Dartmouth opened the Ivy League season this weekend with a bang, essentially giving notice to the rest of the Ancient Eight that the Big Green will be a contender and not a walk-through in 2005. After splitting a pair with Yale on Saturday, Dartmouth combined clutch hitting with outstanding pitching to sweep the Brown Bears on Sunday. The Big Green currently stands at 3-1 (6-12-1 overall), tied for second in the Ivy League.
A lethargic start doomed Dart-mouth at the onset of Saturday's first game versus Yale. The Bulldogs attacked freshman standout Angela Megaw for five runs by the close of the second inning. A run in the third and bases-loaded with one out in the fifth were not enough to spark a comeback, as Yale maintained their lead for a 5-1 victory. But before disappointed Dartmouth fans could shake their heads at a ten game winless streak (the Big Green dropped two more at Providence on Thursday), Alicia Petryk '06 had something to say about it. With two outs and a 1-0 lead already in the first inning of the night cap, Petryk brilliantly capitalized on a bases-loaded situation, turning the Yale outfielders into spectators with a grand slam. Dartmouth would add two more runs to finalize a 7-5 victory, their first since March 24th.
Petryk humbly deflected praise from herself to her teammates, saying, "While I feel like my hit early on in the game was helpful, I was really happy that we were able to maintain our lead in the following innings with solid defense and pitching, and expand it with additional runs."
It seems that the Big Green's chances to win depend largely on early run production, and Dartmouth was able to successfully rely on this strategy in the first game against Brown the following day. In fact, game one of the doubleheader was decided by the end of the second inning. Brown got on the board first when junior Rachel Fleitell led off the game with a homer. The Big Green loaded the bases in the second inning, and a botched fielder's choice with two outs opened the door for three Dartmouth runs. The remainder of the game was decided by Megaw and her Brown counterpart, Uchenna Omokaro, who both battled to keep the game scoreless the rest of the way. The 3-1 win was Megaw's second of the year.
The nightcap saw a continuation of the pitcher's duel in game one. Karin Edwardson '05 would eventually out-duel her opponent, Brown senior Marissa Berkes, but not by much. Both teams failed to score until the sixth inning, when the Bears once again plated the first run. Ironically enough, it was Berkes' single to start the inning that ended Edwardson's no-hit bid. After advancing to third with two outs, Berkes gave Brown a 1-0 advantage after a passed ball escaped catcher Kelly Fry '07.
But neither Edwardson nor her teammates were to be outdone. In the bottom of the seventh, the Big Green staged its dramatic comeback. Jodee Thompson '05 led off the inning with a single through the left side of the infield. Two consecutive errors by Brown provided the Big Green with the bases loaded and nobody out. However, after two groundouts prevented any Dartmouth runs from coming home, it all came down to Kalie Jackson '07.
Bases loaded, two outs, a one-run game, and the bottom of the last inning makes for debatably the most pressure-filled situation in all of softball and that is precisely what stared Jackson directly in the face on Sunday. Prior to the first game against Yale on Saturday, Jackson had struggled with a .053 batting in 19 at-bats. With one swing on Sunday, the Dartmouth sophomore laid all of that to rest. Jackson doubled to left field, scoring two runs and leading the Big Green to a series-sweep.
"I was fortunate to come up to the plate in every athlete's ideal situation," said Jackson after the game. "That kind of pressure is what the game is all about, and I think I was just lucky that it was my turn to be clutch."
According to the team's coach, Christine Vogt, Petryk's grand slam in game two against Yale on Saturday was the turning point of the weekend. "That was not only an important hit for her, but it gave a needed lift to our offense and seemed to spark our bats," said Vogt. "A strong start is always what you are looking for, especially in conference play where we only have one opportunity to face each Ivy team," continued Vogt. "Every game is crucial and we need to keep our focus grounded on the fact that we still have a tough schedule ahead of us."
The Big Green is back in action for a non-conference doubleheader against Central Connecticut today at 3 p.m. on Sachem Field. Dartmouth will then continue its march through the Ivy League with two games at Penn (12-15, 2-4 Ivy) on Saturday and a pair at Princeton (24-9, 5-1 Ivy), the perennial Ivy League powerhouse, to conclude the weekend.
