Softball Splits Twinbill with Lions

Saturday, April 23

Hanover, N.H.

12:30 PM

Dartmouth College

13-20, 7-3

Columbia

11-22, 7-9

Columbia

Dartmouth

Mary Beth Cahalan

Photo by: Danny Parker

4/23/2022 6:26:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Game 1 Box Game 2 Box

Brooke Plonka threw her fourth shutout of the season in the opener

By: Rick Bender

HANOVER, N.H. — Senior Brooke Plonka twirled a two-hit shutout while striking out eight in the first game of a doubleheader against Columbia on Saturday at Dartmouth Softball Park, defeating the Lions, 3-0. But Columbia (12-22, 8-9 Ivy) avenged its loss with a 5-4 victory in game two thanks to a two-out, two-run homer in the sixth off the bat of Maria Pagane, snapping an eight-game winning streak for the Big Green (13-21, 7-4 Ivy).

Having not played in nearly two weeks due to a postponed series at Penn last weekend, Plonka showed a little rust in the first inning as she walked two batters. But the left-hander also struck out the side, then held the Lions hitless through four innings.

The Big Green bats, meanwhile, gave Plonka a slim 1-0 lead in the third when sophomore Mary Beth Cahalan boomed a two-out double to dead center, scoring senior Emily Lipsett all the way from first for the game's first run.

Plonka ran into a little trouble in the fifth after a leadoff single broke up her no-hitter. With two down, she hit a batter, then threw a wild pitch to put the tying and go-ahead runs into scoring position. But she got Pagane to hit a harmless fly ball to left to retire the side, preserving the lead.

Dartmouth gave her a pair of insurance runs in the sixth. Cahalan walked with one down, pinch runner Izzy Kam moved to second on a single by freshman Leila Hennessy and took third on a deep fly to center. When Hennessy attempted to steal second, the Lions' catcher tried to catch Kam off third, but her throw sailed into left field, allowing Kam to score easily. Freshman Alaana Panu then lined a single to right, and Hennessy raced home from second, sliding in just ahead of the throw for a 3-0 lead.

In the seventh, Plonka made quick work of the bottom of the order, retiring the side in order to finish off her fourth shutout of the season. Cahalan was a perfect 2-for-2 with a single, double, walk and RBI to lead the Big Green.

Jordan Hill (6-9) was stuck with the loss, allowing three runs over six innings on six hits and three walks with nary a strikeout.

The second game was a back-and-forth affair with Columbia jumping out to an early 1-0 lead. After loading the bases in the top of the first on a pair of singles and a walk with one out, Cami Neal singled home the game's first run. But freshman Megan Hagge bore down and escaped further damage with a strikeout and a grounder to short.

The Big Green answered with two runs thanks to some heads up base running by Cahalan. Walks to junior Maddie Katona and Cahalan put runners on first and second with two gone, and Hennessy stroked a single to right on which Katona scored. But when the catcher took the throw and took the ball toward the circle, Cahalan noticed the plate was unguarded and sprinted home for another run and a 2-1 lead.

Columbia got both runs back in the second, however, on a sacrifice fly by Jaden Hill, scoring Maddie Souza who had doubled, and a two-out, RBI single off the bat of Abby Stuart.

In the fourth, Dartmouth reclaimed the lead. Freshman Jenna Brown stole home on a delayed double steal, and after Katona dropped a double into shallow right putting runners at second and third, senior Billie McFadyen laid down a bunt single that brought home senior Emily Lipsett from third for a 4-3 lead.

Plonka relieved Hagge in the circle in the fifth and only issued a leadoff walk before retiring the side. But in the sixth with one on and two out, Pagane got hold of an 0-1 offering and deposited over the fence in left for a two-run blast, her third of the season, putting the Lions back on top, 5-4.

The Big Green were retired in order in the sixth and seventh, allowing Columbia to salvage the split.

Raquel Reyes (4-4) picked up the win, surrendering four runs over 5.2 innings on seven hits and three walks, and Kaia McCaul earned her second save of the season by getting the final four outs.

Plonka (9-10) took the loss after evening her season record with the shutout in the first game. She gave up two runs on two hits and three walks over three frames.

The two teams will play the rubber match of the series — streamed live on ESPN+ with Brett Franklin calling the action — on Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

Notes: Dartmouth remains in third place but has as many losses as the two teams in front of it — Princeton is 12-4 and Harvard 10-4 … the eight-game winning streak was the Big Green's longest since winning nine consecutive games from April 7-22 in 2017.