Softball Takes on Holy Cross for Road Mid-Week Contest

HANOVER, N.H. — The Dartmouth softball team takes on Holy Cross in non-conference competition on Tuesday, April 25. The Big Green will look to build momentum prior to their final home series of the season this weekend against Princeton.

LAST TIME OUT
Dartmouth last took the field for an Ivy League series against Yale in New Haven, Connecticut. The Big Green were unable to capture a victory in the crucial conference series, falling to fifth in the Ancient Eight.

The Bulldogs picked up a 9-0 win in five innings to open the weekend on Friday, April 21. The Big Green were unable to get the bats going against Yale, dropping their first conference game by run rule since April 20, 2019 against Cornell.

The Big Green fell behind by six runs in the second game of their series against Yale the following day. The Bulldogs took a commanding 7-1 lead into the sixth inning, but Dartmouth would not go down without a fight.

A pair of runs in the sixth and seventh innings brought Dartmouth within striking distance of Yale. The Big Green were unable to complete the rally, leaving two runners on in the final inning.

Dartmouth attempted another late-game rally in the series finale, cutting Yale's five-run fifth inning lead to just one with a chance to tie the game in the seventh. The Bulldogs avoided disaster again, completing its first sweep of Dartmouth since 2003.

GOTTA BRING 'EM HOME
In its last four outings, Dartmouth has left a combined 37 runners stranded. The Big Green will look to capitalize on their scoring opportunities tomorrow against Holy Cross and throughout the rest of the season.

Dartmouth left 12 runners on base in its 5-2 win over Merrimack last Wednesday, April 19. In its series against Yale the Big Green left runners on base in crucial moments.

After cutting a six-run deficit to just one, the Big Green put runners on second and third with one away in the top of the seventh against the Bulldogs in the first half of Saturday's doubleheader. Dartmouth was unable to push the equalizing run across, as a pair of flyouts handed the program a 7-5 loss.

In the second half of the twin bill, Dartmouth out-hit Yale 12-7, but left nine runners on base in a close contest. The Big Green once again erased a large deficit but could not bring a runner on first home in the final inning, securing the sweep for Yale.

SCOUTING HOLY CROSS
Holy Cross enters Tuesday's mid-week tilt with a record of 14-32-1. The Crusaders have struggled in conference play, holding a record of 2-13 in Patriot League contests.

The Crusaders look to snap a four-game skid on Tuesday. Holy Cross was swept by Bucknell in a Patriot League series and dropped a mid-week contest to Siena in extra innings last Thursday.

Holy Cross is 1-1 against Ivy League opponents this season. The Crusaders squared off with Brown at home for a mid-week doubleheader on April 11. The first game of the twin bill went to Holy Cross by a score of 2-1 before Brown dominated game two 9-1.

Anna Brait has led Holy Cross offensively throughout the 2023 season. The freshman leads the Crusaders with a batting average of .340 and has brought in 25 runs. Her three home runs are tied for the team lead with Jessica Mott.

Sophia Roncone and Megan Yurchick have led Holy Cross in the circle this season. The duo has combined for 263 total innings pitched and have recorded all of the Crusaders' wins this season.

HISTORY AGAINST THE CRUSADERS
Dartmouth enters Tuesday's matchup with an all-time record of 3-5 against Holy Cross.

The teams last faced off last season for a doubleheader in Hanover. The Big Green picked up the opening game of the twin bill by a score of 4-1. Holy Cross closed the day with a 5-0 win to earn a split of the doubleheader.

Mary Beth Cahalan and Alaana Panu each recorded a pair of RBIs in Dartmouth's 4-1 win over the Crusaders last year.

The Big Green travel to Worcester, Massachusetts for the first time since April 30, 2002. Dartmouth has split its previous four road games against Holy Cross.

AROUND THE IVY LEAGUE
As the Ivy League Tournament approaches, two programs have punched their tickets to the postseason. Princeton and Harvard clinched spots in the four-team tournament with their performances last weekend.

The final two spots in the tournament currently belong to Columbia (11-7) and Yale (10-8). Dartmouth and Brown are in contention to earn a postseason berth, while Cornell and Penn have been mathematically eliminated from the tournament.

Dartmouth hosts Princeton for a crucial Ivy League series this weekend in Hanover. The Big Green will look to stay alive in the postseason race with victories against the Tigers this weekend.

Columbia looks to lock up its tournament position in a series against Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Crimson will look to overtake Princeton in the standings to host the Ivy League Tournament at home. Yale will head to Providence, Rhode Island to take on Brown in a series with tremendous postseason stakes.

FOLLOW ALONG
Tuesday's game between Dartmouth and Holy Cross will take place tomorrow, April 25 at 4:30 p.m. Live stats will be available on DartmouthSports.com.

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