Dartmouth Baseball Drops Heartbreaker to Kansas

Thursday, March 20

Bradenton, Fla.

5:00 PM

Dartmouth College

3-6

Kansas

13-8

Kansas

Dartmouth

Dartmouth Baseball Drops Heartbreaker to Kansas

3/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Dartmouth

Box Score

BRADENTON, Fla. ? Despite a 4-for-4 day with two homeruns and five runs batted in from senior co-captain Damon Wright (Dallas, Texas), the Dartmouth Baseball team fell short against Kansas, 8-6, on Thursday evening.

Wright hit a two-run homer in the first and a three-run blast in the third inning, while sophomore James Wren (Granbury, Texas) connected on his first round tripper of the season in the sixth. Senior co-captain Russell Young (Cleburne, Texas) got the start and went 8.2 innings, giving up eight runs on 12 hits, while fanning seven batters. He allowed only one walk and threw 112 pitches.

With two outs in the bottom of the first, Wright gave Dartmouth an early 2-0 lead as he deposited the first pitch he saw deep to left center for the two-run homer that scored sophomore Nick Santomauro (North Caldwell, N.J.) who reached with a two-out base hit through the right side.

Once again it was Wright stepping to the plate with two outs in the third inning and he pounced on another high fastball for a three-run round tripper. Senior Erik Bell (Sierra Madre, Calif.) reached on a walk then Santomauro singled for his second hit of the evening and Wright cracked his second homer of the game in the same spot as his previous two-run blast to give the Big Green the 5-0 lead.

Young cruised through the first four innings allowing just two base runners on two hits, including retiring 11 in a row at one point.

Kansas broke through in the fifth with two runs on three hits. Matt Berner got the Jayhawks on the board with an RBI single to left field, followed by a run scoring triple to right center by Casey Larson to cut the deficit to 5-2.

The Jayhawks added three more in the sixth inning thanks to a three-run homer by Buck Afenir that evened the score at 5-5. The Big Green took back the lead in the bottom half on a solo blast to the opposite field from Wren for his first of the season.

Kansas fought back again with a single run in the seventh on an RBI single from Robby Price. The Jayhawks were threatening again but Young stabbed a comebacker to start the 1-6-3 double play to close out the threat.

In the first of the ninth, the Jayhawks grabbed two more runs to take an 8-6 lead. Price was once again the thorn in the side of the Big Green as he connected on the first pitch from Young and drove it to right center, which plated the two runs and gave Kansas the victory.

Dartmouth (3-6) will be back in action tomorrow morning as the Big Green faces Army in a doubleheader at Lakewood Ranch High School, beginning at 10 a.m.