Wins are much easier to come by when offense and defense are on the same page. Since a doubleheader win on Saturday, the Eagles have been locked in on both sides of the ball, seldom giving up runs while putting up plenty of them.
On Wednesday, the Eagles (11-27) picked up where they left off last weekend, beating Dartmouth 6-4, stretching their win streak to three straight games for the second time this season. The Big Green (1-2) and the Ivy League as a whole have been on hiatus, but the league recently announced that spring sports could compete in non-league games in local markets.
After two and a half innings, the game remained scoreless. While BC starter Susannah Anderson kept the Big Green hitless and faced one over the minimum through three innings, the Eagles had shown they were primed for a run. Through two innings at the plate, Elisabeth Laviolette, Emme Martinez, and Djhane Valido all singled. In nine at-bats, the Eagles swung and missed once.
In the bottom of the third, BC’s offense began to click. Ellie Mataya led off with a single through the left side, and Laviolette crushed a flyball that hopped the center-field wall for a double, putting two runners in scoring position with no outs. Nicole Giery walked after four pitches before handing it over to her sister Kristin with the bases loaded.
Kristin looked at a strike before hammering a single down the left-field line, bouncing to the wall and scoring two. Gianna Boccagno then flied into left for a sacrifice, scoring Nicole from third. And the rally wasn’t over yet.
Martinez punched an inside pitch into right field for a double and another RBI. Dartmouth’s reliever Brooke Plonka managed to limit the damage there, but after three, the Eagles held a 4-0 lead.
CC Cook relieved Anderson to begin the fourth. The Big Green scored once in the frame after Valido committed an error on a ground ball up the middle. Mary Beth Cahalan then connected with a 1-2 pitch from Cook, sending it over Mataya’s head in center field for an RBI double. Cook bounced back, retiring the next two batters.
BC’s top hitters went down in order to end the fourth. In the top of the fifth, Cook needed five pitches to end the frame––Dartmouth’s Walker Wicklund, Emma Key, and Izzy Kam all grounded out to Valido. Before they knew it, the Eagles were back to hit for the bottom of the fifth, and as Valido and her team celebrated her three consecutive defensive assists, BC’s heart of the lineup came to bat.
Kennedy Labshere made some noise to begin the bottom of the frame. On an 0-1 pitch, Labshere blasted it over the wall in left for her first collegiate home run. It was a no-doubter, as the Eagles’ dugout exploded in celebration practically before Labshere finished her swing. Maddy Carpe and Martinez followed Labshere with walks, and Carpe scored on an overthrown pickoff attempt at third base. In the bottom of the fifth, the Eagles added two runs, making it 6-1 in BC’s favor.
Aside from Dartmouth’s Billie McFadyen’s walk to begin the sixth inning, both teams went down in order.
With three outs left in the top of the seventh, the Big Green attempted to make a comeback. With one out and a runner on, Wicklund shot a liner into left, a surefire double if it dropped. But BC’s left fielder Laviolette had a read on it off the bat, and with a spectacular dive, she caught the ball for BC’s second out.
Maria Angelino worked the count to 3-2 and walked, putting runners on first and second. Following her, center fielder Kam took Peyton Schnackenberg’s outside pitch the other way, scoring two on a triple. McFadyen took the first pitch she saw deep over the head of Mataya in center field, scoring their third run of the inning, and cutting the Eagles’ lead to two. BC head coach Amy Kvilhaug came to the mound, let her team have a breath, and Schnackenberg finished the Eagles’ victory by striking out Dartmouth’s Kate Farren.
Featured Image by Ikram Ali / Heights Editor
