NO-HITTER! Plonka Strikes Out 11 in Second Career No-No

Saturday, April 9

Hanover, N.H.

9:00 AM

Dartmouth College

10-20, 4-3

Brown

11-16, 3-7

Brown

Dartmouth

Brooke Plonka had every reason to be all smiles after no-hitting Brown.

Photo by: Willis Glassgow

NO-HITTER! Plonka Strikes Out 11 in Second Career No-No

4/9/2022 11:39:00 AM | Softball

Box Score Box Score Highlights

Billie McFadyen drove in all three runs in softball's 3-1 victory over Brown

By: Rick Bender

HANOVER, N.H. — Senior Brooke Plonka made sure the Brown bats did not awaken during the early 9 a.m. softball game on Saturday by twirling her second career no-hitter to carry Dartmouth to a 3-1 victory at Dartmouth Softball Park. The left-hander struck out 11 for the Big Green (10-20, 4-3 Ivy) and surrendered only an unearned run to extend Dartmouth's winning streak to five while earning her sixth consecutive complete-game victory. The loss drops Brown to 11-16 on the season and 3-7 in Ivy play.

The reigning Ivy League Pitcher of the Week threw 116 pitches this morning with the only base runners coming on two walks, two hit batters and two errors. After the Bears scratched out their unearned run in the third, Plonka (8-9) retired the next 11 batters before running into some trouble in the seventh.

With the rain arriving in earnest in the top of the seventh, pinch-hitter Julia Gubner opened the inning by drawing a walk, and after a deep fly to center was run down by freshman Jenna Brown, Dara English was hit by a pitch to put the tying runs on base with one down. Plonka had a towel brought out to the mound to help keep her hand and the ball dry, and it helped as she struck out the final two batters to finish with a flourish and secure the eighth no-hitter in Big Green history.

All three Dartmouth runs were driven in by senior second baseman Billie McFadyen, the first coming on a first-pitch, solo home run to right-center in the bottom of the first, her first long ball of the season and third of her career.

Brown tied the game in the third on an error, wild pitch and a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt that allowed the runner to score from second, all with nobody out. But catcher Mary Beth Cahalan gunned down the runner trying to steal third, and Plonka settled in to retire 11 straight batters.

Dartmouth got some help from the Bears defense in the fifth, loading the bases on a walk, error and an infield hit, all with two down. McFadyen fell behind in the count, 1-2, before poking a hard grounder past the first baseman for a two-run single and a 3-1 lead, which Plonka made sure held up.

McFadyen finished the game 2-for-3 with her homer and three RBIs while freshman Leila Hennessy also had two of the Big Green's six hits.

Alexis Guevara (4-5) took the loss, surrendering the three runs — one earned — on six hits over six stanzas, walking one and striking out five.

The two teams will conclude their series tomorrow with a doubleheader beginning at 12:30 p.m.

Notes: Plonka's other complete-game no-hitter came during last year's abbreviated season when she struck out a career-high 17 batters in a 5-0 win at Tufts … she also started a combined no-hitter against North Carolina A&T in 2020, tossing the first 3.1 innings before yielding to Madie Augusto for the final 4.2 innings in an eight-inning, 2-1 triumph … Plonka is 6-0 with a 0.68 ERA over her last six starts with 41 strikeouts in 41.0 innings … McFadyen has hit safely in the last six games, going 12-for-21 (.571) with two doubles, a triple, homer and seven RBIs, boosting her season average to .322.