With the two victories, the Big Green (10-11, 3-1 Ivy) is now tied with Harvard (15-7, 3-1 Ivy) for first place in the North Division of the Ivy League. Columbia (9-17, 1-3 Ivy) fell to last place in the South Division after Monday's action.
After splitting a doubleheader with the University of Pennsylvania over the weekend, Dartmouth looked to win back-to-back games for the first time since sweeping St. Francis University and Bryant University in late February.
"We are improving our consistency as we get more games under our belt," co-captain Ashley Gleason '09 said. "We played some tough competition in Florida, Maryland and California, and we're better for it and feel very confident going into Ivies now. We're really excited to contend for the title this year."
In the opening game, the Big Green came out swinging, scoring four runs in the first two innings off of hits by Gleason, Alyssa Parker '10, Kirsten Costello '10 and Nikki Yee '10.
In the top of the third, Dartmouth added to its total with an RBI double by Audrey Kolodziej '11, which gave the visiting team a commanding 6-0 lead.
All the while, the Lions' bats were silent, as hurler Devin Lindsay '11 repeatedly baffled Columbia hitters, allowing six hits and one earned run in a solid seven-inning effort.
Dartmouth scored one more in the fourth inning before a solo shot by Gleason in the seventh capped the Big Green's impressive offensive output.
"I think that our team is strong top to bottom and, if we keep our energy up and offensive pressure on these two teams the whole time, we'll have a successful outcome," Gleason said.
Gleason connected three times in four at-bats, with two runs and two RBIs, while Yee was 3-for-3 at the plate with one run and one RBI.
The second game saw a shift in Columbia's energy, as the home team scored off of an RBI single in the bottom of the second inning to take an early 1-0 advantage.
The Big Green, however, quickly rallied to tie the game in the fourth, as Kolodziej rounded the bases after two walks by Columbia pitcher Maggie Johnson and a fielding error by the Lions defense.
After starting pitcher Hillary Baker '12 retired the side to end the fourth inning, Molly Khalil '12 gave Dartmouth the lead in the top of the fifth with a crucial leadoff home run. Ensuing Dartmouth batters quickly took advantage of the tempo change, loading the bases before a Costello single tacked on another run to give the Big Green a 3-1 lead and some breathing room.
Baker pitched perfect sixth and seventh innings to seal the victory. The freshman pitcher posted a complete game to earn her fifth win of the season.
Gleason said that the Big Green's rookie starters have played important roles in the team's game-time performances.
"The freshman players have already made a huge impact on our team," she explained. "We have two freshman pitchers that have been seeing a lot of time and helping us stay in games, and on the offensive side, they've contributed a lot of power to our lineup."
After dispatching Columbia, Dartmouth will face off against the University of Massachusetts on Wednesday before opening another round of Ivy doubleheaders at home against Princeton (7-11, 2-2 Ivy) and Cornell (21-5, 2-0 Ivy) on Saturday and Sunday.
"Princeton and Cornell are two good teams, but I think it comes down to who wants it more," Gleason said. "Our team is so tight and we all have the same goal in mind, and that's what we're putting all of our energy into right now."
