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BASEBALL | Bulldogs swept in Ivy opener

April 2, 2012 1:00 am Leave a Comment

Yale’s bats went out like a lamb in the opening weekend of Ivy League play with four straight losses this weekend.

Yale fell to Columbia University 3–1 and 3–0 on Saturday and to the University of Pennsylvania 4–1 and 8–1 on Sunday.

“[It was] one of those things where we didn’t start off like we wanted,” pitcher Rob Cerfolio ’14 said. “[But] you can’t let four games dictate how you play all year.”

Yale (6–17–1, 0–4 Ivy) surrendered three runs in each game against the Lions (9–14, 3–1 Ivy), but managed to score just once all day on a sacrifice fly by first baseman Kevin Fortunato ’14 as the Elis attempted to come back in the top of the seventh and final frame. Fortunato’s fly brought in outfielder Charlie Neil ’12, who had led off the inning with a triple, but that was all for the rally.

Pitcher Chris O’Hare ’13 took the loss to fall to 1–3 despite striking out four over seven strong innings. He and the Bulldogs were hurt by a call reversal that helped the Lions score three runs in the bottom of the third.

Cerfolio said that the home plate umpire overruled the first base umpire’s ruling that the batter was out by saying that the first baseman’s foot came off the bag after Columbia’s coach argued the call.

“It was a tough call for them,” Cerfolio said. “But I don’t think that they should have overruled it.”

With one out, Columbia catcher Mike Fischer was originally called out at first on a grounder to third baseman Chris Piwinski ’13, but he was then awarded an infield single. Fischer’s hit turned out to be the first of four straight for the Lions until O’Hare induced an inning-ending double play to staunch the bleeding.

Cerfolio was solid on the mound for the Elis in the second half of Saturday’s twin bill, but Columbia’s David Speer and Harrison Slutsky shut out the Bulldogs in the nine-inning loss.

Cerfolio scattered three runs over seven innings, but the Columbia duo combined to strike out 12 Elis for the victory.

“Robby Cerfolio pitched one hell of a game,” designated hitter Josh Scharff ’13 said in an email, “Battling every inning and never getting phased.”

Yale fared no better on Sunday at Penn (10–9, 2–0 Ivy), when the Bulldogs scored just two runs in the doubleheader.

Starter Pat Ludwig ’12 allowed just one earned run over six innings, but an error by shortstop Cale Hanson ’14 led to three unearned runs in the bottom of the first inning. Back at bat, Hanson drew a walk with two outs in the top of the second inning, but both he and second baseman David Toups ’15 were left stranded after Toups’ double moved both runners into scoring position.

The Elis had another scoring chance in the top of the seventh, when Robert Baldwin ’15 hit a pinch-hit double in place of Fortunato, and outfielder Joe Lubanski ’15 singled and went to second on an error by the center fielder to put runners at second and third.

But Piwinski grounded out to short, ending the threat and the game.

Yale left five runners on base for the game and scored its lone run on a home run to center by Lubanski.

“Joe [Lubanski] went up to the plate and didn’t hold anything back,” Ludwig said. “I’m sure it was quite a moment hitting his first collegiate home run in his home town.”

The Quakers stormed out to an 8–0 lead after three innings in second half of the doubleheader thanks to 10 hits and two errors by Yale.

Yale will take a break from the Ivy League to host Sacred Heart University (9–16, 7–5 Northeast Conference) on Tuesday for a doubleheader at Yale Field starting at 3:30 p.m.

BASEBALL | Bulldogs lead off against Lions

March 30, 2012 1:00 am Leave a Comment

The Elis have already played 20 games this season, but the road to the Ivy League championship begins this weekend.

A doubleheader at Columbia (6-13, 0-0 Ivy) on Saturday followed by a twin bill at Penn (8-9, 0-0) on Sunday will give the Bulldogs their first taste of Ancient Eight play.

“It’s a clean slate,” catcher Ryan Brenner ’12 said. “Wins and losses before this don’t this don’t matter. It’s all about the Ivy League.”

Although Yale has struggled at the plate — hitting just .226 this season — Brenner and infielder Chris Piwinski ’14 said the team is about to break out of its slump.

One Bulldog who has not been slumping is shortstop Cale Hanson ’14. He leads the team with a .385 average.

Piwinski said that having one player hitting well can spark his teammates.

