Dartmouth Splits Contests Against Maine and St. Mary’s

Friday, March 17

Moraga, Calif.

1:00 PM

Dartmouth College

3-10

Maine

6-16

Dartmouth

Maine

MB Cahalan softball action versus Cornell

Photo by: Doug Austin

Dartmouth Splits Contests Against Maine and St. Mary’s

3/17/2023 6:38:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

The Big Green snapped a 10-game skid with their win over the Gaels to close the day

By: Francis Forte

MORAGA, Calif. — The Dartmouth softball team split a pair of games against Maine and St. Mary's in Moraga, California. The Big Green opened the day with a high-scoring 8-5 loss against the Black Bears before bouncing back with a stellar defensive performance to knock off the Gaels, 2-1.

Mary Beth Cahalan recorded all five RBIs for Dartmouth against Maine. She registered two-run and three-run homers to keep the Big Green in the game against the Black Bears.

Rachel McCarroll and Dartmouth's defense stood tall against St. Mary's to snap a 10-game skid. Allie Ohde recorded the game-winning RBI double in the top of the seventh to put the Big Green back in the win column.

Game One: Maine 8, Dartmouth 5
Dartmouth and Maine kicked off its neutral-site contest with strong defense through two innings. The teams combined for three hits through two frames, as both teams failed to place more than one runner on base at a time. The contest remained scoreless heading into the third.

After a quit top of the inning from Dartmouth, Maine broke the scoreless tie in emphatic fashion. Caitlyn Fallon led off the inning with a solo home run and two Black Bears placed themselves on first and second with one out on the board. Mariah Pearson recorded an RBI double, which was followed by a sacrifice fly by Izzy Nieblas to give Maine a 3-0 lead.

Dartmouth struck back in the top of the fourth, as Cahalan crushed a two-run homer over the fence to cut Maine's lead to one. Alaana Panu followed up with a triple but was left stranded in scoring position as the Black Bears recorded three-straight outs to escape the inning with the one-run lead.

Maine responded with a run in the bottom of the inning to increase its lead to two. Cahalan continued to be a difference-maker, as she stepped into the batter's box with two outs on the board and a pair of runners on base. The junior recorded her third home run of the season to give Dartmouth its first lead of the afternoon, as the Big Green held a 5-4 lead into the bottom of the fifth.

The Black Bears regained the lead in the bottom of the frame. A fielder's choice with a runner at third brought in the tying run, and an RBI single gave the lead back to Maine. Dartmouth was unable to hold Maine back, falling behind by three runs.

The Big Green were unable to overcome the deficit, dropping the contest by a score of 8-5. Dartmouth fell to 3-10, while Maine improved to 6-16.

Game Two: Dartmouth 2, St. Mary's 1
The Big Green and Tigers each stranded runners in the first inning, as neither team could jump out to an early lead. The second frame featured less production from the bats, as both teams went three up, three down as the game remained scoreless.

Dartmouth and St. Mary's battled in a contest that saw stellar defense from both sides, especially in the first two frames. The first inning featured a trio of groundouts forced by Maine. McCarroll and the Dartmouth defense responded with a strikeout and two flyouts to close out the first scoreless.

The second featured much of the same, as both teams went three up, three down. The first hits of the day game came in the bottom of the third, as the Gaels placed two runners on with just one away. McCarroll guided Dartmouth through with a pair of strikeouts to strand two on base as the game remained deadlocked at zero.

Cahalan walked to first and was followed by Dartmouth's first hit of the game; a single from Panu to put runners on first and second. Kate Farren broke through for the Big Green in the top of the fourth, registering the game's first RBU on a double up the middle that drove Cahalan in. The Big Green left two on base, taking a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the frame.

Defense from both sides took over once again, as Maine was held to a pair of singles in both the fourth and fifth frames, while Dartmouth could not extend its lead in the top of the sixth.

The Gaels got on the board in the bottom of the penultimate inning, as a double form Alex Casas drove in the tying run from second. Dartmouth was undeterred, as Ohde an RBI double to drive Maddie Katona home to retake the lead in the top of the seventh.

McCarroll and Dartmouth put the Gaels on the brink with a pair of groundouts to open the bottom of the seventh, and a pop up closed the book on the Big Green's victory over St. Mary's. McCarroll recorded her fourth win of the year and registered her fifth complete game of the season.

Dartmouth improved to 4-10, while St. Mary's fell to 6-14. The Big Green improved to 1-2 in the all-time series against the Gaels.

Up Next:
Dartmouth closes its time in the Golden State tomorrow with rematches against Maine and St. Mary's. The Big Green first take the field to take on the Black Bears at 1 p.m. followed by a meeting with the Gaels at 6 p.m. Dartmouth's game against St. Mary's will be streamed on WCCSports.com.