The softball team (10-18, Ivy 4-8) began its four-game series in Hanover, N.H., on a positive note with a 2-1 win but fell in the next three games to Dartmouth (18-14, 9-3 Ivy) as the Bears were outscored 20-6 in those three losses.
Brown 2, Dartmouth 1
Michelle Moses '09 dominated the Big Green through five-and-a-third innings in game one on Saturday, giving up only one run on nine hits.
"The tone starts with what the pitchers are doing in the circle, and the pitchers on Saturday were executing," said Head Coach DeeDee Enabenter-Omidiji.
Brown's offense produced the first run of the game in the top of the third inning with two outs when a single to third by Elaina Atherton '12 brought home Sandra Mastrangelo '12.
Katie Rothamel '10 then began the fourth inning with a double to left center before Kate Strobel '12 came through for the Bears with two outs. Strobel ripped the ball down the left field line to bring home Rothamel for the 2-0 lead.
A home run in the fourth by Dartmouth's Alyssa Parker tightened the game up, but the Bears outlasted the Big Green for the 2-1 win.
Jessica Iwasaki '10 closed out the game for the save with two strike outs in the sixth inning.
Dartmouth 4, Brown 0
Iwasaki stayed on the mound for the start of game two, but did not have as much luck as she did in the first game. After a costly Dartmouth error, Brown had the first base runner of the game in the top of the third inning. But the Bears were unable to capitalize on the runner's position, and the score remained knotted at zero.The Big Green loaded the bases in the bottom half of the inning for Molly Khalil, who hit a line drive to third to score two runs on an error.
"We had a few mental lapses that snowballed," Enabenter-Omidiji said. "That definitely affects our pitchers' psyche. If we're playing decent defense and giving the pitcher some run support, it affects our approach at the plate — built-up pressure to get runs. It will take some growth to learn from our mistakes."
Bruno put another two runners on board in the fourth but fell short again.
Another error by the Bears put the Big Green up 3-0 in the fifth before it added one more run to earn the convincing 4-0 win.
Iwasaki gave up four runs on three hits in the loss. Brown also committed four errors in the game.
Dartmouth 5, Brown 4
On Sunday, Moses got the start again and gave up all five Dartmouth runs in the first two innings, four of them coming in the first. Trish Melvin '12 took over the game in the middle of the second, allowing no runs.
The visiting Bears began their comeback in the third when Kelsey Wilson '09 singled up the middle, followed up by a sacrifice fly from Jackie Giovanniello '12 to bring the game to within three.
After two more scoreless innings, the Bears fought back again with a two-run sixth. Andrea Browne '10 singled to short to bring home a run and close the Dartmouth lead to 5-3. A single by Lindsay Rice '11 brought home the final run of the game, as the Bears fell short, 5-4.
"We put too much pressure on ourselves after digging ourselves into a five-run hole," Enabenter-Omidiji said.
Dartmouth 11, Brown 2
The first inning in game two of the Sunday doubleheader turned out to be even worse for the Bears, as Dartmouth tallied seven runs. The Big Green went on to score another two runs in the second to extend its lead to 9-0.
Melvin started for Brown and did not fare well after her impressive relief effort in game one, giving up seven runs on seven hits in only two-thirds of an inning pitched.
Iwasaki and Emily Chaddock '11 tried to stop the Big Green, but the Bears found themselves in the hole 11-0 after the fourth inning.
Brown added two runs after Wilson reached on a fielder's choice, scoring Mastrangelo and Atherton. The Bears fell after only five innings of play, 11-2.
Dartmouth's offense compiled an impressive 15 hits, while Brown struggled from the plate with five.
"We want to continue to get better — it's been our goal from the beginning," Enabenter-Omidiji said. "We're going to take that mentality into the next few series."
The Bears will play in a rescheduled doubleheader in Connecticut against Central Connecticut State University on Thursday before returning home for a weekend series of doubleheaders against Harvard. Play starts at 12:30 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