“We’ve faced some adversity throughout the lineup,” Piwinski said. “[But] the biggest thing is that hitting is contagious.”

When the Elis take the field in New York and Philadelphia this weekend, they will be taking on some familiar faces. Unlike many of the teams that Yale faced in the non-conference portion of its schedule, the Bulldogs have been playing against these teams year-in and year-out. Even so, the Elis are still looking to gain an advantage over their opponents by scouting.

Second baseman David Toups ’15 said that the pitching staff has been looking at scouting reports on the opposing hitters, and Piwinski added that Yale’s coaching staff has been gathering information on the opposition’s tendencies.

Brenner and Piwinski added that since Columbia’s starting lineup is laden with left-handed hitters, the Elis will most likely send southpaws to the mound in both games Saturday.

Yale’s final tune-up game before Ivy play starts was cancelled due to rain at Quinnipiac University on Wednesday. The lack of a weekday game should not make the Elis rusty, however.

“It’s not really going to affect us,” Toups said. “We’ve got practice [Thursday] and Friday.”

Practice will prove vital in Ancient Eight play, as Brenner said that the talent level is comparable throughout the league. Toups added that teams will need to play with a sense of urgency and a high level of concentration to come out on top.

Solid pitching will be key to a successful Ivy League season as well, and Piwinski said he is confident in the Elis’ hurlers.

“Our pitching staff looks pretty amazing right now,” Piwinski said. “This is going to be the weekend where we really turn it on.”

The Elis begin their twin bill against the Lions at 1:00 p.m. at Robertson Field in New York City.

BASEBALL | Bats show signs of life

March 26, 2012 5:32 am Leave a Comment

The Elis dusted off their bats and appeared to find their stroke on Friday, but the Bulldog batsmen ended up on the wrong side of history on Saturday.

Yale (6–13–1, 0–0 Ivy) split a home doubleheader with Hartford University (4–16, 0–0 American East), winning the second game 8–5 in nine innings after dropping the opener 7–5 in a seven-inning game. In Hartford, however, the Bulldogs went quiet at the plate, managing only four hits as they won the first game 4–1 in eight innings. Their bats went quieter still in the afternoon’s second game, as they were no-hit and fell 2–0 in seven innings.

Hawks’ freshman lefthander Sean Newcomb struck out 10 Elis to keep Yale hitless in the nightcap on Saturday. It was his first collegiate victory as well as the first no-hitter in the history of Hartford’s Division I baseball program, according to the Hartford athletic department.

“Hitting is tough. [It] comes and goes,” catcher Ryan Brenner ’12 said. “[Newcomb] was good … His defense made some terrific plays behind him.”

Newcomb’s performance overshadowed another solid outing from Yale’s starter Rob Cerfolio ’12. Cerfolio tossed six innings of two-run ball, striking out six as he took the tough-luck loss to fall to 0–2 on the season.

Despite the relapse on Saturday, the Elis are taking the offensive surge at Yale Field as a sign of things to come, rather than as an anomaly.

“A lot of guys are hitting the ball well,” pitcher Nolan Becker ’13 said. “The stats just aren’t showing it … Hopefully we saved the hits for the Ivy League season when it really matters.”

Shortstop Cale Hanson ’14 continued his hot hitting, going 5–6 on Friday with two doubles and three runs scored to lead the attack.

The rest of the Elis joined him in the offensive surge that produced 15 runs over the two games. The Bulldogs hit .362 (21–58) on Friday after producing a meager .155 (22–142) average over their previous five contests.

The victory not only snapped a four-game losing streak for the Elis, but it was also the first victory of Becker’s career. He threw five innings and struck out five Hawks. Becker was sidelined by Tommy John surgery on his left arm his freshman year and then limited to just three innings pitched in his sophomore season. This year Becker has finally been able to contribute regularly as a member of the pitching staff, starting four games and second on the team with 22.2 innings pitched.

Becker’s emergence has been combined with strong starts from the rest of the Bulldog hurlers, Brenner said. Pitcher Chris O’Hare ’13 added that performing on the mound will be essential to Yale when it starts Ancient Eight play next weekend.

“The key to winning the Ivy League is pitching and good defense,” O’Hare said in a message to the News. “I know our hitters are going to do enough for us to win when our real season starts next weekend.”

