The Big Green (10-4) dominated early in the game, pounding out six runs by the end of the first inning. Freshman pitcher Jim Meindl began the bottom of the first inning for Siena by walking Joe Sclafani '12 and Sam Bean '11 and hitting Chris O'Dowd '13, loading the bases with no outs.
Jason Brooks '11 batted next and reached first base on a dropped fly ball, allowing Sclafani to score the first run of the game. Meindl then recorded an out before walking Ennis Coble '13, allowing Bean to score, before he was replaced by freshman left-hander Matt O'Kipney.
O'Kipney began his performance by walking Dustin Selzer '14, scoring O'Dowd. David Turnbull '12 and Jake Carlson '12 singled home three more runs before the inning came to a close.
Dartmouth continued the blowout for the next two innings, building a 10-0 lead by the bottom of the second frame and a 12-0 lead by the end of the third.
Only by the fourth inning of the game did Siena begin to accumulate runs on the scoreboard, but it slowly narrowed the gap throughout the game. The Saints ended the game with four runs in the top of the ninth inning, including a two-run double by senior Kevin Quaranto.
Sclafani, Brooks and Coble led the Big Green offense, each scoring three runs in the game.
Mitch Horacek '14 started the game for Dartmouth, allowing no baserunners in two innings of work.
Although snow still lined the field's fences during the game, Sclafani said the Big Green did not let the relatively cold weather impact its performance.
"It was a lot of fun," Sclafani said, adding that players appreciated the large number of fans in attendance at the game. "We had a beautiful day out there."
Head coach Bob Whalen echoed Sclafani, saying Dartmouth was "just excited to be out there to play."
"It's been one of the harshest winters, [and] it's such a beautiful ballpark that to be out there, it's fun," he said. "The grounds crew did an incredible amount of work to get us out there and that's always appreciated by the players."
Sclafani said that regardless of the weather, Dartmouth is determined to continue its two-season Ivy League Championship streak.
"Basically, our main goal is to win in our division and we want to win the home field advantage," he said. "We want to win the [Championship] for the third year in a row."
Whalen said the team is particularly focused on pitching and defense.
"I think our starting pitching is going to be one of our team's main strengths," Sclafani said. "Hopefully, we'll follow through with defense like [we did] last year."
Co-captain Jeff Onstott '11 said the team's speed is another asset, and that the team is "one of the strongest since I've been here."
The team will also likely benefit from a good mix of veterans and underclassmen, which Whalen said is important for a contending team.
"All of the best teams that I've had have had some freshmen and sophomores that really needed to contribute," he said.
The Big Green plays next against Columbia University, facing the Lions in a doubleheader on Saturday. Onstott said the game will provide Dartmouth with a valuable early-season test.
"Columbia is definitely going to be our biggest competition in the[League]," Onstott said.
Dartmouth plays Columbia (9-9) on Saturday in New York City before facing the University of Pennsylvania in a doubleheader on Sunday in Philadelphia.
