Two-Out Rally in 7th Dooms Dartmouth

Sunday, March 18

Sacramento, Calif.

4:00 PM

Dartmouth College

2-5

Sacramento State

8-11

Dartmouth

Sacramento State

3/18/2012 6:40:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Dartmouth

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento State broke a 2-2 deadlock in the seventh by scoring six times after two were out, sending visiting Dartmouth (2-5) to an 8-2 defeat on Sunday afternoon at John Smith Field. Derrick Chung provided the game-winning hit while David Del Grande and Trevor Paine each drove in two to help the Hornets improve to 8-11 on the season.

The rally made a winner out of Brendan Leitao (2-0), who went the distance while throwing 106 pitches. Over the nine innings, he allowed the two runs, one earned, on just five hits, a walk and a hit batter, striking out three.

Dartmouth sophomore reliever Mike Dodakian (0-1) replaced classmate Louis Concato — who matched Leitao for six innings — and quickly retired the first two hitters he faced on six pitches. But Justin Higley dropped down a bunt for a base hit, and the inning simply snowballed from there. After Scotty Burcham poked a single back up the middle, Chung delivered a single to right that brought Higley around with the lead run.

Chung then stole second just before David Del Grande stroked a single back through the box, driving in two runs. A walk to Will Soto brought Rhys Hoskins to the plate, who doubled home Del Grande. Paine then laced a single to left, sending both Soto and Hoskins home for an 8-2 lead.

The Big Green were trailing by two in the fifth when senior David Turnbull drew a lead-off walk. An error allowed freshman Nick Lombardi to reach base, and sophomore Dustin Selzer slapped a single between first and second, allowing Turnbull to cross the plate with the first Dartmouth run and Lombardi to take third. Although senior Jake Carlson bounced into a double play, Lombardi trotted home with the tying run.

Sacramento State wasted little time in putting runs on the scoreboard. Chung led off the bottom of the first with a triple to left. Concato got the first out on a comebacker, but Chung scored when Soto drilled a double to left. A single by Hoskins and a chopper to third off the bat of Paine scored Soto for a 2-0 Hornet lead.

Concato settled in after the first, surrendering just two hits and a walk over the next five frames. Over his six complete innings, he gave up the two runs on five hits and a free pass while fanning four.

After Sacramento State took the lead, Leitao retired six of the final seven batters he faced to close out the win.

Hoskins had three of the Hornets' 11 hits, and Paine drove in three runs on the afternoon. For the Big Green, Selzer provided two of their five singles and produced the only RBI.

Dartmouth and Sacramento State have split the first four games of the series with the rubber game taking place on Monday at 3 p.m. (EDT).