The Elis open the Ivy League portion of the season by traveling to Columbia for a doubleheader on Saturday, March 31, followed by another two games at Penn on Saturday, April 1.

BASEBALL | Elis look to heat up at the plate

March 23, 2012 1:00 am Leave a Comment

The Bulldogs have won just once in five games since returning from their road trip to Florida over spring break, but they will look to right the ship when they face the Hartford University Hawks this weekend.

The Elis (4-11-1, 0-0 Ivy) will host the Hawks (2-14, 0-0 American East) in a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. today at Yale Field and then travel to Hartford for a twin bill on Saturday.

Since scoring nine runs in a 9-3 victory over Lafayette in Florida on March 13, Yale has managed just three runs in four games against Stony Brook and an 8-0 loss to the University of Connecticut on Wednesday.

“No matter how hard you are working, sometimes you go through slumps,” outfielder Charlie Neil ’12 said.

The Elis are hitting .225 on the year, but have a .155 average (22-142) as a team since returning to Connecticut.

Yale has also been too aggressive at the plate, striking out 34 times while taking just nine walks over the five-game stretch.

“From a personal standpoint I haven’t been patient at the plate,” first baseman Kevin Fortunato ’14 said. “I’ve been swinging at pitcher’s pitches.”

While the bats have been slumping, Neil and Fortunato said they have faith in the pitching staff.

Although the Bulldog staff has a combined 6.94 ERA, the Yale hurlers have had several impressive showings on the mound.

Most notably, the Elis held Stony Brook to just two runs in the doubleheader at Yale Field March 17. In the first game, righthander Pat Ludwig ’12 threw 8.2 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts, but Yale fell 2-1 in 11 innings. Southpaw Rob Cerfolio ’14 matched Ludwig’s performance in the finale by tossing five shutout innings as the Bulldogs went on to beat the Seawolves 1-0 in seven innings.

The matchup with the Hawks could prove to be an opportune one for Yale, as Hartford has won just one of its last nine games.

The Hawks’ hurlers have a lofty 7.21 ERA and opposing batters are hitting .308 against them. Regardless of their opponent, players said that the best way to break out of the slump is to keep working.

“[We] just have to keep grinding and keep improving,” designated hitter Josh Scharff ’13 said in a message to the News.

Yale and Hartford met four times on the diamond last year, with Yale sweeping the series by a combined score of 50-15.

BASEBALL | Huskies silence Bulldogs

March 22, 2012 1:00 am Leave a Comment

A strong starting performance from University of Connecticut right-hander Pat Butler was too much for the baseball team to overcome as Yale lost to the Huskies 8-0 Wednesday in Storrs, Conn.

Butler recorded six strikeouts as he tossed seven shutout innings to notch his first win of the season for the Huskies (7-11, 0-0 Big East). He recorded the same number of strikeouts across 27 innings of work in 2011.

“[Butler] did a good job of keeping the ball low in the zone,” outfielder Charlie Neil ’12 said. “He kept us off-balance.”

UConn started the scoring early in its 2012 home opener when second baseman LJ Mazzilli sent pitcher Chris O’Hare’s ’13 offering over the fence for 2-0 lead with one out in the bottom of the first. Mazzilli leads the Huskies with six home runs.

The Huskies struck again in the bottom of the fifth against lefty Eric Hsieh ’15. After a scoreless first inning of work, Hsieh gave up an earned run on a walk to centerfielder Billy Ferriter sandwiched between two singles from right fielder Ryan Moore and shortstop Ryan Verdi. Another run crossed the plate on an error by Eli backstop Robert Baldwin ’15 as he attempted to catch Verdi stealing second. Hsieh escaped further damage by getting first baseman Ryan Fuller to line into an unassisted double play by shortstop Cale Hanson ’14.

The Huskies would tack on insurance by scoring twice in both the sixth and eighth innings.

“They were decent offensively,” designated hitter Josh Scharff ’13 said in a message to the News. “We just gave them too many free bases.”

Ultimately that was all the run support Butler needed. He did not allow a hit until second baseman Chris Piwinski ’13 led off the top of the sixth with a single. Yale (4-11-1, 0-0 Ivy) would get the leadoff man on again in the seventh on a single by Hanson, but after a single by Scharff, Butler was able to escape the two-on, nobody-out jam without surrendering a run.

Relievers Dan Feehan and Scott Oberg pitched the final two frames to complete the shutout for Connecticut.

