Dartmouth Splits Doubleheader as Harvard Rallies to Win the Nightcap, Capturing the Northern Division Title

Tuesday, May 1

Hanover, N.H.

2:00 PM

Dartmouth College

HARVARD

Dartmouth Splits Doubleheader as Harvard Rallies to Win the Nightcap, Capturing the Northern Division Title

5/1/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball

By: Dartmouth

Game 1 Boxscore

Game 2 Boxscore

HANOVER, N.H. ? Harvard came from behind in the nightcap to capture the Ivy League North Division championship with an 11-8 win over the Dartmouth softball team today at Sachem Field. The Big Green were victorious in Game One, 3-2 but could not hold on for the sweep.

The second-game win guarantees the Crimson (28-13, 13-6 Ivy League) a spot in this weekend's league championship series against Penn the winner of the Southern Division.

Dartmouth's Stephanie Trudeau (Spokane, Wash.) and Harvard's Shelly Madick dueled in the opening game as Trudeau allowed only two runs on two hits. The Big Green's Alyssa Parker (Spring Valley, Calif.) blasted her sixth homer of the season, a two-run bomb in bottom of the sixth inning to end Harvard's nine-game winning streak.

The Crimson took the lead without the benefit of a hit in the top of the first inning but the Big Green came alive in the third as Sarah Bankoff (Lynnfield, Mass.) reached on a one-out error and Kirsten Costello (Windsor, N.Y.) doubled to deep right. But the two runners would stay on base to end the inning.

Dartmouth took advantage of Harvard's missed opportunity with a three-run rally on four hits in the sixth. Nikki Yee (Martinez, Calif.) started the rally with a hard-hit single off the tip of the glove of Melissa Schellberg at third. Kelly Fry (Marietta, Ga.) tripled to right to tie the score before Parker then delivered the winning runs with her home run to left center.

Lauren Brown's fifth home run of the season cut the deficit to a single run. Trudeau issued two walks, but Angela Megaw came in to record the final two outs capturing her second career save.

Trudeau picked up her 10th win of the season, going 6.1 innings with seven strikeouts. The loss was Madick's first in her last 13 appearances and dropped her record to 14-4.

In the second game Dartmouth held a 7-5 lead going into the top of the sixth but five Harvard runs would give the visitors a 10-7 lead and eventually the win.

Three Big Green batters walked and scored in the first inning of the second game, with Parker singling in two of the runs. Harvard came right back with four runs on one swing in the top of the second.

Dartmouth then recorded four runs of its own in the bottom half of the inning. Fry delivered the big blow with a two-run homer to left center before Harvard trimmed the Big Green lead to 7-5 in the third.

Following its big inning to go on top, an additional Crimson run in the top of the seventh gave Harvard an 11-7 advantage. Fry hit her second homer of the game in the bottom of the inning, but Dartmouth could not muster anymore runs.

Dana Roberts picked up the win with 6.2 innings of relief work, improving her record to 6-5 while Angela Megaw (Bomoseen, Vt.) drew the loss for the home team dropping her record to 6-9.

Harvard and Dartmouth (16-23, 11-8) will complete Saturday's halted game Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. at Harvard's Soliders Field. The game is tied, 4-4, with Schellberg coming the plate and the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth inning. A win would give the Crimson home field advantage in the championship series.