Dartmouth Sweeps First Ivy League Doubleheader

Sunday, April 2

New York, N.Y.

12:00 PM

Dartmouth College

11-6, 1-0

Columbia

5-14, 2-1

Dartmouth

Columbia

Dartmouth Sweeps First Ivy League Doubleheader

4/2/2017 6:02:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Dartmouth

NEW YORK, N.Y. — A trio of three-run innings in the second game of a doubleheader allowed Dartmouth (12-6, 2-0 Ivy) to defeat the host Columbia Lions (5-15, 2-2 Ivy) on Sunday afternoon, 9-2, and complete a sweep to win its first two Ivy League games of the season. Senior Michael Danielak went the distance and was backed by three RBIs from sophomore Matt Feinstein in the opener, a 6-2 Big Green victory.

The Big Green collected 11 hits in each of the two contests with junior Justin Fowler leading the way with four. Classmate Kyle Holbrook provided some power with two doubles and his second home run, and he was one of three Dartmouth players to drive in three runs on the day.

Sophomore Cole O'Connor (2-1) picked up his second win of the season by allowing just two runs over five innings of work. The right-hander gave up eight hits without walking a batter and matched a career high by striking out six Lions. The final four frames were covered by freshman southpaw Michael Parsons, who earned his first career save by not surrendering a run on four hits while fanning one and inducing a pair of double plays.

Columbia jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second on a Kyle Bartelman leadoff home run, his first of the year, and a squeeze bunt by Joe Engel. In the third, the Lions threatened again by putting runners on second and third with two gone, but O'Connor ended the inning with a strikeout.

Dartmouth took the lead in the fourth and never looked back. Senior Michael Ketchmark singled home junior Dustin Shirley, who led off with a ringing double to left-center, then trotted home when Holbrook hit a scorching drive over the fence in right-center for a two-run homer, his second of the season, and a 3-2 lead.

O'Connor escaped a first-and-third jam with nobody out in the fifth. First, catcher Adam Gauthier gunned down the runner trying to steal second. A foul pop to third brought the second out, and O'Connor induced a routine grounder to second on the very next pitch to preserve the one-run lead.

Some daring base running helped the Big Green double its run total in the sixth. After loading the bases with one out on a double by Fowler sandwiched between two walks, Gauthier hit a short fly into center field. Pinch runner Mike Brown took off from third on the catch and just slid under the tag at the plate to make it a 4-2 game with the other runners also advancing. Freshman Trevor Johnson then greeted reliever Harrison Egly by lining a two-run single to right.

Dartmouth put the game out of reach in the seventh on a Holbrook RBI double, a Fowler sacrifice fly and an RBI single by sophomore Nate Ostmo.

The only trouble Parsons ran into was in the Lion half of the seventh as Columbia loaded the bases on two singles and an error. But the rookie did not flinch as his defense turned a 6-4-3 double play behind him to end the inning.

Ty Wiest (0-2) suffered the loss by giving up the first three runs on five hits to go with three strikeouts.

In the opener, Danielak (5-0) won his fifth game in as many starts this season. The right-hander yielded the two runs on eight hits and a pair of walks while striking out eight, his third consecutive start with eight punchouts.

The Big Green jumped on Columbia starter Zack Bahm in the first when Shirley was hit by a pitch with two outs, stole second and sprinted home on a single to right by Ketchmark.

In the second, Dartmouth loaded the bases with nobody out on a pair of singles and a walk. Gauthier delivered an RBI single on a line drive to left, and after a force at the plate, Feinstein drove in two more with a single to center to bring Bahm's afternoon to an early end with the score 4-0.

Johnson extended the lead to 5-0 in the fourth with a two-out triple to score Ostmo, who had singled and stolen second.

The Lions were finally able to push a run across against Danielak in the fifth when Engel singled with one down, moved to second on a bunt and trotted home on a double lined into the left-field corner off the bat of Ben Porter.

Dartmouth answered back the next inning thanks to the team's third stolen base of the contest. Johnson pulled a single through the left side with two gone, swiped second and scored on another Feinstein single to center.

Bartelman tripled home Columbia's second run in the sixth, but was thrown out at the plate trying to score on a grounder to third. Danielak finished off his complete game with a strikeout and Gauthier throwing behind a runner at second base, picking him off to end the game on the double play.

Feinstein was 2-for-4 with three RBIs in the game, while Johnson and Ketchmark joined him with two hits and each had an RBI.

Dartmouth travels to Philadelphia tomorrow for a noon doubleheader against the Penn Quakers (11-9, 2-0 Ivy) that was originally scheduled for Saturday only to be postponed due to the field conditions after heavy rains.

Notes: Holbrook extended his hitting streak to a career-best 10 games, the longest by a Big Green player since Nick Ruppert had a 10-gamer in April of 2014 ... Holbrook had a nine-game hit streak in each of his first two seasons at Dartmouth, the longest each year ... Fowler had a career-high three hits in the nightcap.