The stakes just got higher for the Dartmouth baseball team.
Heading into its four-game season finale with Harvard this weekend, the Big Green must not only win three against Harvard to force a tie-breaker for the Red Rolfe Division title, they must also do it coming off yesterday's embarrassing 12-2 loss to Holy Cross.
"There's nothing to say. The game is over," a disappointed Head Coach Bob Whalen said. "We continue to search for someone to give us well-pitched games in the middle of the week."
Whalen and the rest of the Big Green must be scratching their heads. Dartmouth, winners in six of its last seven games, had been playing some of its best ball of the year during the impressive stretch.
Over the weekend against Yale, Dartmouth permitted only six runs while notching three victories in four games. On Thursday against New Hampshire College, pitcher Dan Godfrey '98 carried a no-hitter through five innings on his way to a 6-1 win.
But all that momentum came tumbling down yesterday against the 5-15 Crusaders. Starting right-hander Bob Spillane '98 chugged through the first two frames before derailing in the third, when five walks, four of them with two outs, sent the pitcher packing in favor of Peter Sellers '98.
Sellers met the wrong guy at the wrong time, red-hot freshman Crusader Jim Rhyu, who popped a low liner down the left field line for a grand slam, giving Holy Cross a 6-0 lead. Six innings, 10 Crusader hits and five uncharacteristic Big Green errors later, Holy Cross took the win, on a dribbler to the mound in the ninth, fielded by starting pitcher Charlie Teeple, who tossed the hide to first and celebrated like it was his sweet 16.
The Big Green have no choice but to put the loss behind them and prepare for the make-or-break four game weekend against Harvard. Dartmouth, which stands currently at 8-8 in the Ancient Eight and two games behind the Crimson (10-6), must win at least three of the four contests to force a one game playoff.
A sweep by Dartmouth would grant it its first Red Rolfe Division pennant in the three-year history of the League. Games one and two will be played at Harvard on Saturday, while Sunday the teams travel to Hanover for the final doubleheader at noon.
Asked whether he is concerned about Dartmouth losing its momentum prior to the weekend, Whalen said, "You define momentum very easily -- a good starting pitcher."
Whalen hopes that his ace, sophomore star Eric Walania '98, who is a perfect 8-0 in Ivy League starts over the last two years, will provide that momentum. Whalen intends to start Walania on Saturday and throw his veteran workhorse and number two pitcher, Scott Simon '97, who is coming off his best game all season, in game two.
"I'm not going to go down with my guns in my holster," the coach said on the decision to pitch his best in on Saturday rather than split their starts over the weekend, like he normally does.
With the whole season riding on these four games, and a sour taste from yesterday still in the mouths of the Green and White, it just may be that Dartmouth is up to the challenge.
How long has it been since Dartmouth has had a chance to win its division?
Dartmouth's five seniors, Greg Gilmer, Jake Isler, Chris Van Vliet, Craig Pawling and transfer Yusuke Watanabe, have never played in a game with title ramifications in the last weekend of the season.
If for no other reason than this, the Big Green baseball machine should be fully oiled and gassed to go against its Crimson rivals.
And Coach Whalen, he likes his team's chances. "I have a feeling that we will be coming back with something to play for on Sunday."