Despite the disappointing box score, several Bulldogs saw positive signs in the loss.

“This pitching staff, despite the slump we’ve been going through, has been pitching great,” first baseman Kevin Fortunato ’14 said.

Righty Michael Coleman ’14 pitched two shutout innings in relief of O’Hare. He faced only one batter over the minimum.

The Elis host a double header with the University of Hartford (2-14) on Friday, March 23 before facing the Hawks in Hartford on Saturday.

BASEBALL | Elis lead off season

March 19, 2012 1:00 am Leave a Comment

Baseball is a game of inches, a fact that has dominated the beginning of Yale’s season.

Six of the Bulldogs’ first 15 games have been decided by a one-run margin, with Yale (4–10–1, 0–0 Ivy) dropping four of those contests.

“We’ve certainly been in all of those games,” second baseman David Toups ’15 said. “We’ve been playing hard. It just hasn’t gone our way. If we keep playing that way, things will turn around.”

In Saturday’s home-opening doubleheader, the Elis split with Stony Brook University (11–6, 0–0 American East), losing 2–1 in 11 innings before shutting out the Seawolves 1–0 in seven innings.

In the first game of the doubleheader, the game was even closer than the score. Pitcher Pat Ludwig ’12 threw eight and two-thirds scoreless innings, but Yale could not score, so the game went into extra innings, in which Stony Brook pushed a run across in the top of the 10th. Outfielder Charlie Neil ’12 knotted the score at one apiece with a line drive just past the outstretched glove of diving Stony Brook second baseman Max Tissenbaum. The Elis almost won the game on a flyout by Chris Piwinski ’13, but third baseman Green Campbell ’15 was called out at the plate attempting to score the winning run. The Seawolves then got the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th when infielder Cole Peragine’s single barely escaped through the hole on the second-base side.

Southpaw Rob Cerfolio ’14 pitched a gem of his own, tossing five scoreless innings in the second game. Yale was outhit 10 to one by Stony Brook, but Toups came through with a two-out single in the bottom of the sixth to give Yale the 1–0 advantage. Eric Shultz ’12 shut the Seawolves down in the final two frames to earn his first win of the season.

Although most of Yale’s games have been close, the season got off to a rocky start when the Bulldogs visited Virginia Tech (15–6, 2–4 ACC) March 3-4. The Hokies won by 10 or more runs in three of the four games, although the first game in the March 4 doubleheader saw the two teams tied heading into the bottom of the ninth before Tech centerfielder Andrew Rash hit a walk-off home run to beat the Elis 6–5.

“You schedule those games with big time teams like that to see that you cannot make a mistake,” pitcher and first baseman Kevin Fortunato ’14 said. “At that level if you make a mistake, it’s going to be a hit. They’re going to take advantage of it. [Virginia Tech] had a lot more games under their belts, but still it’s a very disappointing outcome.”

The Bulldogs then traveled south to Florida, where they found more success.

Yale notched its first victory of the season 3–2 against Georgetown in the RussMatt Invitational in Winter Haven, Fla. on March 7.

The Bulldogs also beat Bowling Green University and Lafayette University on the Florida trip and the efforts of individual Elis gained recognition.

Fortunato was named Ivy League Player of the Week and Toups was honored as Freshman of the Week on March 13. Fortunato hit .450 for the week with three doubles and the team’s lone homer of the year in addition to two saves as the closer. Toups hit .474 with three runs scored and two more batted in.

Toups was not the only freshman who has played a major role on the Bulldogs thus far. Pitchers Eric Hsieh ’15 and Ben Joseph ’15 have made starts for the Elis, and Green Campbell ’15 has seen time at third base as well as on the mound.

“[The freshmen] are going to get a shot to play right away,” captain and catcher Ryan Brenner ’12 said. “All of them are going to have to contribute.”

The Elis will take the field next at the University of Connecticut at 3 p.m. on Wednesday.

BASEBALL | In first place, baseball team looks to build

April 22, 2011 12:01 am Leave a Comment

The Yale baseball team (20–13, 8–4 Ivy) will hope to build on its four-game sweep of Dartmouth last weekend in back-to-back doubleheaders against Harvard (7–29, 3–9) this Friday and Sunday in Cambridge.

The Bulldogs moved into first place in the Red Rolfe Division with the wins last week over the Big Green and now control their own destiny for the league championship playoff spot.

