As winter turns to spring, Hanover, N.H., was blessed with immaculate weather Thursday afternoon. The sun brilliantly radiated upon the backdrop of a cerulean palate of deep azure blue. With the smell of freshly grown grass wafting through the air, nothing could be more apropos than a ball game. The Dartmouth softball team (10-26-1) took to the field to battle the Golden Eagles (20-24) of Boston College for their final two games of the season in a tough double header.
On an eight game home stand to bring the season to a close, the Big Green hoped to end their season on a high note. During this series, Dartmouth managed to pull out just one win (a 9-2 victory against Harvard on April 30). Their luck however, did not seem to swing towards their favor this afternoon. Coming off a 2-0 shutout loss versus Harvard, the Big Green fell to Boston College, 6-0, in both games of the double header.
Angela Megaw '08 took to the field as the Big Green starting pitcher, facing the Golden Eagles's Britney Thompson. Boston College struck early, as Thompson drove in Carley McNary on an RBI single. Megaw managed to get out of the inning relatively unscathed, as she gave up two hits, struck out two, and gave up one earned run.
Dartmouth's offense, however, came up empty all throughout the evening. With an early single in the first inning by sophomore Kelly Fry, the Big Green couldn't get out of the inning without a zero remaining on the scoreboard. The Golden Eagles's bats went into full swing in the third and fourth innings, driving in a total of three more runs. McNary initially drilled a triple in the third inning, and then was driven in by Kimmy Hopkin who reached base on a fielder's choice. She scored later in the inning off of a Dartmouth error. In the fourth inning, Elena Ferrero hit an RBI double to drive in Kristin Allain, who led off the inning with a double of her own.
Dartmouth struck out 10 times, falling victim to Thompson's relenting, complete-game pitching. Moreover, the Big Green's defense proved suspect, recording three errors. Megaw gave up two earned runs, and struck out three in five and two thirds innings pitched. Unable to overcome the early deficit, Dartmouth fell to Boston College in the first game of the doubleheader, 6-0.
In the second game, the Big Green's offensive woes continued. Jenna Machi of Boston College went 3-4 with two runs, two RBIs and a homer as Dartmouth failed to score a single run during the game.
Karin Edwardson '05 pitched the full seven innings for Dartmouth, throwing up an impressive seven Ks. However, the five earned runs she gave up proved too much for the struggling bats of the Big Green. Golden Eagle Michelle Daly's arm overwhelmed the Dartmouth hitters. Tossing her first shutout of the season, Daly threw out six and failed to give up a single run.
With the final games of the season, Dartmouth suffered a devastating end of the season drought. Facing tough opponents throughout the entire season, the Big Green softball team deserves much credit and should perform well in the years to come.
