"I knew if I could just keep us in the game, the offense would figure the Vermont [pitchers] out," Big Green starting pitcher Colin Britton '11 said. "We've been seeing the ball really well at the plate, and as a pitcher, that always gives you confidence."
Led by a perfect three-for-three day at the plate by Kyle Evans '09, as well as home runs by Johnathon Santopadre '09 and Mike Pagliarulo '09, the Big Green (15-10, 11-1 Ivy) proved the loss to Brown on Sunday was merely a hiccup for the team.
The first batter of the game for Vermont (7-19, 1-3 America East), sophomore Mark Micowski, got on base after a fielding error by Pagliarulo.
Following a single by junior Justin Milo, shortstop Matt Duffy homered to right field on a 1-2 count, making the score 3-0 in favor of UVM.
"Naturally I would have wanted to have a better beginning to the game, but I just wanted to try and throw to their bats and let my defense go to work for me," Britton said.
Britton settled down after the rocky start and eventually earned the win, evening his record at 2-2.
He ended his day after six innings, giving up three runs, two earned, and scattering eight hits.
"After the first inning, [Kyle] Evans '09 came over to me and just stressed that I had to keep the ball down and let our defense do the work," Britton said. "[Evans] really calmed me down, and we were able to work in some good sequences to keep them off balance the rest of the game."
The Big Green posted its first runs in the second inning, as Evans delivered a double down the left field line to bring in Jim Wren '10 who had singled earlier in the inning. Two batters later, on a double steal, Evans stole home, knotting the score at three apiece.
Dartmouth then proceeded to blow the Catamounts away in the sixth, batting through the order. UVM freshman reliever Harry Glynne was tagged for a total of five runs in that inning, and also hit two Dartmouth batters, helping to continue the rally.
Pagliarulo and Santopadre each belted their first home runs of the season during the game, in the third and sixth innings, respectively. The Big Green as a team now ranks fourth in the Ivy League with 24 home runs.
Despite the team's offensive efforts, however, the victory can largely be attributed to Britton's ability to control the game in late innings.
"A large part of winning games is having the confidence in our hitters to win us games," Britton said. "Since I only had one strikeout, the defense really got behind me and made some really great plays."
The Big Green has now won 14 of its last 15 games and boasts a nearly perfect 10-1 record at home. The team, however, is scheduled to play its next five games on the road, including a pair of doubleheaders against Yale (10-16, 5-7 Ivy) this weekend.
Dartmouth will look to build on its 11-1 Ivy League record and three-game lead over Brown in the Rolfe Division of the league this weekend in its games against the Bulldogs, who are currently ranked last in the Ivy League division.
