Snow was flurrying onto Red Rolfe Field at Biondi Park on Wednesday afternoon, and so were the hits for the Dartmouth baseball team. The Big Green collected 16 hits, propelling Dartmouth to a 10-4 victory over Saint Anselm (10-15).
Joe Sclafani '12 went four for five in the game, with four RBIs and a pair of two-run triples, to lead Dartmouth to its ninth consecutive win.
"It was a good win," Sclafani said. "There's a tendency for the intensity to drop in a mid-week game like this, but our team came out and played well," .
Playing in his first game since being named Ivy League Rookie of the Week on Tuesday, Sclafani showed that he deserved the accolade. Sclafani had a stellar week at the top of the batting order, going eight for 17, with a .471 batting average in five games for the Big Green (11-9, 8-0 Ivy). Sclafani notched a double, a triple, two home runs and a team-high eight RBIs to gain a perfect 1.000 slugging percentage. The freshman has hit safely in six straight games.
"I think it's pretty cool," Sclafani said of being named Rookie of the Week. "It's a great honor. There are some pretty good freshmen in our league, and I was fortunate to have a good week."
Every Dartmouth batter collected a hit except for first baseman Jason Brooks '11, who still contributed with an RBI groundout in the fourth inning. Even though almost all of the Dartmouth hitters had success against the Saint Anselm pitchers, the day belonged to Sclafani, who continued his red-hot hitting.
"I've been fortunate [to get] some good pitches to hit lately," he said. "I have great protection with the great hitters we have behind me, so teams are going to pitch to me to avoid them."
Sclafani also mentioned how focusing and relaxing at the plate has helped him succeed.
Sclafani began the Dartmouth rally in the third inning by doubling down the left field line. Singles by Jonathon Santopadre '09 and Kyle Evans '09 put the Big Green on the board, knotting the score at 1-1. Four batters later, Dartmouth was on top 4-1, a lead that the Big Green held for the remainder of the game.
Saint Anselm reliever Kyle Lavin entered the game in the third inning after Hawks starter Mike Fantini made an early exit despite two scoreless innings. Lavin, meanwhile, was tagged for a total of seven runs on seven hits in just over one inning of work.
Lavin was able to stumble out of the third inning, but he never made it out of the fourth. He faced four batters in the fourth inning, giving up three runs, three hits and a walk, but did not record an out. It became clear that Lavin's time was running short when Sclafani ripped a triple to left field on a 2-0 offering, scoring Sam Bean '11 and Brandon Parks '11 to make the score 6-1. Lavin proceeded to issue a free pass to Santopadre before being replaced in favor of junior right-hander Myke Fortier.
Five Big Green batters collected two or more hits in the game, including Sclafani, Santopadre, Evans, Parks and Jake Carlson '12.
Big Green starter Colin Britton '11 pitched a solid game, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out two over 5.1 innings to earn the win, his first of the season. Britton was in control during the early portion of the game, but his control wavered in the sixth inning when he walked two batters and hit two.
Sclafani said the team was rooting for Britton throughout the game.
"Britton pitched a great game," he said. "He had control issues, but our bullpen was able to come in and close the door."
Dartmouth will look to build on its perfect Ivy League record when it faces Ivy League rival Brown (11-11, 7-1 Ivy) this weekend. The Big Green holds a one-game lead over the Bears in the Red Rolfe Division. The two teams will square off in a pair of doubleheaders starting at noon on Saturday and Sunday at Red Rolfe Field in Hanover.
