After two years without traveling due to COVID-19 restrictions, the baseball, softball and tennis teams flew to Belgium April 29 and spent the weekend participating in a group of games hosted by the International School of Brussels (ISB).
The baseball team enjoyed success over the weekend as they were undefeated in their three games. After two victories over ISB with scores of 3-2 and 9-3, the team finished the weekend with a 6-6 draw to the American School of The Hague (ASH).
Nick Ghantous (’23), a member of the baseball team, said the draw against ASH was their toughest game due to the opposition’s challenging offense.
“They were the most dangerous on offense and we had to be much more switched on to play them defensively,” he said.
In particular, Ghantous said there were specific players that had a great impact on the team’s performance, namely Harrison Cutler (’22).
“His pitching ability was outstanding,” he said. “The first game [he] threw a no-hitter with 18 strikeouts.”
Despite the draw against the Hague, Ghantous said the weekend was a success due to the entire team’s contributions on and off the field.
“There were no hiccups along the way and everyone was willing to work together to carry the luggage around,” he said.
Similarly, Sofia Michaelides (’22), a member of the softball team, said team spirit helped them throughout the weekend.
“All around the team was clicking really well and although we were missing some of our junior teammates because of APs and things like that, a lot of people were able to step up and perform where they were needed,” she said.
All around the team was clicking really well and although we were missing some of our junior teammates because of APs and things like that, a lot of people were able to step up and perform where they were needed
— Sofia Michaelides ('23)
The softball team won their respective games 14-3, 10-2 and 10-0, all of which were against ISB. Michaelides said the softball team “wiped the floor” in all three games, with every member of the team contributing to the scorelines.
Even so, Michaelides said she had a desire to play against ASH, which the softball team was unable to do.
“I wish that we had the opportunity to play other teams as well,” she said. “ASH was in Brussels as well but we weren’t able to play them for some logistical reasons so we ended up playing ISB three times.”
Michaelides said the competition’s offense was particularly strong in the initial game played by the softball team.
“In our first game, five people on the team hit home runs,” she said. “That was really memorable because our hitting was excellent that first game.”
Similar to both the baseball and softball teams, the tennis team had a successful weekend. After playing 20 matches against both ISB and ASH, Aris Perrotis (’25), a member of the tennis team, said ASL only lost a few games.
Though Perrotis highlighted a few good opponents in terms of competition, he acknowledged the overall lack of competition available to the team.
“They had one really good singles player and one good doubles pair,” he said. “But, other than that, it was relatively easy for us to win.”
The trip to Brussels ultimately provided a fun experience for all teams involved, as Michaelides said it allowed the softball teams to play against different teams and understand their dynamics. Michaelides also said despite the girls’ success in Brussels, they have to remain focused for the International Schools Sports Tournament (ISSTS), which will be played May 22 to 24.
“We have ISSTs coming up in a couple of weeks,” she said. “That will be fun and something I’m looking forward to.”
Spencer Towfighi contributed to reporting.
