Harvard Wraps up North Division with Sweep of Big Green

Saturday, April 30

Hanover, N.H.

2:00 PM

Dartmouth College

HARVARD

Harvard Wraps up North Division with Sweep of Big Green

4/30/2011 1:53:00 PM | Softball

By: Dartmouth

HANOVER, N.H. - The Ivy League softball doubleheader on Saturday between Dartmouth and Harvard was to going to either wrap up the North Division title for one team or give another team a good shot at claiming it. Harvard won the first game, 5-1 and dashed the Big Green's hopes by wrapping up its second straight title. The home team staged a rally in the nightcap at Sachem Field but could not sustain the lead as the Crimson claimed the sweep with a 9-7 victory in Game Two.

The Big Green tallied the first run of the game on a passed ball that allowed Meghan Everett to come home. But Harvard got that run back with three of their own when Kasey Lange hit a deep home run to straight center field to put the visitors ahead, 3-1 in the top of the third. That hit broke up Evan Gray's no-hitter as the Crimson had seen just two runners reach on hit by pitches.

Harvard threatened again in the fifth by loading the bases with one out. Gray was able to garner another strikeout but a hit down the left field line by Ashley Heritage plated two more as the Crimson had a 5-1 lead after five.

Two walks and a hit through the left side by Hillary Hubert had the bases loaded for the Big Green in the bottom of the sixth. But Harvard pitcher Rachel Brown was able to get the groundout, the sixth of the contest to end the inning and any threat put up by Dartmouth.

The Crimson added three more to its total in the top of the seventh to account for all the scoring in the contest as the victory gave Harvard the Ivy League's North Division title for the second year in a row.

The visitors got things going quickly in Game two with three straight hits to load the bases. Ellen Macadam came across for the first run after a hit by pitch brought her home but pitcher Hillary Barker was able to garner a strikeout for the last out to end the inning as Harvard took a 1-0 lead after the top of the first.

Macadam helped score the second Crimson run in the second when her hit up the middle brought Jane Alexander in from third. Macadam scored her second run of the day when another hit through the infield hole allowed her to come around from second.

Dartmouth strung together three hits through the first two innings but had been unable to get any runs across. That changed when Molly Khalil had a hard hit to the center field fence that was bobbled as Kolodziej and Ramirez were both able to score. Bianca Smith came on to run for Khalil as she came around on a hit up the middle by Hubert, tying the score at 3-3.

Harvard tallied its second extra-base hit of the game when Shelbi Olson hit a double to the fence to put the the first Crimson runner on in the fourth but the Big Green defense held strong and kept her at third as the score remained knotted after the fourth frame.

Harvard broke the tie with a sacrifice fly to right field early in the fifth inning but that was the scoring that would come across. Dartmouth immediately led off its half of the inning with a hit up the middle as the Big Green looked to tie or go ahead. With runners at second and third on two outs, Hubert hit a bomb up the middle that brought both runners home as Dartmouth took its first lead of the day.

Another hit by Kat Hicks brought Hubert home as Harvard went to the bench to bring in Mari Zumbro to relieve Laura Ricciardone in the circle. Barker and Britta McOmber each singled as one more Big Green run came across as Dartmouth recorded six hits in the inning and saw itself with a 7-4 lead after five full.

Harvard's Macadam had the first triple on the day with a hit to right field as two came home in the top of the sixth. That hit began a chain of four straight as the Crimson tied the game and took a two-run lead, all with no outs.

Hicks came on in relief and was able to get the three outs needed to end the inning and keep Harvard from scoring any more.

A two-out double by Khalil put runners at second and third for Hubert, who was 3-for-3 going into her at-bat at the bottom of the sixth. Zumbro walked Hubert to load the bases for Hicks as she had a hard shot that was snagged quickly by Harvard's second base to end the threat and preserve the lead.

A one-out walk was issued to Jonele Conceicao to put runners at first and second as Everett advanced each runner on a sac bunt. Unfortunately a groundout ended the inning and the game for the Big Green as Harvard took the 9-7 victory.

The two teams will meet again tomorrow in a 2 p.m. doubleheader at Harvard's Soldier Field.