Dartmouth Softball Drops Two To Harvard

Saturday, April 25

Hanover, N.H.

2:00 p.m.

Dartmouth College

HARVARD (dh)

4/25/2009 6:15:00 PM | Softball

By: Dartmouth

HANOVER, N.H. - The Dartmouth (20-20, 11-7) softball team took the lead in both games of a doubleheader against Harvard (27-14, 12-6) on Saturday but the Crimson rallied both times, winning 7-3 and 6-3 to sweep the Big Green.

Harvard threatened early in Game One, loading the bases in the top of the second. The first Crimson run came when Eve Rosenbaum walked home but the Big Green defense tightened up and prevented anymore runs as the visitors left all three runners on base.

In the bottom of Dartmouth's half of that inning, Leigha Clarkson (Perris, Calif.) recorded the first Big Green hit of the day with a two-out single through the right side but would stay at first.

The third inning again had the Crimson looking to plate some more runs after a ball and a single up the middle put runners at first and second. With her fourth walk of the contest, Dartmouth pitcher Devin Lindsay (Whittier, Calif.) loaded the bases but terrific fielding by Christy Autin (Harwood Heights, Ill.) and Alyssa Parker (Spring Valley, Calif.) helped the Big Green get out of the jam.

Dartmouth's half of the third had the Big Green tying the game when Nikki Yee (Martinez, Calif.) popped a two-out double to left field, scoring Kirsten Costello (Windsory, N.Y.). Costello reached first after being drilled by Harvard's Rachel Brown and then stole second to be in scoring position. Senior Ashley Gleason (Costa Mesa, Calif.) kept up the hitting with her double to the left field fence as Yee came around to score, giving Dartmouth the 2-1 lead.

The next frame had Harvard adding one more hit but the Big Green defense again made the plays needed to keep the Crimson from Harvard as Harvard had stranded eight through the first four innings.

Audrey Kolodziej (Morton Grove, Ill.) began Dartmouth's half of the fourth with a double to left center but stayed stranded.

The Crimson broke the game open with a three-run shot over the left field fence by Ellen Macadam as Harvard erased the Big Green's one-run lead and went up 5-2. Another long bomb, this time by Jennifer Francis gave the visitors a four-run lead, 6-2, chasing Lindsay from the hill as freshman Hillary Barker (Duvall, Wash.) came on in relief.

Molly Khalil (Seal Beach, Calif.) got one back for the home team with a first pitch home run to left center but that was all Dartmouth could muster.

Another Harvard run in the top of the seventh gave the Crimson a final tally of seven runs on nine hits. Eight Big Green players each had one hit.

The second game had Harvard going down in order as Costello led off Dartmouth's half of the inning with an infield hit. Another infield hit by Autin with one out gave the Big Green its second base runner. Gleason was up next and hit a ball to shortstop, that despite being field cleanly just did not get Autin at second and suddenly the home team had two runners on. A wild pitch allowed the runners to advance but a ground out by Parker ended Dartmouth's inning.

Barker, starting in the circle for the Big Green, was stellar on the mound with no hits going into the fourth while assisting on four outs.

Khalil's single to short in the bottom of the third loaded the bases for Dartmouth but the runners would stay where they were as a ground out ended the inning.

Macadam broke up Barker's perfect game with a hard hit to third base before Stephanie Krysiak reached on an error. A strikeout by Barker ended the frame with the score still 0-0.

Back-to-back hits by the home team in the fourth had the Big Green threatening. Meghan Everett (Flemington, N.J.) moved the runners over on a sacrifice bunt as Harvard's starting pitcher Margaux Black was relieved by Dana Roberts. On Roberts first pitch, Autin blasted a three-run homer over the center field wall to give the Big Green a 3-0 lead. Another single by Costello gave Dartmouth its eighth hit of the game before Yee added to the total with a hit up the middle. A long fly-out by Khalil ended the inning but not before the damage was done.

Harvard broke through after an Dartmouth error allowed the runner from second to come around and score but Barker got the next batter to ground out, stranding two Crimson runners.

But Harvard had another huge inning in the top of the sixth after runners were put on with a hit by pitch and a single to Barker. A double would plate two before a single up the middle gave the Crimson the go-ahead run as Harvard took the lead, 4-3.

In the bottom of the sixth, singles by Autin and Yee put runners on the corners as Dartmouth looked to get some runs back. With Yee's single, Brown came into the game to relieve Roberts. Facing her first batter in the nightcap, Brown was able to get Khalil to ground out, ending the inning.

Harvard added two more runs to the total in the top of the seventh as the Big Green came to bat. Despite getting a runner on, Dartmouth would get two strikeouts to end the inning and give the Crimson the 6-3 win.

On the day Yee was tops with five hits and a .658 average. She had one double and one RBI. Costello and Autin both notched three hits in the two games.

The two teams will meet again tomorrow with a 2:00 pm doubleheader at Harvard. The Big Green needs to win both games tomorrow in order to win the North Division Title.