The Big Green gutted out a tough win in its first game of the weekend. Facing a stiff wind, both teams struggled to generate much offense. In the fourth inning, with her teammate Noelle Ramirez '13 standing on first base, catcher Molly Khalil '12 belted a two-run home run to put Dartmouth in front. Khalil's run turned the game around for Dartmouth.
"I hit a double off the pitcher earlier, so I knew I was seeing her well," Khalil said. "I just let her pitch to me and I was able to get a pitch to hit."
The Big Green benefited from the wind in the fifth inning, as center fielder Audrey Kolodziej '11 and left fielder Meghan Everett '12 were able to track a couple of deep fly balls to prevent Yale (14-18, 6-6 Ivy) from scoring more than one run.
Khalil had two of Dartmouth's three hits, going 2-4 with a double, a home run and two RBIs. Ramirez had the other hit for the Big Green.
Starting pitcher Hillary Barker '12 earned the win, tossing a complete game and holding the Bulldogs to one run on six hits.
"Our starting pitchers took a big step forward this weekend," head coach Rachel Hanson said.
Dartmouth got off to a quick start in the second game on Saturday, taking advantage of three Yale errors to score four runs.
Kolodziej led off with a double and, after advancing on a wild pitch, scored on an error in right field. After Britta McOmber '14 stole home on the front end of a double steal, Khalil drove in Ramirez with a double. Khalil came around to score on an infield error.
In the third inning, McOmber drove in three runs with a bases-clearing double to put Dartmouth ahead 7-0. The Big Green then added a run in the fifth and sixth innings to cap its scoring.
Starter Evan Gray '13 gave up one run over six innings, while Kolodziej paced Dartmouth's 11-hit attack with three hits, falling a home run short of the cycle and scoring three runs. McOmber led the team with four RBIs.
On Sunday, the Big Green once again had trouble generating offense off the Bulldogs' starter, freshman Chelsey Dunham. After scoring two runs in the first inning after illegal pitches by Dunham, the Big Green was unable to score the rest of the game.
"[Dunham] pitched very well and I don't want to take anything away from her, but we didn't adjust quite as well," Hanson said. "Hopefully next time we see her we jump on her a little bit earlier."
The Big Green was able to stay in the game thanks to stellar pitching by Gray. The Bulldogs got one run back in the sixth inning, before a single in the seventh chased Gray from the game.
From there, the Big Green's play unraveled. Reliever Kat Hicks '12 proceeded to walk the next three batters to tie the game. A passed ball allowed the winning run to score.
Hanson defended her decision to pull Gray, noting that Yale's top of the order which was due up in the inning had hit well against Gray earlier in the game.
"She was coming up against a hitter that had been hitting her well," Hanson said. "[Hicks] just had an off day today, and you can't predict that."
Khalil said Hicks might have had trouble adjusting to the home-plate umpire's strike zone.
The Big Green was able to regroup in the second game and salvage a split.
"We're looking more mature as a team, and on defense we aren't making stupid little plays and we're not stringing together errors," Khalil said. "We're definitely playing with more composure."
Ramirez and Barker both hit home runs in the game. After taking a 7-2 lead due to a three-run fourth inning in which Yale made three errors, the Big Green was able to withstand a late rally to hold on for the win.
Barker was charged with two earned runs in picking up the complete game win, improving her record to 8-4 this season.
The Big Green now sits in second place behind Harvard University in the North Division.
The Big Green will face Brown University next weekend at home and will enter the matchup with momentum, after going 7-3 in its last 10 games. Dartmouth plays the University at Albany on the road in a doubleheader on Wednesday.
"We're getting better and better every weekend," Hanson said. "The approach we have now is playing to win games and not just playing not to lose."
