Dartmouth Softball Earns Wild Sweep Over Yale

Sunday, April 18

Hanover, N.H.

12:30 p.m.

Dartmouth College

YALE

Dartmouth Softball Earns Wild Sweep Over Yale

4/18/2010 8:00:00 PM | Softball

By: Dartmouth

Game One Boxscore
Game Two Boxscore

HANOVER, N.H. – On a cold, rainy Sunday afternoon the Dartmouth softball team earned a wild sweep over the visiting Yale Bulldogs. In the first game, the Big Green won 11-3 and then took a 10-9 win in game two.

In the opening contest of the Ivy League doubleheader, Dartmouth used 11 hits and the same amount of runs spaced out over four innings to take an 11-3 opening victory in only five innings of play. Even with a 20-minute rain delay after Yale batted in the fourth, the Big Green did not let it get to them, tallying four runs in the bottom half of the frame. In the nightcap, the Bulldogs took an 8-2 lead over Dartmouth and looked to put the game away. But rookie Noelle Ramirez (Pompton Plains, N.J.) blasted a two-run home run in the sixth to help the Big Green come from behind in 10 innings for the 10-9 victory.

Ramirez was stellar as she began her day going 2-for-3 in the first game, including a homer. Yale led the contest off with two runs in the first inning but a three-run second gave the home team a lead it would not relinquish.

In the top of the third the Bulldogs got another run across as the Big Green came to the plate. After Hillary Hubert (Grant Park, Ill.) reached and advanced on an error, Leigha Clarkson (Perris, Calif.) was up to bat, but the rain began to fall in earnest halting the contest. After a 20-minute delay, Clarkson came out and bunted Hubert to third as the rookie came around to score one of four Dartmouth runs off a double by Ramirez.

Two runs in the fourth and the fifth frames, sealed the five-inning victory for the Big Green. Nikki Yee (Martinez, Calif.) and Audrey Kolodziej (Morton Grove, Ill.) eached had two hits in the win while along with Ramirez, Kirsten Costell (Windsor, N.Y.) and Christy Autin (Harwood Heights, Ill.) also blasted homers.

In the circle, Hillary Barker (Duvall, Wash.) picked up the victory, going the complete game with three strikeouts.

In the nightcap of the doubleheader, Yale plated four runs in the third inning to take a 4-1 lead. Then four more Bulldogs came across in the next three, allowing Yale to go up 8-2.

Dartmouth's five-run sixth began when Yee and Costello both singled as Hubert came to bat. The freshman hit a long ball over the center field fence for her second homer of the season as the Big Green found itself down by just three. With one out, Ramirez singled to center field and advanced to second on a passed ball. Then Molly Khalil (Seal Beach, Calif.) and Alyssa Parker (Spring Valley, Calif.) both walked to load the bases. Kolodziej singled to left field as Ramirez came around to score. Dartmouth batted around as Yee recorded another single, scoring Khalil.

Khalil tied the game in the seventh when her single plated Ramirez. Yale took the lead again in the top of the eighth but a triple by Hubert scored another run as the Big Green refused to go down.

The game winner came in the top of the ninth when Khalil knocked in her fifth home run of the season to give Dartmouth its seventh league win as the Big Green is now tied with Harvard atop the North Division standings. Dartmouth improved to 9-20 overall, 7-3 Ivy while Yale fell to 9-20, 4-6 in the league.

Yee and Hubert both had three hits while Costello, Ramirez and Khalil each added two. Evan Gray (Edmond, Okla.) began the game in the circle for the Big Green. She was replaced in the fourth by Kat Hicks (Templeton, Calif.) who went 5.1 innings with four runs and two strikeouts. Gray came back in the ninth and kept Yale off the board to pick up the win.

The two teams will meet again tomorrow in a doubleheader scheduled for 2:00 pm at Sachem Field.