Dartmouth Splits Ninth-Inning Wins, Taking First on Shirley Homer

Saturday, April 28

Hanover, N.H.

11:30 AM

Dartmouth College

11-19-1, 7-5-1

Brown

9-23, 4-12

Brown

Dartmouth

Photo by: Doug Austin

Dartmouth Splits Ninth-Inning Wins, Taking First on Shirley Homer

4/28/2018 5:00:00 PM | Baseball

HANOVER, N.H. — Senior Dustin Shirley crushed a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth to give Dartmouth (11-20-1, 7-6-1 Ivy) a 2-1, walk-off victory in the opener against Brown, but the Bears (10-23, 5-12 Ivy) returned the favor in the nightcap when Sam Grigo singled home the go-ahead run in the ninth to lift the visitors to a 5-4 win and salvage a doubleheader split.

The Big Green had just allowed the tying run to score in the top of the ninth of game one, but did not let that get them down. Shirley strode to the plate with one down to face Brown starting pitcher Garett Delano. Behind in the count, 2-1, the right-hander hurled his 96th pitch of the game that Shirley left no doubt as to where it would land — on Park Street beyond the protective netting in left field — for his third four-bagger of the season.

The Bears' run in the top half spoiled what would have been Dartmouth's first shutout of the season and denied junior starter Cole O'Connor the win. Big Green closer Austen Michel began his second inning of work by surrendering a leadoff single to Grigo. Parke Phillips then laid down a terrific bunt just inside the first-base line that Michel fielded but threw wildly to first, putting the tying and go-ahead runs on second and third with nobody out.

Michel induced a comebacker for the first out, holding the runners, but Hunter Carey lined a single to right, knotting the game at one. Phillips was wisely held at third, but when the throw from right fielder Kyle Holbrook went to the plate on the fly, Carey tried to take second. Catcher Bennett McCaskill stepped up, caught the throw and gunned Carey down at second for the second out. Michel then stranded Phillips at third on a routine fly to right.

O'Connor was terrific during his seven scoreless innings on the mound, but did get some help from his defense. A double play helped him navigate the second after surrendering consecutive singles to start the stanza. Junior second baseman Sean Sullivan made a tough play on a softly hit ball with a runner on third and two out in the third, keeping Brown off the board. But the play of the game came in the seventh after the Bears loaded the bases with two out and Cameron Deere lined a pitch to right that Holbrook made a sensational diving grab to preserve the shutout bid.

The only run the Big Green could muster in the first eight innings came in the second when Shirley hit a leadoff double, then scored when sophomore Blake Crossing's sacrifice bunt was thrown away at first.

Michel (2-1) was credited with the win after yielding an unearned run in two innings of work. Delano (2-3) took the tough-luck loss, allowing two runs on seven hits without a walk while striking out six.

Brown led for nearly the entirety of the second game, beginning with Phillips' home run to lead off the second inning, the first of his career.

In the fourth, the Bears struck for some two-out magic as Phillips and Joe Lomuscio singled before Carey hit a triple to deep right-center for a 3-0 lead.

Senior Jack Fossand departed the game in the seventh after giving up a pair of one-out singles, but sophomore reliever Michael Parsons quickly escaped the jam on a first-pitch shallow fly to center and a three-pitch strikeout. Fossand finished his stint having allowed three runs over 6.1 innings on seven hits without a walk, fanning five along the way.

Rich Ciufo singled home Brown's fourth run with two gone in the eighth against the Big Green bullpen, plating Grigo who began the inning with a single and a stolen base.

Meanwhile, Bear starter Collin Garner cruised through seven innings, scattering six hits with no walks and two strikeouts, never facing a batter with a runner in scoring position. The only close call he had was in the first when Shirley doubled to the gap in right-center only to have the defense make a perfect relay to the plate to nail Sullivan trying to score from first.

After 85 pitches, however, Brown decided to go to the bullpen to start the eighth. An error to start the inning looked like it might end up being harmless until the Big Green bats came alive with two down. Junior Matt Feinstein singled to put runners on the corners and Holbrook lined a single to right for Dartmouth's first run. Out went J.J. Sliepka, in came Dante Bosnic, who immediately surrendered a two-run double just inside the left-field line, cutting the difference to one. A line single to left was too hard for Shirley to score from second, but a grounder to short was booted, allowing the tying run to cross the plate.

The rally went for naught when Homza — who had committed the two errors in the eighth — drew a one-out walk, took second on a bunt and scored on Grigo's single that glanced off the glove of a diving Sullivan in the hole between first and second.

Brennan Vasquez came on to close the door in the ninth for the Bears, and after a two-out single by Sullivan, got the third out on a fly to center for his third save. Bosnic (1-1) picked up the win despite yielding the tying run (unearned) in the eighth.

Senior Mike Concato (0-1) suffered the loss after walking Homza in the ninth.

Shirley finished his day 4-for-8 with three doubles, the walk-off homer, three runs and three RBIs.

Phillips was the hitting star for the Bears, going 4-for-8 as well with his long ball, two runs and an RBI.

The teams are scheduled to conclude their three-game series on Sunday at Red Rolfe Field at Biondi Park at 1 p.m. Weather may come into play with rain predicted throughout the day, but should the game be played, it will be broadcast live on the Ivy League Network, now available on Apple TV, Roku and the ILN app for Android and Apple devices, with Wayne Young '72 calling the action.