“We need to treat Harvard the same way we treated Dartmouth,” captain and third baseman Andy Megee ’11 said. “They have solid pitching. This is a team we should beat though.”

This year, the Crimson have struggled in conference play with a 3–9 Ivy record. Harvard started the season 1–14, but it has played stronger in recent weeks and will come into this weekend’s play having won three of its last five games.

“They’ve had some injuries they have had to fight through, but have gotten those guys back and are starting to play better,” pitcher Brook Hart ’11 said.

Harvard freshman Jack Colton has had a strong comeback since his back injury earlier in the season. He has a .395 batting average and was recently named Ivy League Rookie of the Week.

But other than Colton, no other player on the Crimson roster has a .300 batting average or better.

Max Perlman leads the Crimson pitching staff with a 2.03 ERA through 44.1 innings. Overall, the team is sixth in the Ivy League with a 6.29 ERA.

When Yale and Harvard met last year, the teams split the series, with Yale winning the second and fourth contests.

In the second game, hurler Vinny Lally ’11 worked seven innings and struck out six batters in the process. Infielder Trey Rallis ’11 sparked the Yale offense with a dominant three-run, two-RBI evening. Both of these players have been key in this year’s success as well. Lally has a 2.26 ERA through 55.2 innings worked. Rallis is having another big year and has a .333 batting average and three home runs this season.

“We need to keep throwing a lot of strikes and let our fielders work for us,” Hart said.

The first doubleheader begins at Harvard on Friday, while the second double header will be on Sunday.

BASEBALL | Army walks way to victory

April 21, 2011 12:39 am Leave a Comment

After its best weekend of the year, the baseball team (20–13, 8–4 Ivy) had a midweek stumble, suffering a 10–2 defeat at the hands of Army on Wednesday.

The team traveled to West Point, N.Y., but was unable to find the form that carried it to five consecutive wins, four of which came against Ivy foe Dartmouth. The weekend sweep propelled the team into first place in the Red Rolfe division.

“Nothing was different today,” pitcher Vinny Lally ’11 said after Wednesday’s game. “A few guys struggled, which happens sometimes. It’s good that we got the struggles out of the way. Hopefully, they’re behind us.”

The Yale offense notched seven hits — the same number as Army. The difference came in the number of walks that each team allowed. Eli pitchers gave up 11 walks, while the Black Knights walked just two.

After Army struck with a run in the bottom on the first inning, freshman Cale Hanson ’14 led the charge to level the game at 1–1 after getting hit by a pitch with two outs in the top of the third inning. He was able to advance to second on a passed ball and stole third on a wild pitch. Captain and third baseman Andy Megee ’11 then brought Hanson home on an RBI single.

But the momentum was short lived for the Bulldogs. The Army bats came alive in the bottom of the inning and the pitching difficulties added to the Bulldogs’ woes.

The Black Knights had only four hits in the third inning, but scored nine runs thanks, in part, to four walks.

“Pitching really struggled today,” Lally said. “We didn’t fill up the zone and that led to too many walks.”

Following the first two batters being walked, the Black Knights’ Clint Moore sent a ball over the fence and scored three runs off of pitcher Nolan Becker ’13. For Moore, that was his sixth home run on the season. He finished the inning with five RBIs on two hits.

Becker left the game following the Moore home run, but the pitching change made little difference. Alex Young ’11 and Greg Lyons ’12 gave up one and four runs, respectively.

In the top of the fourth, Yale strung together a few hits to inch the score closer, but were only able to cut the lead to 10–2. Gant Elmore ’11 drew a walk that brought Andrew Moore ’11 home. Elmore has continued to battle this season despite an injury he sustained in the comeback against UConn.

Both teams struggled to get a series of hits together and the game ended with Army winning by an eight-run margin, its second consecutive game with at least ten runs. Fortunately for the Elis, the contest was not a conference game and did not hurt their chances for an Ivy League title.

“[There’s] no such thing as a good loss, unfortunately,” Megee said. “It doesn’t really affect things one way or another. We’ll be extremely focused going into the weekend.”

The Elis will return to conference play with four contests against Harvard this weekend. The Crimson has struggled in Ivy play, but has challenged all of its Ancient Eight opponents this year.

“Harvard played some good teams and had a few injuries,” Lally concluded. “They took two from Brown, so we have to go in with the mindset we did with Dartmouth.”

