Dartmouth Softball Splits Twinbill with Sacred Heart

Wednesday, April 7

Fairfield, Conn.

3:00 p.m.

Dartmouth College

Sacred Heart (2)

Dartmouth Softball Splits Twinbill with Sacred Heart

4/7/2010 8:00:00 PM | Softball

By: Dartmouth

Game One Boxscore
Game Two Boxscore

FAIRFIELD, Conn. - Freshman Evan Gray (Edmond, Okla.) scored a complete-game shutout in the nightcap as Kirsten Costello (Windsor, N.Y.) tallied two home runs to help the Dartmouth softball team take a 7-0 win in game two, avenging a 4-1 loss in the first game to non-conference foe Sacred Heart on Wednesday afternoon. The victory is Gray's first of the season.

Sacred Heart (12-15) took an early 1-0 lead in the opening game as they pushed across a run in the bottom of the first. The Pioneers extended the advantage to 4-0 with three runs in their half of the third.

Dartmouth (4-18) scored its only run of the game in the top of the fourth after Leigha Clarkson (Perris, Calif.) reached on a Sacred Heart error and then came around to score when Audrey Kolodziej (Morton Grove, Ill.) singled to right field. SHU's Jen Russell picked up her seventh win of the season allowing just five hits and striking out five batters. In the circle for the Big Green, Kat Hicks (Templeton, Calif.) went the distance, allowing just three earned runs while striking out two.

In the second game, Dartmouth began swinging the bats early as the Big Green put three across in the top of the opening frame. Nikki Yee (Martinez, Calif.) walked to reach base and advanced on a fielder's choice that put Costello on. Hillary Hubert (Grant Park, Ill.) walked to load the bases before two straight strikeouts left it up to Clarkson. Although she swung at strike three, she reached first on a wild pitch. A single to center field by Alyssa Parker scored two as the Big Green ended the inning ahead, 3-0.

In the top of the next inning, Costello kept things going with a two-out home run to left center and then Molly Khalil (Seal Beach, Calif.) got her own long ball to put the score at 5-0 in the top of the third.

In the circle, Gray allowed three hits through three innings but had kept the Pioneers off the board as the freshman had struck out one. The Big Green defense held in the fourth when Sacred Heart had runners at second and third but were unable to get either of them home.

With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, the Pioneers loaded the bases but Gray got the final batter to fly out to right field, keeping the shutout intact.

Yee began the seventh with a single down the left-field line before Costello blasted her second homer of the contest to give Dartmouth a 7-0 lead as the home team came up for its last at-bat of the contest.

Costello, Hubert and Khalil each had two hits while Costello led with three runs scored and three RBIs. Gray earned the win with a complete-game shutout. She allowed just one walk while striking out two.

The Big Green open up the home portion of its schedule this weekend with a pair of Ivy League doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday. Game time against Columbia on Friday is 2:00 pm while the twinbill on Saturday against Penn begins at 12:30 p.m.