the four Lancers hits in the game, getting a homerun and a triple for one RBI. Nelson brought home the other run scoring Browning in on a fielder’s choice in the fourth inning. Singles were hit by Chambers and Nutter in the win.
In the only pre-season loss, against Tyngsborough, Austen and Belanger combined pitching efforts, striking out 13 batters, walking just one and giving up six total hits.
Belanger suffered the loss, with four hits and four runs.
Of the five Lancer hits, Crowley put up two impressive ones, getting a double in the second inning and a homerun to centerfield in the fourth inning to give her team a 3-1 lead.
The other three hits came off the bats of Austen, Nelson and Browning.