One can only look at the heart and confidence of this year's Dartmouth baseball team to explain how they've stepped up in do-or-die situations, with the season on the line.
Last weekend the pressure was on, one game behind Harvard for first place in the Red Rolfe division; the Big Green won three consecutive games, the minimum required to unseat Harvard for the crown. Then, Wednesday, due to a stretch run and double-header sweep of Cornell, Brown forced a one game play-off to decide who could advance to the Ivy Championship Series this weekend.
Once again behind the brilliant pitching of Larry Fey '02, Dartmouth shut down the upstart Brown Bears 7-2 and cemented the Red Rolfe division title. Coach Bob Whalen described the atmosphere of the game. "The pressure was on us today -- it was on us last weekend against Harvard to have taken three of four To win our division back to back years -- I can't tell you how proud I was of them."
Fey, an infielder who was cut from last year's squad, was converted this past fall to pitcher after Coach decided Fey might prove better suited to life in the pen. How right he was. "Fey settled down after the first inning and set the tone for the day," said co-captain Brian Nickerson '00. Fey's view seems a little different, though. When asked about his role on the team, he responded, "I don't know what I am I would never have expected it to go this way, how I've helped the team into the championship."
Fey, who before this season hadn't pitched since he was ten years old, hurled seven and a third innings of seven hit, two run ball against the Brown nine. "Fey has been the team ace this year," said second-basemen Chris Miranda '01, who also provided his share of stellar defense, making Fey's job much easier.
Fey has started the first Ivy game of the past six Ivy League series. He improved his record to 5-2 on the season and helped give Dartmouth another chance to play against the Tigers in the Ivy Championship Series.
While Fey shut down Brown for most of the afternoon, the Bears responded by holding Dartmouth's 3-4-5 hitters to a paltry1 for 13, though number seven hitter and DH Joe Rockers '01 knocked two hits in strong at-bats as did right-fielder Derek Draper '03.
But the story of the day was number two hitter Jason Dacosta '03's 3 for 5, three RBI performance. After a shaky first inning in which Fey permitted Rob Deeb to reach on a walk, the runner eventually scoring on a single to take an early 1-0 lead, Dartmouth jumped back in a sloppy second inning that saw two Brown players each make two errors.
Miranda opened the rally, reaching first on an error by Brown shortstop Dan Kantrovitz. Rockers then doubled, moving Miranda to third before Draper reached when he was hit by a pitch. Matt Klentak '02 then followed with a infield RBI single that Kantrovitz reached too deep in the hole to make a play on. The single knotted the score at 1-1. Scott Shirrell '04, then reached on an error by third-basemen Dan Spring before Jason Dacosta hit a key 2-2 single to rack up two RBIs. Dartmouth would never relinquish the lead. "Dacosta's hit was huge today, absolutely huge," said Coach Whalen.
Brown retired the next two batters, but the damage was done. The bottom third of the batting order, starting with Miranda, the number six hitter, and the top two batters, capped off by the clutch base hit by Dacosta, provided all the run support Fey would need. The inning was a potent display of the depth of the Dartmouth lineup. "It's a total team effort -- who's gonna get the big hit today?" said Nickerson. Coach Whalen added, "It's about having guys in spots."
Dartmouth stranded a pair in the third but rebounded in the fourth inning when a lead-off triple by Shirrell turned into a run following Dacosta's second run-scoring hit. Dacosta, following in the footsteps of James' Little '00's spot in center, would also display his quickness in the eighth when he stretched a Texas league single to center into a double after Brown's Todd Iarussi took an easy jog after the ball.
Another important factor for Dartmouth on the day, and a major reason why they dropped a game to Brown earlier in the season, was its defense. "The key for today was that we played defense and they didn't," said Nickerson, who guarded the hot corner for the Big Green yesterday, snagging a couple sharply hit balls and gunning them across the diamond to protect the Dartmouth lead.
For Dartmouth next weekend, they must play solid defense and hit well in order to win. Earlier in the season many Dartmouth losses came because of defensive lapses and poor hitting.
Although Dartmouth dropped both games to Princeton earlier in the season, including a 1-0 loss to Tigers' ace Ryan Quillian (5-2, 2.80 ERA), co-captain Brian Nickerson believes that the Big Green have a good shot against the vaunted Tigers. "When we played Princeton earlier this season, we were a completely different team," said Nickerson.
Dartmouth has gelled throughout the season, both in its pitching and in the its solid defense and dangerous lineup. "This team has faced a lot more adversity than last year's this year we know how to get right back into it," said Fey.
Last year's magical 17-3 Ivy League record was stopped by Chris Young (since drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates) and the Tigers in New Jersey. This year, the reigning Ivy Champions carry their six consecutive Lou Gehrig division titles north to Red Rolfe Field for a rematch; this time, however, Dartmouth will have home field advantage. "We're focusing on ourselves. It's what we've done in all the big games: if we're playing to the top of our game, there's no one who can compete with us," said Nickerson.
Dartmouth hosts Princeton in this year's Ivy Championship Series. The best of three series begins at noon tomorrow at Red Rolfe Field.
