Jeff Onstott '11 blasted a grand slam in the Big Green's 9-4 victory over Columbia University in the team's second match-up of the day, helping Dartmouth avoid a sweep. The baseball team squared off against a pair of Ivy League foes this weekend at Red Rolfe Field at Biondi Park, splitting two doubleheaders against Columbia on Saturday and the University of Pennsylvania on Sunday.
Captain Rob Young '10 took the ball for the Big Green (12-12, 4-4 Ivy) in the first game against the Lions (15-13, 6-2 Ivy), but could not prevent Dartmouth from falling to Columbia, 5-2. Young, who is 1-3 this season and has been counted on to go deep into games, pitched all seven innings, surrendering five runs on nine hits while throwing 123 pitches.
The Lions received a strong performance from their starter, sophomore Pat Lowery, who threw six innings for the win, allowing just two runs and five hits. Junior Geoff Whitaker pitched a scoreless seventh for the save.
The key sequence came in the top of the fourth inning, with the score tied at 1-1. Junior Nick Cox led off with a double for Columbia and later stole home plate while freshman Nick Ferraresi was at bat. After Ferraresi struck out, freshman Dario Pizzano deposited Young's 2-2 pitch over the right-center field wall, giving the Lions a 3-1 lead that they would not relinquish.
"I think there might have been a little carry-over [from the steal] on that next at bat," Young said. "I left a ball over the plate and [Pizzano] hit it."
In the second game, Dartmouth fell behind 4-2 after Columbia's three-run fourth inning, but earned a comeback victory with a five-run fifth inning. Columbia starter Tim Giel pitched effectively through four innings, but Dartmouth finally broke through against the freshman. Giel exited the game after surrendering seven runs in just 4.1 innings.
David Turnbull '12 led off the fifth inning with a single to right. Sam Bean '11 reached on a fielder's choice and Joe Sclafani '12 later walked to load the bases.
Brett Gardner '10 hit an infield single, scoring Turnbull, before Onstott hit Giel's first pitch over the right-center field wall for a grand slam.
"The at-bat before, he threw me an 0-0 changeup," Onstott said. "Next at bat, I came up expecting the same thing. He threw it and I hit it."
With one swing of the bat, Onstott's blast transformed a 4-3 Columbia lead into a commanding 7-4 advantage for the Big Green.
Cole Sulser '12 earned the save with his 3.2 innings of effective relief work. Sulser, struck out five Lions on the day.
"He's been outstanding," head coach Bob Whalen said.
In the first game against Penn (13-14, 4-4 Ivy), the Quakers seized the lead early and used multi-run innings in the fourth and fifth to pull away from Dartmouth and win 9-5. Big Green starter Kyle Hendricks '12 (1-4) was roughed up, allowing 10 hits and all nine runs over five innings of work. Hendricks did strike out eight Quakers, though, and leads the team with 38 strikeouts on the year.
Penn starter Vince Voiro went the distance to earn the win, allowing five runs over seven innings.
The second game was a pitcher's duel and ended in dramatic fashion, as a walk-off single from Jake Carlson '12 gave Dartmouth a 3-2, 11-inning victory. The Big Green received strong performances from starter Kyle Hunter '13, who surrendered just two runs in seven innings, striking out five, and Ryan Smith'11, who relieved Hunter in the eighth inning.
"He made maybe one bad pitch the entire day," Whalen said of Hunter.
Dartmouth struggled all game to hit with runners in scoring position they were one for 13 until Carlson's heroics. The Big Green stranded 15 runners in the game.
"[The pitcher] came in and up on that pitch, I brought my hands in and caught it on the barrel," Carlson said.
Dartmouth pitchers surrendered just one walk in the game. This season, Big Green pitchers have allowed the fewest walks per nine innings of any team in Division I. The pitching staff's 1.66 BB/9 ratio is over half a walk better than any other team.
The Big Green return to action on Wednesday, as they welcome the College of the Holy Cross to Red Rolfe Field at Biondi Park. The first pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
