The Big Green (15-13, 6-2 Ivy) had success in all aspects of the game. Batters were aggressive at the plate and put together big innings, while both of the squad's pitchers had strong performances on the mound, keeping the opponent off the basepaths.
"Everything's just all coming together at once, which is really nice," co-captain Ashley Gleason '09 said.
Starting pitcher Hillary Barker '12 pitched a complete game and also helped her own cause at the plate with two hits, two RBIs and a walk.
The Pioneers threatened early in the first game, loading the bases with one out. Barker was able to escape unscathed, however, thanks to a force out at home and a pop-up to end the inning.
Sacred Heart scored a run in the second, but the Big Green responded with two runs, taking a 2-1 lead thanks to some sloppy defense by the Pioneers. The bottom of the second started quietly with back-to-back flyouts to centerfield. With two outs, Leigha Clarkson '10 got on base on an error, then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Barker then walked.
Both Clarkson and Barker moved up a base on another wild pitch to put runners on second and third, and Clarkson was able to score on yet another wild pitch. Christy Autin '10 then singled to bring in Barker.
In total, the Big Green scored two runs on one hit and three wild pitches in the bottom of the second.
Dartmouth continued the scoring with four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Barker and Kirsten Costello '10 contributed with a pair of RBI singles before Nikki Yee '10 brought in two runs with her second triple of the day.
The Big Green tacked on two more in the fifth inning as Barker drove in her second run of the day on a single to centerfield before Autin followed with another RBI single.
Sacred Heart kept things close, scoring one run in the fifth and three in the sixth, including a two-run home run by Betsey Harvey to cut the lead to 8-5.
Barker pitched a one-two-three seventh to finish off the complete game win, her sixth win of the season.
In the nightcap, the Big Green had little trouble with Sacred Heart starter Liz Tsipouras, scoring nine runs on 14 hits.
For Dartmouth, Kat Hicks '12 was dominant on the mound. Hicks had a perfect game until a walk in the fourth, and did not allow a hit until a solo home run by Adrian Fitzsimon, the only run of the game for Sacred Heart.
"[Hicks] stepped up great today," Gleason said. "She just hit her spots really well and kept them guessing, and that's what you have to do during games like that."
Designated hitter Molly Khalil '12 had a big game at bat, getting two hits, three RBIs and a walk to add to her team-leading .318 batting average. Khalil was coming off a weekend in which she hit .400 with six hits and four RBIs.
Khalil's RBI single in the second against Sacred Heart brought home Costello for the fourth run of the inning.
In the sixth, Khalil walked with the bases loaded to bring in the first run of the inning. With the bases still loaded, Alyssa Parker '10 singled to left to bring in two more runs. Audrey Kolodziej '11 singled to bring in the final run of the game.
Yee, Autin and Gleason added two hits to fuel the 14-hit attack.
"I just think we're being really confident when we go into the box, and we know that we have nothing to lose," Gleason said.
Gleason was named Ivy League Player of the Week on Tuesday. She hit .471 with eight hits and 10 RBIs over the weekend, including a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th to beat Cornell.
Next up for Dartmouth is Ivy foe Brown. Gleason said she thinks that her lineup will be able to once again carry the team.
"We just have to keep our confidence up hitting," she said. "I think that's the biggest key, because we've even been making some mistakes in the field but our bats have been making up for it. We've done very well in the past against Brown, and I think we just need to take that into the weekend and keep our bats up."
The softball team will play a doubleheader against Brown this weekend at Sachem Field. The first game starts Saturday at 1 p.m., with the second game following at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.
