HANOVER — Well, that was quite a change in fortune.
Dartmouth College sophomore Ubaldo Lopez was selected as one of Collegiate Baseball’s national players of the week on Monday for his performance over six games last week. The infielder hit safely in all six contests with five doubles, two homers and 11 RBIs.
But considering what he had done prior to those games, Lopez may be the most unlikeliest player to earn the honor among the eight selected.
The Miramar, Fla., native didn’t have much success as a Big Green freshman, hitting just .086 in 18 games. His sophomore campaign didn’t start well, either, with just five hits in his first 50 at-bats.
Then spring break arrived.
In the first of three games against Bradley at the RussMatt Invitational in Auburndale, Fla., Lopez launched his first two career home runs in a 6-2 victory. The first, in the fifth inning, erased a 2-0 deficit. The second won the game, a two-out grand slam in the ninth.
Lopez kept the pace going the rest of the week. He had doubles in each of the next two games with Bradley, both losses. He then went 5-for-12 in the Big Green’s Ivy League season-opening set with Princeton at Rutgers University, delivering three doubles and five RBIs and scoring five times. Dartmouth won two of the three games.
Lopez batted .409 for the week (9-for-22) and boosted his batting aveage to a team-leading .297. Dartmouth (7-11) resumes action at Quinnipiac on Wednesday afternoon.
WALTHAM, Mass. — Colby-Sawyer (3-10) split a nonleague doubleheader for the second straight day, rallying for a 4-0 nightcap win over Lasell following a 5-2 loss at Brandeis University.
Tim Unczur threw a seven-inning complete-game shutout in game two, allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out seven. Charlie Danaher’s two-run single in the first inning gave the Chargers all the offense they’d need.
Danny McCrystal had both of Colby-Sawyer’s hits in the opening-game loss.
NEW LONDON — Sierra Schuster had an eight-point afternoon as the Chargers rolled to a nonleague win on Monday at the Sally Shaw Veitch Turf Field.
A Hopkinton, N.H., native, Schuster scored five times and set up three others to power Colby-Sawyer (4-2). The Chargers scored the first nine goals of the afternoon and held an 11-2 lead by halftime. Schuster scored three of her goals in the second half.
Brittany Ireland scored three times and assisted on four other goals for Colby-Sawyer.
Ireland moved up three spots on the program’s all-time assist list in the process and now has 46 for her career.
The Chargers resume Great Northeast Athletic Converence play on Wednesday, hosting Emmanuel.