Completed Event: Baseball versus Cornell on April 27, 2025 , Win , 7, to, 4
Final
Baseball
vs Cornell
7
4
Rolfe Division Showdown Takes Place at Brown
4/23/2010 12:00:00 PM | Baseball
Complete Game Notes | Live Stats
Wayne Young '72 is tentatively scheduled to broadcast the games on Saturday live from Murray Stadium, technology willing ...
Showdown for Rolfe Supremacy
First place in the Rolfe Division is on the line in this four-game series as the co-leaders, Dartmouth and Brown, battle for the advantage. The Big Green, on a seven-game winning streak, edged Brown for the divisional title last year by one game, and taking three of four from the Bears in Hanover proved to be the difference. Even so, there could be a three-way tie for first at the end of the weekend — if these two split the series and Harvard sweeps Yale, all three would be 10-6 in the league standings.
Dartmouth features the best pitching in the league, both overall and in Ivy games, with the conference's top ERA. The pitchers in general don't hurt themselves with walks, leading the nation by a hefty margin in fewest issued per nine innings. And the defense does its part to help out, ranking 20th nationally in fielding percentage.
Brown relies more on its offense and averages nearly 11 runs a game on its home field, albeit in just seven games (sample size alert), with 18 of its 38 home runs. Even so, in 12 Ivy games — eight on the road — the Bears are hitting .340 with 100 runs scored.
Last Week in Review
Dartmouth swept four games from Yale, holding the Bulldogs to eight runs total, to move into a tie with Brown atop the Rolfe Division in the Ivy standings. Senior Robert Young was the story in game one, tossing his first career shutout while scattering six hits and walking nary a soul. Junior Jason Brooks was directly responsible for every Big Green run, doubling twice, scoring twice and driving in another in the 3-0 win. In game two, a three-run homer off the bat of senior Jim Wren and a two-run shot by freshman Zack Bellenger staked senior Ben Murray to a 5-0 lead in the first. Dartmouth went on to a 7-4 victory with sophomore Cole Sulser picking up a well-earned save with 3.1 innings of relief. Sophomore Kyle Hendricks nearly duplicated Young's shutout, falling one out shy in an 8-2 win. Wren and Bellenger again provided the big hits as each drove in three runs. The Big Green then had to pull out a 3-2 victory in 10 innings to complete the sweep, with junior Sam Bean serving as the catalyst by starting the rallies in the eighth to tie and the 10th to win. On Wednesday, Dartmouth defeated a plucky Saint Anselm squad, 5-3, as Brooks tied a Big Green record with two triples in the contest and freshman Michael Johnson earned his first collegiate victory, allowing one run over 5.1 innings with six strikeouts.
The Overall Record vs. Brown
• Dartmouth has played the Bears 224 times since the first meeting in 1871, with the Big Green having the edge, 122-101-1.
• Last year the Green won the first three against Brown to run their winning streak to 13 before faltering in the final game.
• The last time the Big Green played in Providence, they won three of four, including a 16-14 slugfest in the final game.
• In fact, Dartmouth has won three of four in each of the last three series played at Murray Stadium.
• Since Murray Stadium was built in 1959, the Big Green are 39-20 against the Bears in the park.
Probable Starting Pitchers
• Coming off his first career shutout, senior LHP Robert Young (2-3, 4.05) will try to extend his scoreless inning streak in the first game of the series. He has gone the distance in each of his first three Ivy starts to lead the league. Senior RHP Ben Murray (3-3, 9.00) will attempt to keep his perfect Ivy record intact in game two. He is 3-0 in three starts this season and 6-0 in his career against Ivy opponents. On Sunday, sophomore RHP Kyle Hendricks (2-4, 5.25) gets the starting nod, fresh off a decisive win over Yale as he narrowly missed out on his second career shutout. He also leads the Ivy League in strikeouts per nine innings (10.75). Finally, freshman LHP Kyle Hunter (1-0, 3.31), who has had no-decisions in three Dartmouth victories in Ivy play, will bring his control artistry to the mound for the final game. The rookie is second nationally in fewest walks per nine innings with just two free passes in 35.1 innings.
