The Big Green won their first three games before dropping the final two to the tournament's host Florida Gulf Coast University (19-4, 0-0 Atlantic Sun) in two high-scoring affairs.
The key to the Big Green's success was coordinated offensive power, according to co-captain Ashley Gleason '09.
"The entire lineup was batting well, and we helped each other out," she said.
Dartmouth scored nine runs against FGCU on the weekend. The only other tournament team to get on the scoreboard against the powerhouse host was Bryant University (1-9, 0-0 Northeast) with a single run.
Leading the offense in an 8-3 victory over Bryant was Molly Khalil '12, who was three for four at the plate and scored four runs.
Alyssa Parker '10 cemented the win against Saint Francis University (2-8, 0-1 Northeast) with a clutch single in the bottom of the ninth. Parker currently leads the Big Green's offense on the season, hitting .533 with two home runs.
After a long tie game against the Red Flash, the Big Green entered the bottom of the ninth inning down 2-1. A big double by Leigha Clarkson '10 and Parker's single were key factors in the scoring, as well as sacrifice flies by Gleason and Khalil.
In the game against Colgate (2-3, 0-0 Patriot League) on Saturday, the Big Green's offense was solid as Parker and Kirsten Costello '10 each banged two hits. Parker smashed a solo shot to provide insurance in the sixth inning to bring Dartmouth to 2-0.
In Saturday's game against FGCU, the Eagles came out on fire, scoring five quick runs in the first inning, and never letting up. Despite a solo home run from Khalil in the third inning, the Big Green was out of the game early.
Sunday provided a chance for a comeback against FGCU, and the Big Green came back ready to fight, scoring two runs in the first inning.
The Eagles then replied with 11 runs over the next few innings, until Dartmouth exploded again, posting six runs in the fifth inning.
The Big Green even forced an Eagles pitching change as the offense chipped away relentlessly, getting seven players on base over the course of the inning.
Costello's triple, her first extra-base hit of the year, rounded out the scoring frenzy, with Khalil and Audrey Kolodziej '11 crossing home.
The Eagles, however, went on to post one more run in the seventh.
Gleason said that the Big Green women did not lose their positive attitude despite the extremely difficult competition against the Eagles.
"We did really well on keeping our heads up when we were down in some games," she said. "Even with the losses, we felt like we left there with a strong outlook for the rest of the season."
FGCU is one of the toughest teams that Dartmouth will face all season, having received votes for the national poll. Their star pitcher Cat McDaniel already boasts some impressive stats on the season -- she is undefeated with nine wins and a 1.84 ERA. Leading the unstoppable offense is senior Cheyenne Jenks, who batted .667 and blasted four homers during this weekend's tournament.
The Big Green's pitchers fared well throughout the first three games despite the youth of the rotation.
Devin Lindsay '11 led off the weekend with a win, only allowing one earned run against Bryant and striking out two. Hillary Barker '12 and Kat Hicks '12 stepped up against Colgate, and the rookie duo earned a shutout. Barker notched 11 strikeouts on the weekend.
Against FGCU however, the pitching struggled to keep Dartmouth on top. As the Eagles' offense struck, the Big Green pitchers switched in and out of the circle, with all three women throwing on Saturday. They let up a combined 27 runs against FGCU across both games.
Lindsay's "good mindset" makes her a leader for the two rookies, and all of the pitchers will be important contributors this season, Gleason said.
Gleason said that the Big Green's success against these four teams should be a good predictor for the rest of the season.
"We'll go out with the same attitude that we did this weekend and get even better results because now we know that we can compete with any team," she said.
Dartmouth will be back on the diamond this weekend for a tournament hosted by the University of Maryland.
