Dartmouth Beats Charleston to Split Opening Day

Friday, February 21

Charleston, S.C.

11:15 AM

Dartmouth College

0-1

Virginia Tech

8-3

Dartmouth

Virginia Tech

Sophomore Brooke Plonka

Photo by: Bryan LaFountaine

Dartmouth Beats Charleston to Split Opening Day

2/21/2020 6:37:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Va. Tech Box C of C Box Photo Gallery

Brooke Plonka struck out 14 in a complete-game shutout victory over Charleston

By: Mike Miezejeski

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Dartmouth softball earned a split on opening day of the 2020 season. The Big Green (1-1) first fell to No. 25 Virginia Tech (8-3) before a tremendous pitching performance lifted Dartmouth over The College of Charleston (2-7).

Vs. No. 25 Virginia Tech
Dartmouth struck first, but Virginia Tech scored four in the second inning and eight in the third to come away with a 12-2 victory in five innings. Micah Schroder, Abby Shipley and Schae Nelson each had a hit for the Big Green.

The Big Green took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Schroder got it started with a one-out single up the middle and Nelson ripped a double to left to put runners on second and third with two gone. Dartmouth proved that patience is a virtue as Regan Weekly, Loghan Thomas and Morgan Ebow earned consecutive walks to drive in the two runs. Thomas and Ebow picked up RBIs.

After Madie Augusto held the Hokies scoreless in the bottom frame of the first, Va. Tech's bats came alive in the second. The Hokies produced four runs on a two-RBI triple, a single, and took advantage of a Big Green error to go ahead, 4-2.

Va. Tech put the game away with an eight-run third inning where the Hokies smacked seven hits. The runs came on four singles and a walk to extend the lead to 12-2.

Shipley, who walked in the third, secured her first hit of the season with two outs in the fifth inning. Weekly and Ebow both joined Shipley by getting on base twice.

Augusto, who got the starting nod, finished with three strikeouts in two innings, while Brooke Plonka struck out five batters and allowed just two hits with one walk in the final two.

Va. Tech's Kaylee Hewitt started in the circle and threw four innings, struck out six and allowed two runs to improve her record to 4-0.

At College of Charleston
Brooke Plonka struck out a career-high 14 batters and allowed only four hits in a complete-game shutout to lead Dartmouth to a 2-0 victory over the College of Charleston to finish opening day.

Abby Shipley drove in Micah Schroder and Calista Almer with a two-RBI double in the third and that was all the Big Green needed.

Billie McFadyen went 2-for-3 with a double, while Almer, Schae Neslon, Schroder and Loghan Thomas joined Shipley with one hit.

Plonka sat down two in the first inning and continued to mow through the Cougars lineup. She struck out the side in both the second and third innings, added two more K's in the fourth, one in the fifth, two in the sixth, and capped things off with one in the seventh.

With two outs and Almer on first after reaching on an error, Schroder singled to put runners on first and second. Shipley then stepped up and scored both runners with a double to right field for the decisive runs.

Dartmouth continues at the Charleston Classic on Saturday when they face Army at 10 a.m. and Ohio at 2:30 p.m.