Hanover
While the unseasonably cold weather may have been a hot topic of conversation among spectators at Red Rolfe Field at Biondi Park, on the diamond, where the Big Green split the twin bill with the Lions, it was just another day.
“We play doubleheaders every weekend,” Michael Calamari said after his team won, 10-4, then lost, 12-3. “Cold or hot, it’s the same thing.”
Calamari, a sophomore, got three hits on the day to go along with two RBIs and two runs. The first basemen hit a two-run homer in the third inning of Sunday’s opener.
The blast, Calamari’s second of the season, followed a long ball in the same inning by freshmen catcher Bennett McCaskill, the first of his collegiate career. Kyle Holbrook drove in two runs for the Big Green in the rout. Clay Chatham got the start for the hosts, but was lifted in the third inning in favor of Michael Parsons, who pitched 5⅔ innings and picked up the win. Patrick Peterson recorded the contests’ two final outs to help thwart Columbia (9-20, 5-4 in the Ivy League).
The Big Green (7-14, 3-2-1 in the Ivies), which won Saturday’s series opener, 5-4, jumped out to an early lead in Sunday’s second game thanks to a productive second inning.
Holbrook led off with full-count walk before shortstop Nate Ostmo flied out deep to the left-field warning track. Calamari then stroked a double with Holbrook hitting the brakes at third. Designated hitter Ubaldo Lopez delivered a sacrifice fly before Steffen Torgersen drove in Calamari.
Dartmouth’s only other run in the series finale was scored by Holbrook in the seventh inning. The outfielder led off with a single, and Calamari later reached on a wild throw by Lions first baseman Chandler Bengston, who was trying to turn a double play. The error of the game allowed Holbrook to take third. With Torgensen up next, Columbia pitcher Leo Pollack balked in a run.
Bengston more than made up for his defensive lapse by launching two nearly identical three-run homers to deep right field. One came in the sixth off Dartmouth reliever Max Hunter, and another was given up by Peterson in the eighth. Jack Fossand was the starter, completing 4⅔ innings on 82 pitches. He walked two, struck out three and gave up nine of Columbia’s 18 hits.
Dartmouth totaled eight hits during the nightcap and left eight runners on base.
Blake Crossing, a sophomore second basemen who finished with three hits on the afternoon, dismissed the impact of cold playing conditions.
“It’s just something you get used to,” Crossing said. “We practice in this all the time. … Physically, at the end of the game, being cold doesn’t really affect how we play as much, as long as we don’t focus on being cold.”
Dartmouth coach Bob Whalen offered his take on Sunday’s two games, which totaled 6 hours, 30 minutes.
“Columbia, year in and year out, consistently, they’re a good team,” Whalen said. “So you have to play well to have a chance to beat them in a series, which we did. We certainly want to focus on that. That being said, I thought we had not as many competitive innings on the mound as I would have liked to have seen and not as many competitive at-bats.”
Notes: Torgersen came in to replace third baseman Justin Fowler during Sunday’s first game after the latter appeared to suffer a possible hamstring injury. … Foul balls were responsible for a broken window on the back of Alumni Gymnasium and new dimple on the awning of the Floren Varsity House. … Dartmouth will host UMass Lowell on Tuesday at 3 p.m. before heading to Cornell for three games over the weekend.