Dartmouth Sunk by Five-Run Sixth in 7-2 Loss to Bradley

Thursday, March 17

Winter Haven, Fla.

4:30 PM

Dartmouth College

1-7

Bradley

9-6

Bradley

Dartmouth

Dartmouth Sunk by Five-Run Sixth in 7-2 Loss to Bradley

3/17/2016 10:22:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Dartmouth

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Bradley scored five times in the sixth to break open a 2-2 game and defeat the Dartmouth Big Green on Thursday afternoon at Lake Myrtle Park, 7-2. Ben Olson struck out 10 in six innings and Evan Gruener had three hits and three RBIs to help the Braves (9-6) win their fifth straight game, while Dartmouth fell to 1-7 on the season.

Olson (1-1) handcuffed the Big Green lineup over his six innings, although he did surrender a pair of solo home runs to freshman catcher Rob Emery — the first of his career — in the second and senior Joe Purritano in the fifth that tied the game at two. The left-hander threw 95 pitches, giving up just two other hits and a pair of walks. One of the base runners was erased on a pickoff and another courtesy of a double play.

Dartmouth freshman right-hander Cole O'Connor made a strong starting debut, matching Olson for five innings. The only mistake he made came on a two-run homer off the bat of Gruener in the second inning. The rookie finished his day yielding two runs on five hits, a walk and a hit batter while striking out six.

Having thrown 72 pitches, O'Connor was lifted in favor of sophomore southpaw Marc Bachman (0-1), who was climbing the mound for the first time this season. After retiring the first batter on a grounder to second, he was touched for three consecutive singles, bringing home one run while an error allowed another to score.

The damage was not done, however, as sophomore Sam Fichthorn uncorked a wild pitch upon entering the game allowing the third run of the inning to scamper home. A walk and a single set up another scoring threat, and when pinch hitter Carson Weber hit a slow roller to short, he ended up safe when the throw was muffed that allowed the runner on second to come around and score. Spencer Gaa then chopped a ball over the shortstop's head for an RBI single to cap the five-run outburst.

Now with a five-run lead, Olson finished his outing with a flourish, retiring the side in order in the bottom of the sixth with the last two outs coming on swinging third strikes.

The Bradley bullpen divided up the final three innings among three pitchers, each of whom tossed a scoreless stanza, though Allan Beer ran into a little trouble in the ninth as senior Thomas Roulis and Purritano both singled. But that was as much as the Big Green could muster before the final out was recorded.

Ian Kristan joined Gruener with three hits and two runs scored as the Braves banged out 13 safeties on the day.

Roulis and Purritano were the only Dartmouth hitters to tally a pair of knocks, and sophomore Kyle Holbrook extended his modest hitting streak to six games. The Big Green managed a total of seven hits but were punched out 14 times, their most since the 2013 campaign.

Dartmouth returns to the diamond on Friday when it takes on Lehigh in a doubleheader at Chain of Lakes Park at 2 p.m.

Notes: The Big Green had not hit two homers in a game in their last 61 contests dating back to April 19, 2014 ... O'Connor's six strikeouts match Duncan Robinson for the most by a Dartmouth pitcher in a game this season.