Showing that the work against tough schools in Arizona over spring break paid off, the Dartmouth baseball team shellacked Babson College 16-0 yesterday in Massachusetts.
In their first game back since going winless in seven games against a slew of highly-ranked schools in Arizona, Dartmouth struck early and often against Babson, compiling 21 hits to only three from the Beavers.
"I am happy for the kids. Mostly I am very pleased that we played the game well," Head Coach Bob Whalen said. "I kept telling our guys, don't focus on winning or losing but on playing the game the right way. And we dominated this game."
The Big Green never looked back against the Beavers, now 8-3 on the season. Dartmouth scored two runs in the second and continued tacking on to its lead frame after frame, including a six-run seventh.
Outfielder Andrew Spencer '97, batting .455, went three for five and smacked two towering tators to lead the Big Green sluggers on offense.
Co-Captain and cleanup-hitting third baseman Jake Isler '96 continued his hitting tear, going 3-6 with a three-run dinger in the fifth inning. Isler still leads the team in batting on the season, with a .500 batting average in eight games.
Dartmouth's pitching staff took turns silencing the Babson bats, with four pitchers sharing in the three-hit shutout. Right-handed staff ace Scott Simon '97 pitched the first six innings, compiling four strikeouts on two hits to get the win.
Matt Tarver-Whalquist '98, Chris Van Vliet '97 and Peter Sellers '98 wrapped up the remaining three scoreless innings in relief.
While Babson, a Division III school, did not compare to some of the nationally-ranked schools Dartmouth went up against in Arizona last week, the game was important in other ways, according to Whalen. Instilling confidence in the team in preparation for more crucial Ivy League games was the head coach's biggest concern.
"When you start playing close games, you can't hope to win, you have to expect to win," Whalen explained. "[We] have to win enough now so you know how to when you go up against a good team later in the season."
Diamond Notes
Hard throwing Eric Walania '98 made the Ivy League honor role this week for his nine inning, two earned run and one strikeout performance against national powerhouse Arizona State last week. Unfortunately for Dartmouth, the performance was in a losing effort.
Isler and Spencer currently lead the Ivy League in batting, with .500 and .455 averages, respectively, over the spring trip.
Dartmouth plays three games this weekend, travelling to Hartford on Saturday and then Northeastern for a doubleheader on Sunday.
