Baseball Sweeps Doubleheader at Gardner-Webb

Saturday, March 5

Boiling Springs, N.C. / John Henry Moss Stadium

12:00 PM

Dartmouth College

2-3

Gardner-Webb

3-8

Dartmouth

Gardner-Webb

Tyler Cox banged out three hits and drove in four runs in the nightcap.

Photo by: Willis Glassgow

3/5/2022 5:36:00 PM | Baseball

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Nathan Skinner tossed a seven-inning, 1-0 shutout in the opener, and the bats came alive in game two for an 11-7 triumph

By: Rick Bender

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. — Dartmouth senior Nathan Skinner twirled a four-hit shutout in the first game of the doubleheader, and the Big Green bats banged out 15 hits in the nightcap to carry Dartmouth to the twinbill sweep at Gardner-Webb's John Henry Moss Stadium on Saturday afternoon, 1-0 and 11-7. Dartmouth evened its record on the young season at 3-3 with the two victories, while the host Bulldogs fell to 3-10.

Skinner (1-1) was in control throughout the opener, striking out six without a walk to finish off his first career shutout in the seven-inning contest. After allowing a leadoff single in the first, he retired 12 of the next 13 batters with the only Bulldog to reach coming on an error. His only real trouble came in the fifth, and he picked the potential tying run off second base to end the game.

While Skinner dazzled over the first four frames, Gardner-Webb starter Drew Janssen (0-3) matched zeroes with him before the Big Green scratched out an unearned run in the fifth. Sophomore Tyler Robinson laid down a bunt for a hit — his first collegiate safety — and took second when Janssen's throw to first sailed high down the line. Janssen was lifted in favor of Michael Portella after throwing two balls to freshman Elliot Krewson, who greeted the reliever with a sharp grounder that appeared destined to find its way through the right side. But first baseman Alec Burns laid out to his right to glove the ball and get the out, yet Robinson was still able to take third. Sophomore Tyler Cox, who had Dartmouth's other two hits in the game, then lofted the very next pitch to right for a sacrifice fly and a 1-0 lead.

The Bulldogs threatened to take the lead in the bottom half after a leadoff single and a one-out double put the go-ahead runs in scoring position. But Skinner dotted the corner to get a called third strike and Robinson made a tremendous diving catch on the warning track in deep left-center to keep the Bulldogs off the board.

Skinner retired the side in order in the sixth and, after a one-out single and a stolen base in the seventh, whirled to second to pick off the runner, who was thrown out trying to go to third to end the game.

The Big Green bats pounded out 15 hits in the second game of the day as every starter had at least one knock. The scoring began early and often as senior Bryce Daniel walked, stole second and sprinted home on a Cox single through the right side. Although the Gardner-Webb defense turned a double play, Dartmouth wasn't done in the inning. Senior Kade Kretzschmar doubled into the left-center gap and junior Kolton Freeman lined an RBI single into left for a 2-0 lead.

Gardner-Webb got one back in the bottom half when Jacob Marcos hit a leadoff double, stole third and scored on a passed ball. But Daniel keyed a three-run second for the Big Green with a double down the right-field line that plated two, taking third when the cutoff throw got away. He then scored on Cox's grounder to second to make it a 5-1 ball game.

Junior Connor Bertsch belted a two-run blast in the third, his second of the season, to boost the Dartmouth lead to six, though the Bulldogs tallied an unearned run in the bottom half.

A solitary run in the fourth on an RBI double off the bat of Bertsch and two more in the fifth when Cox doubled home one run and senior Justin Murray drove in another with an infield out put the Big Green on top by a 10-2 count.

Dartmouth left-hander Trystan Sarcone, who had yielded just one earned run over the first five frames, started to tire in the sixth, giving up a run on a leadoff double and one-out single. That sent Big Green head coach Bob Whalen to the mound to summon junior Jack Metzger to relieve Sarcone after his 86-pitch outing. But Benino Mendella greeted him by depositing a 2-2 pitch over the fence in left to whittle the deficit to five at 10-5.

The two teams traded runs in the seventh, Dartmouth on another Cox RBI single, Gardner-Webb on a Curtis Robison solo blast, his third of the year. After a scoreless eighth, Metzger ran into some trouble in the ninth with one run scoring and runners on the corners with two outs. Senior Cole Roland came on to record the final out, and after building some drama by walking the first hitter he faced on four pitches to load the bases and bring the tying run to the plate, he closed out the win with a strikeout for his first career save.

Cox finished the nightcap 3-for-6 with a career-high four RBIs while Daniel was the catalyst, going 2-for-3 with three walks, two stolen bases, four runs and two RBIs. Freeman reached base four times with two singles and two walks, scoring twice as well, and Bertsch was 2-for-5 with his double and homer while driving in three.

Sarcone (1-1) picked up the win, tossing 5.1 innings while allowing four runs, three earned, on five hits without a walk and striking out four.

Lenny Washington (0-1) was tagged with the loss, giving up five runs in just 1.2 innings of work. Robison had a big game at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and his solo shot, scoring three times.

Dartmouth will attempt to win the four-game series with the final game taking place on Sunday at noon.