Softball’s Rally Falls Just Short Against Princeton

Saturday, April 29

Hanover, N.H.

11:30 PM

Dartmouth College

13-23, 7-11

Princeton

24-18, 16-5

Princeton

Dartmouth

Maria Angelino and Kate Farren Senior Day

Maria Angelino (L) and Kate Farren (R) were honored in a Senior Day celebration prior to Saturday's game

Photo by: Doug Austin

Softball’s Rally Falls Just Short Against Princeton

4/29/2023 4:01:00 PM | Softball

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The Big Green dropped their final home game of the season, 10-9

By: Francis Forte

HANOVER, N.H. — The resilience of Dartmouth softball was on display during the Big Green's home finale against Princeton. Dartmouth battled through wet conditions to trim what was once a nine-run deficit to just one in the span of two innings. The Big Green's comeback bid fell just short, as Princeton escaped with a 10-9 win.

After being held to just one run through four frames, Dartmouth's (13-23, 7-11 Ivy League) bats came alive in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Big Green recorded six runs in the fifth, followed by two in the sixth. Princeton's (24-18, 16-5 Ivy League) 10-1 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth was just enough to hold back the surging Big Green.

Dartmouth displayed its ability to compete with the very best the Ivy League has to offer yet again on Saturday. The Big Green finished the contest with 11 hits, three of which came off the bat of Lauren Ben-Ezra. Maria Angelino racked up three RBIs for the Big Green in a stellar performance at the plate.

How it happened:
Princeton opened the game with a pair of runs in the top of the first inning, as the Tigers benefitted from an error committed by the Big Green. A throwing error brought in the first run of the game, and a sacrifice fly gave Princeton a 2-0 lead.

Angelino made her presence felt on her senior day in the bottom of the second inning, as an RBI single through the left side cut Princeton's lead in half.

The Tigers extended their lead in the top of the fourth, as a two-RBI single from Serena Starks increased Dartmouth's deficit to three. The Big Green forced a groundout to close the half inning, as the Tigers left runners stranded on the corners.

After a quiet frame half inning from Dartmouth in the fourth, Princeton burst out to a nine-run lead in the fifth. An RBI single and walk brought Princeton's lead to five, and a grand slam from Allison Ha gave her team a commanding 10-1 advantage.

Dartmouth, needing two runs to extend the contest, stepped up to the towering challenge in the bottom of the fifth. A leadoff single from Ashley Frantz was followed up by a double from Ben-Ezra to place runners on second and third. Mary Beth Cahalan staved off the run-rule loss with a two-RBI double with none away.

Kate Farren, Dartmouth's senior shortstop, aided her team's comeback bid in a way that cannot be seen on the scoresheet. After earning a walk to first, she attempted a steal, which allowed Cahalan to steal home and trim the lead to six as Farren returned the first safely.

The Big Green tacked three more runs on the board in the fifth frame to put themselves back in the contest. Rachel McCarroll and Dartmouth's defense retired Princeton in order in the top of the sixth.

Wet conditions at the Dartmouth Softball Park forced a short delay to tend to the pitcher's circle in the bottom of the sixth. This did not slow Dartmouth's momentum down, as Angelino brought in a pair of runs with a single to cut the Tigers' lead to one.

Princeton held on to the one-run advantage to claim the victory and earn the top seed in the Ivy League Tournament. The Big Green fell to 6-4 in Hanover on the season and dropped its first series to Princeton since 2012.

Up Next:
The Big Green the regular season next weekend for their final Ivy League series. Dartmouth travels to Ithaca, New York for a trio of contests against Cornell. The series begins with a doubleheader on Saturday, May 5 and concludes with a single game the following day. All three games will be streamed live on ESPN+ and Stretch Internet internationally.