ANDOVER – Nobody prayed harder for rain on Saturday than Lidia Miedema.
Nobody.
On Tuesday, the Beverly High junior pitcher suffered a freakish neck strain that kept her off the practice field all week in preparation for the No. 24 Panthers’ Division 1 playoff opener with ninth-seeded Andover High.
“It’s kind of embarrassing, I strained it, you know like when you get older and strain your back,” laughed Miedema. “This was the first time I had picked up a ball since then. I couldn’t move it at all. (Saturday), I could move a bit, but I was so happy (this game) got move to (Sunday). I wouldn’t have played yesterday.”
On Sunday, Miedema spun an absolute mound masterpiece, holding an Andover offense that averaged 10.8 runs per game in the regular season to just six hits as the Panthers pulled off the 7-2 shocker.
The change-up was mesmerizing. The location … precise. And the defense behind was basically flawless.
“I have a good variety of pitches. One of my pitching coaches once told me make sure you just rock with whatever is feeling good that day. That’s what you throw,” said Miedema. “I will try like six different grips and see what is feeling good. Today, the change-up … They weren’t able to get enough power on it. They hit it straight to the outfielders, which is really nice. Our defense did such a good job, fielding everything.”
The righty was touched for a run in the first and one more in the seventh. In between, she baffled a potent crew of free swingers.
“I have to give it to Lidia. If you told me two days ago that she would be pitching, I would have laughed a little bit,” said Beverly coach Megan Sudak. “She came in here and did everything she needed to do. I thought our outfield was fantastic. Overall, it was 1 through 14, all of them contributed to the win in some way.
“(The Andover offense is) unbelievable. We knew we could hit. We knew if we could hold them, that would be the way to do it, and she had her stuff spinning early.”
Defensively, Meredith Johnston was an absolute game-changer, taking hits away from the Warriors, especially at key times with runners on.
“Oh my god, Meredith is insane,” said Miedema. “She’s such a good outfielder, there’s nobody I trust more.”
Beverly took advantage of a couple Andover miscues in the field to grab the 3-1 lead in the top of the second. The Panthers went for the knockout with four more in the fourth.
Sophia Balducci doubled and moved to third on a Kayla Everett base hit. Balducci’s aggressive nature on the bases paid huge dividends as she drew an errant pickoff throw that allowed her to race home.
Speed mattered on the next play as well as Madeleine MacNutt blazed down the line, forcing a rushed throw and an error on her infield bouncer to plate Everett. Athena McKenna singled to put runners on the corners and Miedema basically blew it open with a two-run double to the right-centerfield gap.
It was the first tourney win for Beverly since 2023 and the Panthers (11-10) will face No. 8 Newton North (17-4) in the second round later this week.