Dartmouth Wins Double Dose of Pitchers' Duels

Saturday, April 9

Hanover, N.H.

12:00 PM

Dartmouth College

14-6, 3-2

Cornell

3-18, 1-4

Cornell

Dartmouth

Dartmouth Wins Double Dose of Pitchers' Duels

4/9/2011 6:00:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Dartmouth

HANOVER, N.H. — Sophomore southpaw Kyle Hunter and junior right-hander Cole Sulser finished the day with double digits in the strikeout column as Dartmouth won both ends of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon against the visiting Cornell Big Red, taking the first game in 10 innings, 3-2, and the second game by a 4-2 final. The Big Green (15-6, 4-2 Ivy) moved into the lead in the Ivy League's Rolfe Division while extending their home winning streak to 13, the third longest in the nation. Cornell fell to 3-19 on the season and 1-5 in conference play.

Although Hunter dazzled for nine innings with a career-high 10 strikeouts in the first game — a scheduled seven-inning game — he finished the day without a decision. Senior reliever Ryan Smith (1-1) came on in the 10th with the score tied at one after Hunter had thrown 126 pitches in his outing, and quickly retired the first two batters on six pitches. After getting ahead of Brian Billigen 0-2, the Big Red center fielder got hold of a pitch and sent it out of the ball park for his fifth home run of the year and a 2-1 lead.

Dartmouth did not despair in its half of the 10th as junior Jake Carlson started a one-out rally by drawing a walk against Cornell reliever Rick Marks (0-2). Junior Joe Sclafani then ripped a shot into the right-center gap for a triple, tying the game at two. Big Red head coach Bill Walkenbach decided to intentionally walk the next two hitters to set up a force at the plate and a better platoon match-up with the right-handed Marks facing right-handed-hitting senior Jason Brooks. But Brooks foiled the strategy by one-hopping the fence in left to drive in the winning run.

Hunter and Cornell's Corey Pappel engaged in a terrific pitchers' duel, posting zero after zero on the scoreboard. Neither team could barely manage a hit, let alone a run, as Hunter gave up just one hit in the first six innings and Pappel just two through five frames while needing just 49 pitches to get 15 outs. Hunter got some spectacular defensive help in the sixth when Carlson in center field and junior David Turnbull in right made diving catches on consecutive plays.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Big Green finally eked out a run. Sclafani worked Pappel for a walk with one gone and senior Sam Bean snuck a hard grounder past a diving second baseman to put runners on the corners. When sophomore Chris O'Dowd hit a chopper to first base, Mickey Brodsky could not get a handle on the ball to make a throw home, settling for an out at first as Sclafani crossed the plate.

With three outs left, the Big Red were able to tie the game in the seventh. Frank Hager dropped a single in front of Carlson in center, and pinch runner Brenton Peters alertly took second on a pitch that short-hopped O'Dowd behind the dish for a wild pitch. With the runner in scoring position, Brandon Lee took advantage of the opportunity with a sharp single to right, sending Peters home with the tying run.

In the bottom half, Cornell escaped a one-out, two-on scenario when Marks entered the game and fanned both Carlson and Sclafani. In the eighth, the Big Red put runners on the corners with two out, but Hunter got the third out on a grounder to Sclafani at short.

O'Dowd picked Peters off first base for the first out in the ninth after he had singled. Hunter then finished with a flourish, retiring the final two batters he faced on strikes.

Hunter gave up just one run on five hits and three walks in his outing, while Pappel allowed his solitary run on only three hits and three walks.

Sulser featured a sizzling fastball and a sharp slider in the nightcap, striking out a career-high 13 without a walk as he yielded just one earned run on seven hits in his first career complete game on 123 pitches. He whiffed at least one batter in every inning to post the second-most punchouts by a Dartmouth hurler this season; junior Kyle Hendricks struck out 15 Army hitters on March 18.

Bean, O'Dowd and sophomore Ennis Coble each had three hits in the game to lead the Big Green offense, but it was Coble's two-run triple in the eighth that proved to be the difference.

Dartmouth dented the scoreboard first when O'Dowd laced a two-out double in the third inning to score Carlson, who had led off the frame with a single.

Cornell answered back in the fifth when Peters doubled with one down and Mike Lopez poked a single back through the middle to tie the game at one. In the bottom half, the Big Green took the lead for good when Bean lined a two-out double into the left-field corner, plating Turnbull who had singled to start the inning.

In the sixth, Sulser allowed singles to Marshall Yanzick and Brodsky, putting runners on the corners with nobody out. But the right-hander got a slick play behind him on a chopper to third baseman Jeff Onstott, who threw Yanzick out at the plate. Sulser then got a routine fly to center and a called third strike to end the threat.

Coble provided the breathing room in the eighth with his triple over the right fielder's head, scoring both Bean and O'Dowd who started the inning with infield singles.

That triple turned out to be very important as the Big Red scored an unearned run in the ninth. But Sulser got a fantastic play by the second baseman Coble, who caught a foul pop while slamming into the fence, and kept his cool with the tying run at the plate, fittingly striking out the final batter of the game to earn his 11th straight victory.

Sunday's doubleheader at Red Rolfe Field at Biondi Park will be a showdown of Ivy League divisional leaders as Princeton (12-13, 6-0 Ivy) comes to town riding a nine-game winning streak. The first game is scheduled to begin at noon.