The Big Green (5-13, 1-3 Ivy) fell into an early 2-0 hole, but a five-run sixth inning and four RBIs from Jake Carlson '12, including his first home run of the season, gave the Big Green a much needed win. The team now prepares for this weekend's set of Ivy League games against the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University. Carlson also hit for the cycle hitting a single, double, triple and home run becoming the first known player in the history of the program to do so since it began play in 1866.
"They jumped on us pretty quickly, and we didn't play well defensively or offensively," captain Joe Sclafani '12 said. "Once they got that lead, that woke some guys up."
For St. Anselm (11-15-1, 4-4-1 Northeast 10), starting pitcher David Kent pitched the first three innings and left the game with the score tied, 2-2.
"He threw pretty well and spotted his pitches," Sclafani said.
Kent was helped by St. Anselm's ability to capitalize on three early errors by the Dartmouth defense, which led to two unearned runs.
"I don't think St. Anslem got out to a fast start, just a lead," Dartmouth starter Louis Concato '14 said. "We weren't playing our game in the first two innings. Once we settled in though, we took control of the game and played much better."
In the fourth, the Big Green offense suddenly awoke and pounced on Hawks reliever Ryan Cosmopulos. Cosmopulos loaded the bases and committed a balk in his first inning of work and eventually surrendered four earned runs in a mere 1 2/3 innings pitched.
"Our approach was good, and we started putting better swings together," Sclafani said.
The Big Green defense and pitching also began to settle down in the middle innings.
Concato (1-1) turned in an effective five innings, surrendering five hits and three runs, one of them earned.
Max Langford '12, Chris England '15 and Mike Dodakian '14 also pitched well, with Langford striking out five batters in two innings of work.
Sclafani said the team must continue to improve on its early-inning offense.
"Our team is younger this year, and the thing we've been trying to stress with them is you need to play with a sense of urgency, especially in the Ivy League," Sclafani said.
On Wednesday, catcher Matt MacDowell '15 replaced Chris O'Dowd '13, who was struggling offensively, behind the plate.
MacDowell finished the game 0-for-2 with an RBI sacrifice fly and a walk and was later replaced by Chad Piersma '13. Sclafani also turned in a productive offensive day, going 3-for-5 at the plate with a pair of doubles and a walk.
The Big Green will now turn its attention to this weekend, when the team hosts Penn for a doubleheader on Saturday, followed by two games against Columbia on Sunday afternoon.
Both the Lions and Quakers are in the Gehrig Division of the Ivy League, and the series mark Dartmouth's first home contests against Ancient Eight competition this season. The Big Green competes in the Ivy League's Rolfe Division.
Last year, Dartmouth swept traditional powerhouse Columbia but lost its focus and energy against Penn, resulting in a pair of defeats, according to Sclafani.
This year, the Big Green will try to avoid a similar result with early hitting and consistent pitching, Sclafani said.
Pitcher Mitch Horacek '14 will likely start the first game on Saturday. Adam Frank '15 will take the mound for the second game, while Kyle Hunter '13 and Michael Johnson '13 will round out the Big Green's starting rotation for the weekend.
Last week, Frank's pitching performances against Princeton University and Amherst College earned him the Ivy League Rookie of the Week and DartmouthSports.com Male Athlete of the Week.
After losing three of four Ivy League games last weekend, including two against the defending Ivy-champion Tigers, the Big Green will look to perform well against key league opponents.
"We had a pretty tough weekend last weekend, so we're going to keep working on being short on our swing and recognizing pitchers," Sclafani said.
Dartmouth suffered its last home loss on April 11, 2010 against the Quakers. The Big Green has since won 26 straight home games, the nation's longest home winning streak.
