"Our team is feeling great after this weekend," first baseman Jason Brooks '11 said. "We played really well and swept four games. We control our own destiny again, which is a great feeling."
Pitcher Kyle Hendricks '12 was tested early during Monday's first game, when Brown (8-26, 6-10 Ivy) managed to load the bases in the first inning. Hendricks secured a strikeout and a double play, however, avoiding any runs.
Dartmouth got off to a strong offensive start in the first inning, with Chris O'Dowd '13 tripling to left field with two outs before Brooks doubled to score O'Dowd.
The game soon became a defensive battle and neither team was able to string together consistent offense through six frames. In four of the game's seven innings, Brown retired Dartmouth's first three batters in order.
The Bears got on the board in the top of the seventh to tie the game, but the Big Green came back in the bottom of the frame. Brooks started the inning for Dartmouth with a single to left. One out later, Jeff Onstott '11 doubled down the right-field line to score Brooks and win the game.
Hendricks pitched seven innings, allowing six hits and registering nine strikeouts to secure his third win of the season.
"We were happy with how we played in the first game but knew the second game was just as important," Brooks said. "We were confident and focused knowing we needed to win the fourth game to accomplish our goal for this weekend."
Despite the low-scoring first game, the Big Green put up 11 runs in the second half of the twin-bill.
Dartmouth's offense hit its stride in the second inning, when Onstott and Jeff Keller '14 drew walks and Jake Carlson '12 drove them in with a single to center. Joe Sclafani '12 then followed with a single up the middle, and Sam Bean '11 brought Sclafani and Carlson around with a single of his own, putting the Big Green up 4-0.
Brooks doubled down the right-field line to begin the next frame. Keller drew a walk two outs later, and David Turnbull '12 doubled down the left-field line to score Keller and Brooks. Carlson followed with a hit in the next at-bat, scoring Turnbull. The Bears finally escaped the inning when senior pitcher Conor Burke replaced freshman starter Anthony Galan, who gave up seven runs in under three innings of work.
The Bears finally got on the board in the fifth with two runs, though they could have caused much more damage in the inning. With two outs and the bases loaded, Mike Dodakian '14 came in to relieve Mitch Horacek '14, putting the inning away.
The Bears scored twice more in the sixth, taking advantage of several Dartmouth errors. With two runners on and the tying run at the plate, Ryan Smith '11 was called in to get the Big Green out of a jam. Smith retired the next three batters to end the inning.
"Errors will happen, that is just the game of baseball," Onstott said. "We know as a team that we are good enough to beat anyone we are against, so we keep playing our game with the same confidence as before."
Ennis Coble '13, O'Dowd and Brooks all scored in the seventh to tack three runs onto the lead. Sclafani added one more insurance run in the eighth after scoring on a dropped pop fly.
Dodakian recorded the win, allowing two hits in 1.1 innings of work. Smith pitched an impressive three innings, allowing just one hit and registering five strikeouts.
"We made the adjustments that were necessary both in our approaches and our swings," Bean said. "We executed our offensive plan very well today. Our goal is to win five games this week. We're going to continue to work on our hitting and our offensive approach and playing better catch in the field."
The Big Green will continue to defend its home-win streak against Hartford University on Wednesday at 3 p.m. before concluding the League regular season with a home-and-away series against Harvard University over the weekend.
