Baseball Cages Wildcats to Close Out Spring Trip

Sunday, March 23

Bradenton, Fla.

1:00 PM

Dartmouth College

5-7

Northwestern

4-9

Dartmouth

Northwestern

Baseball Cages Wildcats to Close Out Spring Trip

3/23/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Dartmouth

Box Score

BRADENTON, Fla. ? The Dartmouth baseball team closed out its spring trip with an all-around 6-5 win over Northwestern as the Big Green belted 16 hits and turned four double plays.

Dartmouth was led by senior Erik Bell (Sierra Madre, Calif.), who went 3-for-5 with a run scored and two runs batted in. Sophomore Nick Santomauro (North Caldwell, N.J.) had a perfect day with four hits in four at-bats, while freshman Jeff Onstott (Houston, Texas) collected three hits. Senior Kyle Evans (Springfield, Mo.) went 1-for-3 with two RBI in the win.

On the mound, senior Chase Carpenter (Bartlett, Tenn.) earned his first win of the season, going 5.1 innings, scattering eight hits and five runs and fanning two. Freshman Ryan Smith (Greenlawn, N.Y.) relieved Carpenter and recorded his first collegiate save, allowing just two hits in 3.2 innings.

Dartmouth jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead with three runs in the top of the second. Santomauro and junior Raymond Allen (Longwood, Fla.) got things started with back-to-back singles, which set the stage for Evans. He drove the Northwestern offering over the head of the leftfielder and off the wall and plated both Santomauro and Allen for the 2-0 lead. Bell then stepped to the plate and hit one by the dive of the third baseman to bright home junior Johnathon Santopadre (Vacaville, Calif.), who reached on a base hit.

Northwestern answered with a single run in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single up the middle from Jim Grieco to close the gap to 3-1.

Allen increased the lead to 4-1 in favor of the Big Green in the top of the third with an RBI single. After junior Michael Pagliarulo (Winchester, Mass.) reached on a base hit, Sophomore Brett Gardner (Bellevue, Wash.) grounded into a fielder's choice, advanced to second on a Santomauro single and scored on Allen's fourth RBI of the season. Dartmouth threatened again, but with runners at first and second, the Big Green hit into an inning ending double play.

In the bottom of the third, Northwestern had Dartmouth on the ropes with second and third with no outs. After a strike out from Carpenter, Northwestern's Mike Kalina popped out to second baseman Onstott deep in left and he made a strong throw to gun out a tagging Wildcat to keep the lead at 4-1.

The Big Green added to its advantage as Bell drove in his second run of the afternoon to push the lead up to 5-1 in the fourth. Santopadre reached on an error and Bell smacked a line drive to left center that was just missed by Northwestern centerfielder Aaron Newman and Santopadre was running from the start and scored from first.

The Wildcats cut the deficit to 5-3 in the bottom of the inning as they loaded the bases and Carpenter got a ground ball, but the Big Green could not turn the double play. One run scored on the ground out and the other came in on a throwing error on the attempt to turn two.

After a scoreless fifth, the Big Green added on more to give it a 6-3 lead. Onstott grounded one past the diving third baseman and down the left field line for a double with one out. He advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly from senior co-captain Damon Wright (Dallas, Texas.).

Northwestern crept closer in the bottom of the sixth with two runs to make it 6-5. The Wildcats got their fourth run of the afternoon on a wild pitch and the fifth coming on a double steal. With first and second and only one out, Smith relieved Carpenter and got a fly out to centerfield, which Wright turned into a double play as he threw behind the lead runner to catch the other base runner off guard for the final out of the inning.

From that inning on, six runs is all the Big Green needed as Smith shutdown Northwestern. Smith also got help from the defense as Dartmouth closed out both the seventh and eighth on double plays for two of the four turned on the afternoon.

It was not easy in the bottom of the ninth as the Wildcats loaded the bases, but Smith got a popout to second base and a slow roller to shortstop for the final out. The Big Green closed out its spring trip with a 3-6 record.

Dartmouth will be back in action this coming Wednesday as the Big Green travel to Quinnipiac in a tune up for conference play, beginning at 3 p.m.