Dartmouth Softball Uses Four Home Runs in Nightcap to Earn Split with Albany

Wednesday, April 21

Hanover, N.H.

3:00 p.m.

Dartmouth College

ALBANY

Dartmouth Softball Uses Four Home Runs in Nightcap to Earn Split with Albany

4/21/2010 7:45:00 PM | Softball

By: Dartmouth

Game One Boxscore
Game Two Boxscore

HANOVER, N.H. – The Dartmouth softball team hit four home runs, tying a school record, in the nightcap on Wednesday to earn a non conference split with the University of Albany. The Danes won the first game, 9-2 but the Big Green bounced back and took game two, 6-3.

In the opening contest, Dartmouth jumped on the board quickly after senior Kirsten Costello (Windsor, N.Y.) doubled and scored on a Leigha Clarkson (Perris, Calif.) single to give the home team an early 1-0 lead.

But Albany exploded for six runs in the top of the second taking a lead it would hold for the rest of the contest. Nicole Kothe used a grand slam home run to help her team win its 15th game of the season. The Danes added single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh for its nine-run total. The Big Green got one more back in the bottom of the sixth when Alyssa Parker (Spring Valley, Calif.) doubled and then scored on an Albany error.

Albany's Marissa Powell picked up the victory and improved to 6-9 overall. She surrendered four hits and one run while fanning seven. Dartmouth's Kat Hicks (Templeton, Calif.), who lasted two innings, took the loss and fell to 1-6 this spring. She gave up two hits, six runs, including four earned, and issued two walks. Evan Gray (Edmond, Okla.), who threw five innings in relief, surrendered five hits and three runs, including two earned. She struck out three batters.

Costello was 2-for-4 with one run scored while Clarkson, Molly Khalil (Seal Beach, Calif.) and Parker each had one hit apiece.

In the second game it was a different story as it was the Dartmouth bats and pitcher Hillary Barker (Duvall, Wash.) making the difference. The two sides traded single hits and left runners stranded through the first three innings before the Danes broke loose and plated three runs in the top of the fourth. Hitting with runners on first and second and one out, Kat Smith singled through the left side and advanced to second on the throw, her single scored one. After Barker fanned the next hitter, a throwing error however allowed two more runners to come home as Albany took a 3-0 lead.

Dartmouth (12-21) used three home runs, including back-to-back blasts, in the bottom of the fifth to fight back and take a two-run lead. Costello blasted a three-run homer to knot the score before Hillary Hubert's (Grant Park, Ill.) solo shot over the fence on the next play put the Big Green ahead. Two batters later, Khalil went yard to make it a 5-3 game. Another Big Green home run by Barker, a collegiate first for her, in the sixth sealed the final outcome.

Barker boosted her record to 6-8 by striking out seven batters and allowing three hits and three runs, including one which was earned. Albany's Leah McIntosh suffered the loss and dropped her record to 5-5. She allowed eight hits and six runs.

Khalil and Barker were the only Dartmouth batters to record two hits each as both were 2-for-3. Khalil scored once and had one RBI while Barker scored twice with one RBI.

The Big Green will be back in action this weekend with two days of doubleheaders at Brown as Dartmouth is still battling for the top spot in the North Division standings. Game time on both Saturday and Sunday is scheduled for 12:30 pm.