With a new head coach, a spanking new field and a new fully-funded varsity status this year, the Dartmouth women's softball team is so far only missing one thing a few new wins to celebrate.
The Big Green, now 1-12 on the season, fell short of that goal this weekend, dropping doubleheaders at the University of Rhode Island and in their home opener against Holy Cross.
"We have all the skills, we just need to put them together," Amy Coehlo '97 said. "I think our pitchers are doing a great job. Defensively our players sometimes aren't coming up with the plays to help them out."
In their first weekend set of games since a grueling spring trip to Florida, the Big Green also struggled at the plate, managing to score only three runs in the four contests. With nine rookies on the team, however, many players are still getting acclimated to collegiate-caliber play, according to Coehlo.
"I think there is a lack of experience going, which we still need to work through," she said.
Rhode Island 8,5 Dartmouth 1,1
The Big Green left their defense in Hanover in the opener of the doubleheader in Kingston, Rhode Island, allowing seven unearned runs in the 8-1 loss. Ace starting pitcher Christina Maybaum '98 went the distance on the mound, allowing only one earned run on eleven hits and a walk.
Shortstop and cleanup hitter Bess Tortolani '98 notched Dartmouth's only run of the game, scoring third baseman Lauren McQuade '97 on a triple in the third inning.
Leadoff center fielder Julie Doster '97 also led Dartmouth at the plate, with two scorching singles in four at bats.
In the second half of the doubleheader, Rhode Island struck decisively early on, scoring five runs in the first inning. The Big Green played well after that, but they were unable to recoup the deficit, losing 5-1.
Starting pitcher Erin Rath '98 settled down after the first frame and pitched the remainder of the game, allowing four earned runs on eight hits and five walks.
At the plate, the Big Green tallied only three hits, two of which came in the first inning, including a run scoring single off the bat of McQuade.
Holy Cross 7,14 Dartmouth 0,1
On Sunday at Sachem Field in Hanover, visiting team Holy Cross quickly did away with niceties, shellacking the Big Green in their season's home openers, 7-0 and 14-1.
The score remained tied at zero until the fifth inning of the opener, when Holy Cross broke free with four runs off Dartmouth starter Maybaum. Holy Cross struck again in the sixth, scoring three more runs to ice the first half of the doubleheader.
Maybaum, pitching a complete game for the second day in a row, allowed seven runs, all earned, on nine hits and four walks. On offense, the Big Green scattered only four hits against the visiting hurler, Genoa Grosch.
Dartmouth opened the cap of the doubleheader with a run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the first inning, but the Big Green struggled after that, as Holy Cross capitalized on a five run fifth and sixth running sixth inning to grab the victory.
Starting pitcher Raili Cook '98 took the loss, scattering 11 hits and six earned runs in five innings.
Dartmouth hosts St. Anselm in a doubleheader at Sachem Field on Wednesday at 3 p.m., before hosting two games against Columbia on Saturday in its Ivy League opener.