• Brown will begin the weekend with freshman RHP Kevin Carlow (4-2, 4.70), who has been the Bears' most consistently effective starter. He has also completed each of his three Ivy starts, going 2-1 in those games. Senior RHP Will Weidig (2-3, 9.45) is expected to go in game two after defeating Harvard last week by allowing just one run over 6.1 innings. On Sunday, junior RHP Matt Kimball (1-3, 6.83) is the tentative starter for the Bears. He has struck out one batter per inning this year, but opponents are hitting .358 against him. As for the finale, more than likely senior RHP Rob Wilcox (0-3, 8.62) will toe the slab.
Scouting Report on the Bears
• Brown played the toughest non-conference schedule in the league and it shows in its record — 3-20 outside the Ivy League.
• Since sweeping Princeton and Cornell two weeks ago, the Bears have lost seven of their last nine.
• Brown is hitting .302 as a team, but a robust .340 in league play — about 70 points higher than the Big Green.
• Pete Greskoff supplies the most power for the Bears with a league-leading 11 home runs, while Ryan Zrenda has eight long balls as the two account for half of the team's 38 jacks.
• Matt Colantonio is one of four Bears hitting over .300 with a team-best .366 average to go along with 31 walks, by far the most in the league.
• Brown is still trying to figure out its most effective rotation as the pitching staff has an 8.97 ERA overall. It is much better in the league, however, at 6.65. In all, 16 different pitchers have taken the mound for the Bears this year.
• Rookie Kevin Carlow has emerged as the team's ace this year with a 4-2 record and 4.70 ERA.
• The Bears' bullpen has struggled, earning just three saves and no one with an ERA under six.
• The Brown defense rivals that of Dartmouth in league play, with both teams committing just six errors in 12 games. For the year, the Bear fielding percentage is .960 with 48 errors in 35 games.
Sclafani Co-Player of the Week
The reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year, sophomore Joe Sclafani, broke out at the plate last week by hitting .500 (7-14) with five walks for a .632 on-base percentage. He was named the Ivy League Co-Player of the Week for his prowess at the plate, and he also drove in the first two runs of a 3-2, 10-inning victory over Yale on Monday. The second of his two RBIs came in the eighth to tie the score. Sclafani is the first Big Green player to earn the award since Nick Santomauro '10 took home the hardware for the last week of the 2009 season.
Sulser Pitcher of the Week
Sclafani wasn't the only Big Green player to earn a weekly award from the conference this past week. Sophomore Cole Sulser was selected as the Ivy Pitcher of the Week on April 20, pitching in three of the five victories while earning a win and a save. He pitched a total of 10 innings — 3.1 frames in each game — allowing just one run on four hits and one walk while striking out 11. Sulser currently leads the Ivy League in ERA, batting average against, wins and saves, plus ranks third in strikeouts per nine innings and total strikeouts.
National Statistical Rankings
Dartmouth is prominent in several national stat rankings, particularly in fewest walks per nine innings. The Big Green pitching staff leads the country — as it did last year — with a measly 1.66 walks issued per nine, more than half a walk better than the next team, UC Irvine. Two of Dartmouth's hurlers are among the top five individually in the category (Kyle Hunter, 2nd; Robert Young, 5th), while two others are among the top 50. The defense is also making a name for itself with a .975 fielding percentage that ranks nationally among the top 20. And the seven unearned runs allowed by the Big Green are the fewest in the country. The next three closest teams all have 12.
Seven-Game Winning Streak
Dartmouth has won seven straight games, beginning with a 3-2, 11-inning triumph over Penn on April 11. They have done it primarily with pitching and defense, sporting a 2.18 ERA while committing just two errors and allowing no unearned runs. The offense has been timely and has hit a respectable .280 during the streak as well. But opponents have walked just nine times for a measly .267 on-base percentage, not to mention slugged just .325 while scoring just 15 runs.
Players Mentioned
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