Raymond Allen '09 -- named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week after batting .560 with seven RBI over seven games last week -- continued his impressive performance at the plate, going 2-4 with two runs batted in and a run scored.
"It's always difficult to stay competitive and focused for games that you play when you know everything you've worked for the whole year is already gone," co-captain Tommy Myette '06 said. "We were playing to get our 20th win of the season though, which served as at least some incentive, because 20 wins is always one of our goals from the outset."
Dartmouth (20-18, 13-7 Ivy) was scheduled to finish its season against Boston College on Wednesday in Hanover, but steady rain forced the contest to be rescheduled for Thursday afternoon. As of press time Thursday, the game was still in progress.
Tied at 6-6 heading into the eighth inning, crafty base running proved to be the factor that pushed the Big Green past Hartford (8-32, 5-11 America East). Myette successfully stole second after a leadoff single to left field, and Hawks pitcher Pete Moraski walked Michael Pagliarulo '09 to put runners at first and second.
With one out and Myette at third, the Big Green put on a double steal, but the cutoff man's throw back to home hit the pitcher in the back of the head, allowing Myette to score the winning run uncontested.
"I'm not sure if I would have been safe or not had the throw gone through, but it was the winning run, so we'll take it," Myette said.
The Big Green raced to an early 5-0 lead in the first inning off only four hits, but two hit batsmen and two Hawk errors aided the squad. Johnathon Santopadre '09 led off with a single, and both Kyle Cavanaugh '09 and Will Bashelor '07 were hit by pitches to load the bases and set up an RBI single by cleanup man Damon Wright '08.
A pair of two-run singles by Allen and Michael Pagliarulo '09 rounded out the scoring in the frame.
The Hawks came back with two runs in the bottom of the inning without registering a hit. Starter Andrew Mallory '09 walked and hit a batter to put runners at first and second. A grounder from Ben Sobocinski seemed to be a manageable double play ball, but Jason McManis '08's throwing error allowed one run to score. A passed ball plated the second run of the inning.
Mallory stopped the damage from there, striking out the last two batters to end the first.
In the fourth, each team put a run on the board to make the score 6-3, in favor of the Big Green. Wright hit a single to right field to post his second RBI of the afternoon, driving in Bashelor after the junior centerfielder connected for a single and stole second with two outs.
However, miscues, on the mound and with the glove, plagued the Big Green in the bottom of the fifth. With one out and a man on first, Mallory hit two consecutive batters to load the bases. Chris Lapointe '06 came into the game to relieve the freshman right-hander, but a fielding error by Pagliarulo at first on the next at-bat led to two Hawk runs. A groundout with a man on third gave Hartford the tying run.
Myette said that the horrendous weather made fielding a struggle throughout the contest. Dartmouth committed four errors in the game.
"This game was played in probably the worst conditions I've ever been a part of," Myette said. "The game would have been canceled, but Hartford's field was made of turf, so we played the game anyway. Wet turf and wet baseballs made it difficult to make even routine plays."
Lapointe allowed only one hit and struck out four over three-plus innings of work to improve to 3-2 on the season, while Russell Young '08 recorded the final four outs of the contest to earn his second save of the season.
Despite the weather, Mallory was only charged with one earned run over four and one-third innings. The freshman walked and struck out four batters in the no-decision.
