With Major League Baseball holding its opening day this past week, it is only fitting that Dartmouth should kick off its Ivy League season as well this weekend with twin bills at Penn and Columbia.
After getting off to a rough start in Saturday's first game against Penn, a 6-1 loss, the Big Green bounced back in impressive fashion to sweep the remainder of their weekend schedule.
In the second game against Penn they held on for victory in a tight 4-3 game, and on Sunday the Big Green took both contests against the Lions, 10-7 and 11-7, respectively. The wins push Dartmouth's overall record to .500 at 7-7 overall, 3-1 Ivy.
In the opener against Penn, Dartmouth starter Eric Walania '98 had a tough outing, giving up six runs, three earned and 11 hits for the game.
The Big Green's lone offense came in the top of the fifth when sophomore Mike Conway reached on a two-out double and was knocked in by co-Captain Andrew Spencer '97.
In the second game, The Big Green jumped out to an early lead sparked by Ron Friedman '99, who tripled to lead off the game and was driven in by Conway.
Dartmouth inflated the lead to 3-0 on an RBI single by Brian Nickerson '00 in the third that drove home Spencer and a run-scoring double by Aaron Meyer '00 in the fifth, but Penn rallied to tie the game at 3-3.
Pete Sellers '98 put in a stellar effort on the mound for the Big Green until getting touched up for a couple of runs in the fifth and sixth.
Dartmouth reclaimed the lead, 4-3, in the top of the seventh when Meyer singled and was brought home by a Mike Armstrong '97 double.
Clinging to a one-run lead in the bottom of the seventh, Dan Godfrey '98 took the hill to try to preserve the Big Green's narrow lead. Godfrey not only preserved an important victory, but he did so with an exclamation point, striking out the side in the Quakers' last at-bat.
On Sunday, Armstrong was the offensive star the two victories over Columbia as he went 5-for-6 at the plate with five runs and six RBIs.
In the opener, Dartmouth thumped to a 3-0 lead after one inning before Armstrong hit a grand slam in the second inning, giving the Big Green a 7-1 lead. For the game, he was 2-for-2 with two runs and four RBIs.
Right-hander Scott Simon '97 got the win, going 5 2/3 innings, giving up only five runs (three earned) and five strikeouts before Conor Brooks '00 nailed down the save.
Brooks pitched a complete game in the nightcap, surviving two Columbia rallies.
The Big Green picked up three runs in the second as Armstrong hit an RBI double before the Lions tied it up, 3-3, in the bottom of the fourth.
Dartmouth jumped back on top with a five-run rally in the top of the fifth that was aided by a Nickerson double.
Columbia came back with four runs in the bottom of the sixth to get within one before the Big Green had a three-run explosion in the top of the seventh on the strength of three hits.
At the plate Dartmouth was sparked by Spencer who tied Dartmouth's career record for hits, set by Mark Mitchell from 1984-87 with 165.
The Big Green travels to UMass-Lowell on Tuesday.
