Despite a sluggish 5-10 start in a tough non-conference schedule, the Dartmouth softball team bounced back on Saturday with a double-header sweep of Columbia University, extending its winning streak against the Lions to 11 games. On Sunday afternoon, however, the Big Green (7-12, 2-2 Ivy) started strong before faltering in its double-header games against the University of Pennsylvania, carrying 8-4 leads into the final frame of both games but losing each by a score of 9-8.
In its first game on Saturday, Dartmouth recorded its second shutout of the year behind a strong pitching performance by Evan Gray '13. She pitched a complete game while striking out one, walking none and giving up only five hits.
The only offense in the game came in the fourth inning. With two outs, Hillary Hubert '13 hit a double to left field before Noelle Ramirez '13 delivered in the clutch, roping a single into right field to score Hubert.
In game two, the Big Green jumped on the Lions (8-19, 0-4 Ivy) early. In the top of the first, Meghan Everett '12 the team's leading hitter this year drove in a run with a single. She followed that up in the next inning by plating two more runs with an infield hit.
After the Lions got on the board in the fourth, the Big Green added four runs in the fifth inning, capped by a two-run home run from starting pitcher Hillary Barker '12, her first of the season. Captain Audrey Kolodziej '11 added an insurance run in the sixth on a solo home run.
Barker finished with a complete game, giving up three earned runs while striking out five in seven strong innings to earn the win.
Saturday's offensive momentum carried over into both games on Sunday, as the Big Green's bats fired on all cylinders.
In scoring eight runs in both games, Dartmouth got home runs from Ramirez, Molly Khalil '12 and Alex St. Romain '14, marking her first collegiate homerun. Britta McOmber '14 also delivered with a clutch, bases-clearing hit that drove in three runs.
Saturday's offensive momentum carried into Sunday. By the seventh inning of the first game, the Big Green led 8-4. In the bottom half of the inning, starter Gray got into trouble, giving up two straight hits to begin the inning. She was replaced by Barker, who only recorded one out while giving up a walk-off base hit by Penn third baseman Kayla Dahlerbruch to produce the final score of 9-8. Ramirez was the offensive star of the game, going three for four with a home run, with three runs scored and two RBIs.
The team was shaken by the loss, but it quickly regrouped in the locker room.
"The loss in the first game was a big heartbreaker," Kolodziej said. "But when we talked after the game we realized that the game was over and it's time to play the next one. I've come to realize that softball is a game of chance and sometimes things don't go your way."
The Big Green put seven runs on the board in the first inning of the next game. Barker the starter of the second game despite pitching in the first failed to record an out in the seventh inning. The Quakers (10-11, 2-2 Ivy) knotted the score at eight on a three-run home run by freshman Kristen Johnson to force extra innings. After the Big Green went down in order in the first half of the eighth, the Quakers won in walk-off fashion on a two-run home run from Brooke Coloma off reliever Morgan Wharton '13.
In the end, the Big Green's offensive firepower was not enough to earn a win against the Quakers, whose offense the top-ranked in the Ivies thus far woke up in the final inning of both games to steal wins.
The Big Green, which ranked near the bottom of the League during non-League play in offensive performance, credits its tough schedule for its recent offensive success.
"We're seeing the ball a lot better," Khalil said. "When we go down to Florida for two weeks, we get to face stiffer competition and see better pitching and that definitely helps prepare us for Ivy League pitching."
Despite her frustration over the losses against Penn, Khalil found silver lining for the team.
"We scored eight runs in back-to-back games and led 8-4 going into the last inning," she said. "We would have been happier coming up with four wins rather than two, but we're looking good so far. We're a power-hitting team, and we swung the bats really well this weekend."
The team is confident that Sunday's loss will be a small blemish on a successful League campaign.
"This year, we're looking to win the Ivy League championships, like every other year," Khalil said. "But this is a special year. Don't let today's two losses make you think this isn't a good team. This is the best team that I've ever been on."
The Big Green has home games against Sacred Heart University, Cornell University and Princeton University in the upcoming week.
Dartmouth plays Sacred Heart (16-12, 5-1 NEC) this Wednesday at home in a double-header starting at 3 p.m.
