The Dartmouth softball team swept a doubleheader against Columbia on Saturday and split a doubleheader with the University of Pennsylvania on Sunday in their first home weekend of the season. The Saturday sweep of Columbia was their second consecutive sweep of an Ivy League opponent.
Dartmouth (6-18, 5-3 Ivy) beat the Lions 6-4 and 14-9. Hillary Hubert '13 led the way with a home run and six RBIs over the two games, while Leigha Clarkson '10 also went deep and had three RBIs.
Pitchers Hillary Barker '12 (3-8) and Evan Gray '13 both picked up a win for the Big Green.
In the first game, Dartmouth did its scoring early and held on for the win. Hubert hit a two-run homer in the first inning to start the scoring. In the second inning the Big Green batted around and hammered Lion's starter Maureen O'Kane to score four runs.
"Our team focuses on pouncing on the other team early," Molly Khalil '12 said. "We know that if we come out early and shut the door it'll be really hard for the other team to come back."
The Lions got to Barker in the fourth, scoring three runs off three hits. Centerfielder Dani Pineda sparked the Columbia offense with a RBI triple.
In the following inning, the Lions added another run off a bunt hit and a throwing error.
Apart from those two innings, Barker gave up only one walk and striking out nine. She allowed five hits on the game, four of those in the fourth and fifth innings.
"Hillary's a really good pitcher," Khalil said. "She's reliable in the circle we know we can count on her to have a good outing."
Offense was plentiful in game two as the two sides combined for 23 runs and 26 hits. The Big Green got off to a quick start, scoring four runs in the second off Lions starter Jessica Rakonza and reliever Maggie Johnson. Centerfielder Nikki Yee '10 had an RBI and stole home in the inning.
The Lions immediately clawed their way back, scoring four runs of their own in the top of the third. Neither team scored their next two tries at the plate, before Dartmouth exploded for another four-run inning in the bottom of the fourth. Clarkson hit a two run home run and Kirsten Costello '10 added a RBI double. Typical of the game, however, Columbia responded in the top of the fifth with three runs of its own.
"Back and forth scoring keeps the game exciting," Khalil said. "In the end though all that matters is that we played harder and got the win."
The Big Green scored five additional runs in the bottom of the fifth to extend its lead to 13-7. Hubert was once again in the thick of the offense with a three-run double. In the top of the sixth, the Lions were only able to answer with two runs before being silenced. The Big Green tacked on one more in their half, before reliever Kat Hicks '12 retired the Lions for a scoreless seventh.
On Sunday, the Big Green lost the first game 3-2 before handily winning game two 10-1. Clarkson was again the star, going 4-6 over the two games with a home run and a two RBIs.
In the first game, the Big Green scored a run in the second to take an early lead. The Quakers quickly responded, however, with two runs in the third off one hit. Dartmouth drew even in their half of the third, but Penn was able to add another run in the fourth to seal the victory.
Barker had another stellar outing despite recording the loss, scattering eight hits over seven innings. She issued two walks while fanning seven, and none of the runs she surrendered were earned.
"I don't think that the numbers reflect how we played," Khalil said. "All our hard hits were just caught in that game. We didn't change our approach at all this weekend and we were a bit unlucky that game."
In game two, the two teams exchanged a single run before Dartmouth exploded for a five-run second inning to take control of the game. The Big Green added a run in the third and another three in the fourth to round out the scoring.
Gray picked a win on the second consecutive day, allowing one run on just three hits. She struck out seven and walked two batters.
"Overall all our pitchers really performed well this weekend," Khalil said. "It shows that when push comes to shove, we can really rely on them."
The Big Green travel to the University of Connecticut this Wednesday for a non-conference game before returning home for a weekend series against League rival Yale.
