Big Green softball drops three of four at Buzz Classic
By David Schmidt, The Dartmouth Staff
Published on Tuesday, March 7, 2006
Dartmouth softball could not capitalize on a walloping of Winthrop on Friday, losing 9-0 to both Syracuse and Minnesota the following day.
Dartmouth softball started its season going 1-3 in Georgia Tech's inaugural Buzz Classic in Atlanta, Ga., this past weekend.
The team split its games on Friday, losing to Eastern Michigan 4-3 in extra innings and defeating Winthrop 13-5.
The first game, the loss to Eastern Michigan, was the only close game of the weekend. The teams exchanged leads and, standing in a tie after seven innings, went to extra frames.
Dartmouth trailed 2-1 in the seventh but rallied to plate two and take a 3-2 lead. Megan Snively '09 sprinted home on a wild pitch to tie the game, and Erika Owen '06 drove in Katie Chifcian '09 for the go-ahead run.
The lead would not last, however, and Eastern Michigan forced extra innings. The Eagles took the game after a dropped ball in right field allowed the winning run to score.
Angela Megaw '08 pitched a complete game for the Big Green, allowing three earned runs over 7 1/3 innings.
Dartmouth blew out Winthrop in its next contest 13-5. The game was lopsided enough to be called after five innings.
Kelly Fry '07 went 2-for-2 with two home runs and five RBIs in the win, while Jess Reiten '06 belted a home run and scored four runs.
Stephanie Trudeau '09 recorded the win in her first collegiate start. She pitched five innings, allowing five runs, only two of which were earned.
"It's pretty hard to lose a game as a pitcher when your offense backs you up with 13 runs." Trudeau said. "I couldn't have done it without the rest of the team."
The Big Green's solid performance on Friday, scoring 16 runs in the doubleheader, was trumped by Saturday's beating. Dartmouth was shut out, falling to both Minnesota and Syracuse 9-0.
In its first game, the Big Green only managed two hits in five innings against Minnesota's pitchers.
Against Syracuse it was even worse. Molly Chafe '09 collected the only hit for Dartmouth in five innings. The team did manage four walks.
Fry was 4-for-9 on the weekend, hitting two home runs and driving in five runs. She was walked twice.
Head coach Christine Vogt's post-game comments reflect her team's inconsistency. "We came away from the weekend having seen what we are capable of, and with the mentality that we need to continue to work hard to be more consistent in our performance," she said.
"We now see that we need to really tighten up our defense, which should come with more time outside," added Trudeau.
The Lady Green returns to action when it begins its Florida trip on March 17 with the USF Speedling Invitational in Tampa, Fla. Dartmouth has a doubleheader scheduled against Buffalo and Illinois-Chicago.