The rain did not bode well for the softball team this past weekend. On Sunday, the Bulldogs (9–20, 4–6 Ivy) lost the first game of a doubleheader 11–3 to Dartmouth (9–20, 7–3) before losing a deflating, 10–9 extra-inning contest in Hanover, N.H.

The doubleheader, originally scheduled for Saturday, was postponed to Sunday because of rain, pushing back Sunday’s doubleheader to today and forcing the Elis to spend the night in Hanover.

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“We have to miss all our classes on Monday,” shortstop Meg Johnson ’12 said. “It’s tough because it’s the last week of classes.”

Yale came out of the gates hot at the plate, scoring two runs in the first inning of the first game. Third baseman Christy Nelson ’13 and pitcher Kayla Kuretich ’10 each had an RBI in the frame.

But the lead didn’t last long. The Big Green’s Christy Austin sluggedd a three-run homer in the second to give Dartmouth the lead. An RBI double from Johnson tied the game in the top of the third.

The rain became a factor again when the game was delayed for 20 minutes in between the top and bottom of the third inning due to rain.

“The rain delay was really frustrating,” Johnson said. “They came back hot and ready to go. We came back cold.”

After the delay, the Big Green gained momentum, scoring four runs in the bottom of the inning to take a commanding 7-3 lead from which they would not look back. Dartmouth added two runs each in the fourth and fifth before the game was ended 11–3 after five innings because of the mercy rule.

Overall, the Big Green outhit the Elis 11–6, including three home runs.

Pitcher Holly Gutterud ’10 lost her sixth game of the season, giving up seven earned runs while striking out three. Two Eli errors led to two unearned runs for the Big Green.

In between games, the Blue focused on relaxing and trying to overcome the pressure of a crucial Ivy League game, leftfielder Allie Canulli ’10 said.

But Dartmouth grabbed an early lead anyway with a run in the first inning before the Bulldog bats delivered four runs in the third inning.

Johnson got on base with a double before pitcher Holly Gutterud ’10 was hit by a pitch. Then a Canulli single scored Johnson before first baseman Kelsey Warkentine ’13 homered to right field to make the game 4–1.

Yale added a run in the fourth, a run in the fifth, and two runs in the sixth while the Big Green scored once more to make it 8–2 going into the bottom of the sixth when the Elis lost control of the contest.

Dartmouth scored five runs in the sixth, changing the momentum of the game and making it 8–7.

Big Green designated hitter Molly Khalil knocked in a run in the bottom of the seventh — and final — inning to tie the game and force extra innings.

“The game just slipped away from us,” pitcher Jackie Manzer ’13 said. “They definitely didn’t deserve to win. It was our game to win.”

Manzer and Dartmouth pitcher Kat Hicks dueled in the final innings, preventing the teams from scoring before the Big Green’s Khalil ended the game with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth.

Johnson had one of her best games of the season, going 4-for-4 with two RBIs and a home run.

“I’ve been struggling of late,” Johnson said. “My teammates took the pressure away today.”

Warkentine had three RBIs while rightfielder Chelsea Janes ’12 had a hit and two RBIs. Eight different Bulldogs had a hit but the Elis were still outhit 15-14.

Kuretich pitched five and a third innings, giving up seven earned runs while striking out three. Manzer pitched three innings and lost her seventh game of the season after giving up the game-winning home run.

“I am one hundred percent confident we’re going to bounce back tomorrow,” Manzer said. “None of us want to feel this way again.”

The two teams take the field for another doubleheader today. The first pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.