Andover gets the win ... for now
May 2—ANDOVER — The final score read Andover 2, Lawrence 0.
Whether or not the Golden Warriors get the victory had yet to be decided.
All was normal between Andover and Lawrence baseball on Friday night. Golden Warriors pitcher Ben Workman was dealing, throwing 6.2 innings, before allowing a runner on.
Workman, however, then had to be taken out, due to blood on his finger.
In came UMass commit Ryan Jaillet, and all was fine. Until that changed. Very fast.
After Jaillet threw one pitch, Lawrence coach Alberto Abreu came out of the dugout, immediately going to the home plate umpire.
Abreu noticed that there was a potential rule violation of the MIAA handbook, stating that if an ineligible player was used as a pitcher, the game is forfeited, and the opposing team is awarded the victory, no matter what the score is.
The rule in the handbook that Abreu is referring to, rule 86.2, states that, "If a school uses an ineligible student in any interscholastic event, such contest shall be forfeited to the opposing school."
"The Andover pitcher threw 105 pitches on April 22, and by rule, he's supposed to have four full days of rest before pitching again," said Abreu after the game. "With that rule, that would've had him eligible to pitch tomorrow, April 27."
Ultimately, after a 20-minute suspension in play, the game resumed, and Abreu was able to find a common ground of resolution.
"The home plate umpire is allowing us to protest this game," said Abreu. "He was not familiar with the handbook to comment on the rule. According to that rule, Lawrence ultimately wins this game.
"I've never been in a situation like this, I'm a first-timer. It's good to be aware and understand what's going on. At this point, it's out of my hands, it's all up to the MIAA, but whenever they decide, we will be ready."
For now, it's a 2-0 win for Andover, with a masterful pitching performance from Workman. But Abreu believes this result could change. A decision was expected sometime this week.
When asked what he ultimately thinks will happen, Abreu confidently stated "a Lawrence win."
Andover coach Dan Grams declined to comment the controversy after the game.
"I would rather not go into it, it's a question of an illegal player and an interpretation of the rules," said Grams. "I don't know a heck of a lot about it. I'm not sure what happens from here on, it's a protest, and we will go on from there. I've never had something like this happen in my career.
"Gutsy performance from Ben, Lawrence is a good ball club. The MVC is a tough conference, and it was a good game to end the week."
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