Yale Edges Big Green for Rolfe Division Crown, 5-4

Saturday, May 7

New Haven, Conn.

4:00 PM

Dartmouth College

18-25

Yale

18-26-1

Dartmouth

Yale

Yale Edges Big Green for Rolfe Division Crown, 5-4

5/7/2016 7:01:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Dartmouth

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Yale scored twice in the bottom of the eighth, then got the final out with the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position as the Bulldogs (18-26-1) defeated Dartmouth (18-25), 5-4, in the Rolfe Division playoff game at rain-soaked Yale Field on Saturday afternoon. Both Bulldog runs crossed the plate on balls that did not leave the infield, ending the Big Green's run of consecutive division titles at eight.

Senior Joe Purritano had given Dartmouth a 4-3 lead in the top of the eighth when he crushed a leadoff home run over the fence and the high hedges, his third homer of the season. But after senior right-hander Duncan Robinson struck out his fourth straight hitter to start the bottom half, Yale struck back.

Richard Slenker started the uprising with a single through the middle. After a pair of loud fouls down the right-field line, Harrison White hit a ball into the left-center gap for a double, sending Slenker to third. Brent Lawson then poked a grounder at first baseman Michael Ketchmark, whose throw to the plate arrived low and a little late and Slenker sprinted home with the tying run. On the eighth pitch of the at-bat to Tim Degraw, he managed to hit a dribbler to the left of the mound, but shortstop Thomas Roulis had no play as White score the go-ahead run. Senior Beau Sulser came on to keep the Dartmouth deficit at one, which he did by striking out both batters he faced.

With one down in the ninth, senior Nick Ruppert hit a first-pitch pop up to the mound, but right-handed reliever Chasen Ford dropped it for an error, giving the Big Green life. Sophomore Dustin Shirley slapped a single to right, bringing Purritano to the plate. He put a scare into the Yale faithful with a line drive down the right-field line, but it curled foul and he ended up flying out to left for the second out. Ketchmark then fought off three tough two-strike pitches after a wild pitch put the runners into scoring position, but he could not get on top of a high fastball and flew out to right to end the game and Dartmouth's season.

Rain on Friday and Saturday morning pushed the start of the game back three hours, and when the first pitch finally was thrown at 4:06 p.m., the Big Green were able to strike first with a solitary run against Yale starter Scott Politz in the top of the second. Sophomore Kyle Holbrook lined a pitch into right for a leadoff single, and although junior Ben Socher failed to get a bunt down on the first two pitches, he was able to slice a ball into left for a single of his own. The bunt by sophomore Justin Fowler was successful, advancing the runners, and senior Adam Gauthier sent a fly down the right-field line that was caught for a sacrifice fly and a 1-0 lead.

The Big Green doubled their lead in the fourth when Holbrook led off the inning by destroying a full-count pitch over everything in right field for his second home run of the season.

In the bottom half, Yale quickly responded as Slenker launched a solo homer to left, his third four-bagger of the year. But the Bulldogs were not done as White followed with a line single to right. After a foul pop on a bunt attempt, Tim Degraw hit a comebacker to the mound that Robinson bobbled briefly before throwing to second. The umpire ruled his throw pulled Roulis off the bag, however, and everyone was safe. Two pitches later, Alec Hoeschel sent a pitch back through the box for an RBI single, tying the game at two. Yale nearly got more when Andrew Herrera hit a line drive, but it went right to second baseman Dustin Shirley, who stepped on second for an unassisted double play to end the inning.

Ruppert nearly put the Green back on top to start the fifth, but his long drive to right was hauled in above the four-foot fence by Nate Adams, robbing him of a home run. Instead, the 3-2 lead went to the Bulldogs in the bottom half when Slenker delivered a two-out RBI single, plating Adams who had doubled. Roulis tied the game in the top of the sixth by lining a double over Lawson's head in left for a double, scoring Ketchmark from first after he reached on an error.

Ford (5-4) picked up the victory for his 1.2 scoreless innings in relief of Politz, who allowed four runs, three earned, on seven hits over 7.1 frames while striking out six without issuing a walk.

Getting stuck with the loss in his final collegiate game was Robinson (4-6) who also threw 7.1 innings. He surrendered five runs, four earned, on 10 hits without a walk and fanned eight.

Slenker led the Bulldogs at the plate by going 3-for-3 with his home run, two runs and two RBIs, while White and Hoeschel each banged out a pair of hits.

Shirley, Purritano and Holbrook each had two knocks for the Big Green, which as a team collected eight on the day.

With the win, Yale advances to the Ivy League Championship Series next weekend at Princeton, which had the best record in the Ivy League at 13-7. This is the first year Dartmouth will not play in the ILCS since 2007.

Notes: This was the third time Dartmouth was in a playoff for the division title, beating Brown in 2001 and Yale two years ago ... Robinson finished the season with a league-leading 73 strikeouts (the most by a Dartmouth pitcher in 16 years) while walking just seven ... the Big Green hit two homers in a game five times this year, but only won one of those games ... of Dartmouth's 43 games this year, 16 were decided by one run with the Green going 8-8, and another 13 decided by two runs (7-6).