The Dartmouth College baseball team teed off in their home opener yesterday afternoon, slugging out a modern day record 28 runs in a 28-17 win over St. Anselm's.
In the non-conference game, Dartmouth pounded twenty-five hits and scored at least one run every inning with a high of eight in the sixth inning. Dartmouth surpassed the previous high of 26 runs set at Holy Cross in 1998 but came seven short of the record high 35 set back in 1889.
Coming off a 2-2 Yale weekend and moving into the last week of the season, the Big Green will look to use yesterday's game and today's away match at Holy Cross to prepare them for a critical four-game Harvard weekend.
Coach Whalen gave catcher Mike Levy '01 a break from behind the dish to serve in the DH spot where he still went 3 for 4 with three runs and six RBIs. Andrew Cronin '01 filled in to go 3 for 6 with 5 RBIs, a triple and a grand slam in the fourth.
Every starter had a hit in the game including Scott Shirrell '04, who was 4 for 6 with 4 runs scored,
Josh Cushman who went 3 for 5, and Brian Nickerson '00 who was 4 for 5 with 3 RBIs moved into fourth place on the Big Green's all-time hit list with 189. Second baseman Chris Miranda '01, ceding to Joe Rockers '01 for the day, pinch hit to enter the game racking a three-run homerun.
Dartmouth's first home game of the season lasted three hours and saw three pitchers take the hill.
David Lopez '03 started the game facing 31 batters in just over five innings pitched. He permitted four walks and eight earned runs while recording one strikeout. Converted outfielder Dan Becker '02 then took to the hill to hurl an inning and a third allowing four runs and walking two before Mike Brown '02 closed the final two innings with a pair of strikeouts.
St. Anselm used four pitchers, including Mike Flathers who lasted just one inning allowing five runs and dropping to 0-2. Sean Hayden, who threw an inning and two-thirds, allowed eight runs and 10 hits to top out a day of inflated ERAs.
The Big Green travel down to Holy Cross for another non-conference game to begin at 3 p.m. before returning to open the Harvard weekend this Saturday with a double-header at noon. Dartmouth will need to win three of four from Harvard in order to win its second straight Red Rolfe division title.
