Sour Notes for Dartmouth Teams

By Christian Bateson | Wednesday, May 15, 1996

The Indian baseball team's season ended on a heartbreaking note against Harvard the weekend of May 4 and 5 as they were swept by the Crimson in a four game series. Dartmouth won three of four games from Yale a week earlier to set up the series that would decide the Red Rolfe division champion. Pitching was the key to the wins against Yale, but the Harvard batsmen gave the Indian hurlers no respite as they scored 31 runs in four games.

Against Yale, the hurlers dished out their best stuff of the year, giving up a measly six runs over the course of the four games. 'The reason we won was simple — we got great pitching,' said Indian DH Ron Friedman '99, who added that the performances on the mound were 'pretty amazing.' The Indians won the first three games 6-3, 5-0, and 2-1, before dropping the final contest 2-0.

Scott Simon '97 started the first game Saturday, April 27, and overcame a shaky start, settling down to silence the Bulldogs' bats without giving up a single walk. Dartmouth trailed for the first half of the game, but the Indian batsmen exploded for six runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Leading the way was Mike Stacey '98, who hit a towering two run homer over the fence.

The key to the Indians' second victory was ace pitcher Matt Tarver-Wahlquist '98, who delivered a complete game shutout, allowing just three hits as he went the distance. Greg Gilmer '96 provided the offensive spark, scoring three runs in the game, and Mike Armstrong '97 collected two RBI's, as Dartmouth won the second of the Saturday games.

The hardballers came out fired up on Sunday, April 28, for the third game behind pitcher Eric Walania '98, whose 4.14 ERA is the best on the team. Walania gave up a run in the first inning but cruised after that, shutting down Yale completely. The Indians scored twice in the third, and managed to hold off the Bulldogs to win their third in a row. Peter Sellers '98 pitched the last game, and gave up just two runs. However, Dartmouth failed to convert on their scoring opportunities, and Yale squeaked out the win.

The Indians traveled to Cambridge Saturday with high spirits for their games against Harvard. Three wins in four games would give them a tie for the Red Rolfe division title, while a sweep would ensure the championship outright. Alas, it was not be, as the Crimson won both Saturday games, 8-3 and 3-1, and both games the next day, 5-1 and 15-10. Simon pitched well in the second of the four games, giving up just 6 hits as he went the distance. Both Gilmer and Jake Isler '96, who leads the Indians in hitting at .407, hit the ball well but Harvard was too strong. Dartmouth finished third in the Red Rolfe Division with an 8-12 mark, 12-25 overall.

Men's Lacrosse

The Dartmouth men's lacrosse team lost two of their last three games to end their season, falling to 6-6 overall, 2-4 in the Ivy League. The Indians were humbled by the top-ranked Tigers of Princeton, 18-6, then came back to solidly defeat the University of New Hampshire, before dropping a heartbreaker to sixth-ranked Harvard, 13-10.

Princeton set the tone from the outset, as they scored early and often, while stifling the usually potent Indian offense. The Tigers led 6-1 after a quarter of play, and had increased their cushion to 11-2 by half-time. Dartmouth was never able to establish any offensive rhythm in the game, and the defense could not stop Princeton, which scored almost at will. There were a few bright spots in the game, including solid play by backup goalie Dave Kosloff '97 and a characteristically strong showing by Scott Hapgood '97. Hapgood finished the season as the Indians' scoring leader with 48 goals.

Dartmouth took an early lead against UNH and played relentlessly as they handily defeated the Wildcats, 20-12. Tom Scott '96 chipped in five goals and added 4 assists in the victory, finishing with 30 goals and 27 assists on the season.

In the final game of the season, the Indians played well against Harvard, keeping it close throughout. Dartmouth trailed by just two goals going into the fourth quarter, but the Crimson played powerful defense en route to the win.

Men's Tennis

Despite winning four of their last five matches, Dartmouth men's tennis was forced to settle for second place in the EITA once again. The Indians defeated Yale and Brown, then lost to Harvard, and finally beat Cornell and Army to finish 17-5 overall, 7-2 in the EITA.

The Indians slipped past the Bulldogs, 4-3, before defeating Brown, 5-2. The Indians showed a solid doubles attack, winning the doubles point against both schools, as well as the same stellar singles play they've displayed all season.The match against Harvard was to determine the EITA championship, and the Indians came out flat, allowing the Crimson to run away with the 6-1 victory. The season ended on a positive note as Dartmouth shut out Cornell 7-0 and beat Army 5-2.

Sour Notes for Dartmouth Teams

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