The Big Green played the first two games of the series on Saturday in Hanover before moving to Cambridge for the second two on Sunday.
On Saturday, which was also senior day, Dartmouth split the doubleheader and snapped its winning streak as they lost the first game 4-1 but won the second game 7-1. The action continued as Dartmouth swept the twin bill with a 5-4 win in eight innings and a 13-1 rout in five innings on Sunday.
The first game of Saturday's doubleheader developed into a pitcher's duel over the first five innings, as both offenses struggled to reach base and the only score was a Harvard home run in the fourth. In the top of the fifth, Harvard exploded for three more runs. Dartmouth defense avoided an even larger hole as the Big Green ended the top of the inning by getting the final out cutting down a base runner racing for home.
The Big Green ultimately scored in the seventh when Morgan McCalmon '16 reached home off of Alex St. Romain '14's double. The game ended when the final Dartmouth batter grounded out with the bases loaded.
Dartmouth starting pitcher Kristen Rumley '15 finished the game with 13 strikeouts, allowing two walks, five hits and three earned runs.
Harvard junior Kasey Lange, who leads the Ivy League with 12 home runs, was injured during the first game and unable to play in the second. Her absence was noticeable, as Harvard had difficulty scoring.
Dartmouth's offense was much more effective in game two. During the second inning, McCalmon singled to left field and was just a few yards short of being a home run. McCalmon and Katie McEachern '16, who had also reached on a single, scored off a sacrifice fly from Kelsey Miller '16, with McCalmon scoring as the Harvard catcher was unable to reign in the throw home.
After McCalmon barely advanced to third base thanks to another Crimson error in the fourth, she and St. Romain both scored after Katie Adams '13 pinch-hit and singled to center field. The Big Green couldn't keep up the momentum after a Harvard pitching change, and the fourth inning ended as Dartmouth left the bases loaded.
Harvard scored in the fifth inning off a sacrifice fly, but was unable to manage anything more.
In the top of the sixth inning, McCalmon came on in relief of Rumley, as Rumley had pitched 12 straight innings and stuck out the side after allowing a leadoff triple.
"After allowing a triple right at the start, I really focused on what I was doing and I was able to strike out batters," McCalmon said.
Dartmouth continued its offensive explosion in the sixth, as Hubert hit a two-run home run over the center field wall, scoring Rumley, who was on second.
McCalmon ended the game with three more strike outs, finishing with six straight.
Hillary Hubert '13, Adams and Morgan Wharton '13 played their final regular season home games. Each senior made significant contributions toward winning game two, as Hubert and Adams drove in two runs each and Wharton started at right field.
"It's been a really great experience," Hubert said. "I'm really excited about going to the championship next weekend. The team's been performing really well lately and we just have to continue being consistent."
The first game of Sunday's doubleheader got off to a rocky start for the Big Green, as Rumley pitched only three innings, allowing two walks, three runs and four hits while striking out three before being relieved by McCalmon in the fourth. McCalmon finished the game and earned the win, racking up 10 strikeouts and allowing only five hits over five innings of work.
The game required extra innings after Dartmouth tied it up at four in the seventh on a two-out RBI single from Rumley. McEachern scored the winning run with a home run to left field in the eighth, giving the Big Green the North Division title.
McCalmon was the starting pitcher for game two, with Dartmouth routing Harvard.
The Big Green scored four runs in the second inning and never looked back after Adams hit a three-run home run to give Dartmouth the lead. Adams homered again in the third inning, driving in two more runs. The scoring continued with three more runs in the fourth inning and four runs in the fifth.
"The team was excellent," McCallum said. "Our defense really stepped up and supported us and we were able to score several runs."
McCalmon continued her effective pitching with six strikeouts, two hits and one run before being relieved in the fourth inning by Alex Jarvis '16, who allowed only one hit over the last two innings.
The team's trip to the championship will be coach Rachel Hanson's first since she joined the Big Green in the fall of 2010.
"I'm really proud of the way our team performed," Hanson said. "It was an all around team effort and we're looking forward to next week's championship."
Dartmouth will face the University of Pennsylvania in the Ivy League Championship Series next weekend. The winner will earn a berth to the NCAA tournament.
"We're definitely going to win," McCalmon said.
