Hot Take: Merrimack Next on Baseball’s Hit List
Caleb Lewis
Team: Baseball
Event: Game against Merrimack College
Date: April 30
After a disappointing series versus Columbia, Dartmouth baseball pieced together four consecutive wins in the last week. Dominant pitching performances from Nate Isler ’27, Eddie Albert ’26 and Bryce Loeger ’28 propelled the Big Green to a series sweep against Cornell last weekend. The team heads to North Andover, Mass. to take on Merrimack College on Wednesday, and if pitching remains hot, Dartmouth should breeze through the Warriors and secure their fifth straight victory.
After sweeping Cornell this past weekend, the Big Green improved their record to 8-10 and are now ranked fourth in the Ivy League. They are in playoff contention and fans might be able to see their team in the Ivy League Tournament for the first time in history.
Hot Take: Women’s Rugby Will Lift the National Championship
Sid Singh
Team: Women’s Rugby
Event: College Rugby Association of America Premier 7s National Championship
Date: May 2-3
Women’s rugby’s dreams of a national championship were dashed last year. After going unbeaten in their four pool games in the CRAA 7s National Championship, the Big Green lost an overtime heartbreaker to Lindenwood University in the semifinal. The Lions were a familiar foe since the teams met in the semifinal in 2023 and the final in 2022. Each time, Lindenwood has ended Dartmouth’s championship pursuits.
Next week in Indianapolis, the rugby sevens squad will have the chance to get over the hump at the CRAA 7s National Championship. The team has been close to perfect in both their fall and spring seasons, with their only loss all year coming against Harvard University in the NIRA championship. They are also fresh off claiming their second straight Ivy League 7s title, where they took revenge against the Crimson — the reigning national champions — with a 27-5 rout in the final.
The only accomplishment yet to be achieved for the storied squad is a national championship. Hungry for redemption for the last three years, and having dominated their Ivy League competition, the stars are aligned for the women’s rugby team to win it all.
Hot Take: Softball Will Take At Least One Game From Columbia
Ava Politis
Team: Softball
Event: Three-game series at Columbia University
Date: May 3-4
After getting swept by Harvard University, Dartmouth softball will travel to Columbia University for their final regular season series. This past weekend shook up the standings in the Ivy League as the Big Green dropped from second to fifth. The Lions are currently ranked third in the standings as they just swept Cornell University this weekend and are on a five-game winning streak. Despite the Lions coming in hot, the Big Green should take at least one win away from the series.
Columbia’s pitching silenced Cornell’s bats, limiting them to six runs the entire weekend. However, Alaana Panu’s ’25 bat has been getting hot as she tripled and homered this past weekend and will only get hotter this weekend.
Powerhouse Jensin Hall ’27 started the first game against Harvard off strong, only allowing two runs in the first seven innings. However, once the game entered extra innings, Hall allowed six more runs causing the game to end in a 10-2 loss. Hall also started the game on Sunday and allowed seven earned runs in 6.2 innings. With proper rest this week, fans can expect Hall to be on her A-game to secure a spot in the Ivy League tournament.
