Five-Run Ninth Propels Dartmouth to 14-12 Victory

Saturday, March 27

Daytona Beach, Fla.

12:00 p.m.

Dartmouth College

6-8

Bethune-Cookman

15-11

Dartmouth

Bethune-Cookman

Baseball Outlasts Brown in Slugfest to Take the Series

Five-Run Ninth Propels Dartmouth to 14-12 Victory

3/27/2010 5:15:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Dartmouth

Boxscore

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Down three runs in the ninth, the Dartmouth Big Green rallied for five runs to salvage the third game of a three-game series with Bethune-Cookman on Saturday, finishing up their Florida spring trip with a 14-12 triumph at Jackie Robinson Park. Freshman Zack Bellenger provided the decisive blow with a two-out, three-run double to help Dartmouth (6-8) snap a four-game slide. The Wildcats (15-11) lost for just the second time in 12 home games this season.

The Big Green collected 13 hits in the game, with junior Jason Brooks banging out a career-high four of them, including his second home run of the year., Brooks, Bellenger and sophomore David Turnbull each drove in three runs, while Bellenger also scored three times.

Bethune-Cookman touched five Dartmouth pitchers for 18 hits, led by Alejandro Sanchez with four of his own. Pete O'Brien, who hit three home runs in last night's 4-3 Wildcat win, belted another four-bagger for his 12th of the year among his three safeties.

Leading 12-9 to start the ninth, Bethune-Cookman called upon second baseman Juan Perez (1-1) to close out the game on the mound as he did in the first contest of the series. But Turnbull greeted him with a single, then went to second on a groundout. Freshman Ennis Coble delivered an RBI single and went to second on an error by the center fielder. When pinch hitter Ezra Josephson walked, the Big Green had the go-ahead run stroll to the plate in the form of junior Sam Bean.

Bean ripped a single to center, loading the bases for junior Jeff Onstott. Perez got Onstott swinging at strike three, but was not as fortunate with the rookie Bellenger who rifled an 0-1 pitch to right field, clearing the bases with a double to give Dartmouth a 13-12 lead. Bellenger took third when the relay to the plate came too late, which helped the Green get an insurance run when Perez uncorked a wild pitch, allowing Bellenger to score.

Nothing was certain in this wild affair, so Dartmouth head coach Bob Whalen called upon senior southpaw Robert Young to pitch the ninth. Alejandro Sanchez hit a lead-off single to heighten the tension, but Young got a Bryan Turner to hit into a force out. When his defense turned a double play behind him to end the game, Young — who was making just his sixth career relief appearance compared to 30 starts —had his first career save.

It appeared Dartmouth would cruise to victory when it opened up a 9-2 lead through four innings. Onstott got things started in the second inning with a lead-off single, extending his hit streak to 12 games. After a strikeout, junior Jason Brooks singled him to second, and a fly to center off the bat of junior Brandon Parks sent Onstott to third. Brooks took second on a wild pitch before Turnbull stroked a two-run double to left-center. Sophomore Jake Carlson followed with an RBI single to left, then stole second and scored on a single by Coble for a 4-0 lead.

Like the previous inning, Onstott led off by getting on base, this time drawing a walk. An error allowed Bellenger to reach base, putting runners at second and third, then Brooks laced a single to plate Onstott. When Wildcat starter Julio Morales walked Parks to load the bases, his day was done and Jordan Dailey trotted to the mound. Turnbull was plunked by a pitch to force in a run, and two outs later sophomore Joe Sclafani walked to bring home the seventh Big Green run of the game.

In the bottom half of the third, the Wildcats got their offensive going with a pair of runs off sophomore hurler Cole Sulser. The right-hander had zipped through the first two innings, retiring six of the seven batters with four strikeouts. Sanchez and Turner singled to start the third, and Perez lined a ball to center that allowed Sanchez to score. A double by Justin Hoyte sent Turner all the way around from first to make it 7-2.

Dartmouth got those two runs back in the fourth when Brooks launched a two-run shot, scoring Bellenger who had walked.

Sulser escaped a jam in the fourth after the first two batters reached base, but was not as fortunate in the fifth. Bethune-Cookman loaded the bases with nobody out with a couple of singles and a walk. A slow grounder to short scored one run before Emmanuel Castro lofted a sacrifice fly. O'Brien followed with an RBI single to close the gap to 9-5.

In the sixth, C.J. Lauriello and Ryan Durrence delivered RBI singles to cut the deficit to two. But the big Wildcat inning was the seventh in which they tallied five runs. O'Brien welcomed sophomore reliever Max Langford to the mound with his fourth home run in two days to make it a one-run ball game. Langford got a grounder to short before giving up a single, but got the second out on a pop to third. Junior closer Ryan Smith came in to pitch but gave up back-to-back singles to Lauriello and Perez as B-C tied the game at nine. That pair pulled off a double steal with Lauriello taking home for the lead. Hoyte hit his second double of the day to score Perez, then came home on a Durrence single.

Junior Dan Ternowchek (1-0) got the victory for pitching a perfect eighth inning for his first career win in his 36th career appearance.

Dartmouth next plays at Siena on Wednesday, March 31 at 3 p.m., while Bethune-Cookman plays at UCF on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

Big Green Summer Ball Recap

Saturday, September 06

Brad Hill, Jaren Hunter Round Out Baseball Coaching Staff

Thursday, August 21

Blake McFadden Named Interim Baseball Head Coach

Friday, July 11

Bob Whalen Retires As Winningest Baseball Coach at a Single Institution In Ivy League History

Thursday, July 03

Next Event

Siena

Mar 31 (Wed)

3:00 p.m.

Recap History

Full Schedule

Team Stats

Pitching:

W: Ternowchek, Dan (1-0)

L: Perez, Juan (1-1)

S: Young, Robert (1)

Dartmouth

Batting:

2B: Bellenger, Zack 1 ; Turnbull, David 1

HR: Brooks, Jason 1

RBI: Carlson, Jake 1 ; Coble, Ennis 2 ; Sclafani, Joe 1 ; Bellenger, Zack 3 ; Brooks, Jason 3 ; Turnbull, David 3

Base Running:

RUNS: Carlson, Jake 1 ; Coble, Ennis 1 ; Josephson, Ezra 1 ; Bean, Sam 1 ; Onstott, Jeff 2 ; Bellenger, Zack 3 ; Brooks, Jason 2 ; Parks, Brandon 1 ; Turnbull, David 2