In its inaugural season, Dartmouth softball has already experienced the ups and downs characteristic of a "rookie." And next season, the team will receive full varsity status as a "second year player."
Coming off two wins at Amherst College the previous week, the team played well but fell 4-2, 4-0 in a doubleheader at Fairfield University last weekend.
In the first game, Kim Worboys '95 and Co-captain Maureen Curran '94 collected two hits each. Erika Lee '95 pitched a nearly flawless performance, giving up only one earned run.
"In the first inning, with two outs, we loaded the bases on hits by Worboys, Lauren McQuade ['97] and Curran, but couldn't get a run in," Coach Hank Tenney said. "In the seventh we had the tying run on second with two outs and could not get the hit we needed."
A questionable call by the umpire in the seventh inning with the Big Green in good field position also put a damper on the team's hopes for a win. Worboys and McQuade both had RBIs in the losing effort.
After a rain delay during the intermission, Dartmouth struggled in the second half of the doubleheader against a new Fairfield pitcher.
"We had a hard time offensively but our defense really kept us in the game," Curran said. "Standouts in the field were Jen Pitts '95 and McQuade at short[stop] and third, [respectively]," Tenney said.
Lee pitched five innings and gave up no earned runs. Elise LeRoux '95, entering the game in the sixth, gave up one hit and no runs.
"We played well enough to win but could not find the right combination with people on [base]," Tenney said.
The team's record now stands at 5-5. This weekend the team travels to Cornell University, Columbia University and Princeton University.