BASEBALL | Dartmouth defeated, dethroned

April 17, 2011 11:11 pm Leave a Comment

Yale baseball now sits atop the Red Rolfe Division.

The Bulldogs (20–12, 8–4 Ivy) completed a four-game sweep of former division leader Dartmouth (18–10, 6–6) over the weekend, putting Yale in sole possession of first place. The Elis only allowed three runs in all four contests combined, while scoring 19 runs of its own.

“We expected to [win] going into the weekend,” pitcher Vinny Lally ’11 said. “We played the best baseball we’ve played all year in our biggest weekend so far.”

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Last year, the Big Green swept the series against the Bulldogs and extended its winning streak over Yale to seven consecutive games. Dartmouth was the superior team with a 21–8 run margin in the contests. This year would be different.

In the first game of the series, neither team was able to string together enough hits to score and the batters struggled to handle the other team’s hurlers. However, that soon changed in the fourth inning, when slugger Trey Rallis ’11 hit his third home run of the season. The Bulldogs scored another run before the inning came to an end.

With a 2–0 lead, the bats came alive for the Elis in the fifth inning. Cale Hanson ’14 started the onslaught with a single. The next batter, Rallis, brought Hanson home on an RBI double. Rallis then scored on a Ryan Brenner ’12 RBI single to give Yale a commanding 5–0 lead.

Lally had a dominant performance on the mound. He limited a strong Big Green offense to only three hits and struck out two batters en route to his fourth win of the season. He allowed Dartmouth to score only one run as Yale went on to win 6–1.

“There weren’t any areas where we didn’t get the job done this weekend,” Lally continued. “We’ve put everything together right when we needed to most.”

The Bulldogs continued their offensive assualt on the Big Green to start the afternoon contest.

Brenner brought in the first run of the game with a sacrifice flyout with the bases loaded. But the Big Green were fortunate to escape the first inning without another Yale score as third baseman and captain Andy Megee ‘11 was thrown out when he tried to steal home.

In the second inning, a Hanson single brought in two runs to give his team a 4–0 advantage — one they would not let go.

Brook Hart ’11, who is second on the team behind Lally with a 2.44 ERA this season, had another strong performance for Yale. The senior struck out seven Big Green batters and gave up only one run.

“I think it was just the first time we have put a complete weekend together of solid pitching, hitting and fielding,” Hart said. “It was really good. We all were pounding the box the whole time and finishing them off when we had the chance.”

Hart went 8.2 innings, before freshman Kevin Fortunato ’14 took his place with the bases loaded.

The freshman was not fazed by the pressure and struck out Dartmouth’s Jason Brooks to secure the win for the Bulldogs, 5–1.

“With our defense, I know I just have to throw strikes and they always take care of the rest,” Fortunato said after his second save as a Bulldog.

Returning to the field after a wet Saturday night, the Bulldogs had not cooled off. They struck as soon as play began with consecutive singles from Rallis and Megee. A Brenner RBI put Yale in the lead 1–0.

Yale scored two more runs in the game, in the fifth and sixth inning respectively. But, the key to success for the Elis was their defense. Pitcher Chris O’Hare ’12 led the charge with a four-hit shutout, including six strikeouts.

“The hardest thing was staying focused from game to game,” Megee said. “[But] our pitching was absolutely lights out. The best I’ve ever seen all of them. And we hit great when we had to.”

The Elis came through with another 5–1 win in the second contest. In that game, the Bulldogs turned to Pat Ludwig ’12 for the pitching endeavor. He struck out nine batters in the first five innings of play.

The Yale offense also was on fire to complete the last game of the series. Brenner had a three run home run in the third inning. Adding to the Big Green’s woes were strong showings from Megee and Hanson, who combined for five hits and two runs scored.

“Every single starter was so good,” Megee said. “Our offense was very balanced I thought.”

Fortunato returned to the mound in the ninth inning to seal another victory for the Bulldogs.

With the four victories, the Bulldogs moved two games ahead of Dartmouth for sole ownership of first place.

The Elis will return to play on Wednesday against Army in New York.

BASEBALL | A fight for the Red Rolfe

April 14, 2011 11:29 pm Leave a Comment

With 12 games remaining in the regular season for Ivy League play, the baseball team (16–12, 4–4 Ivy) trails Red Rolfe Division leader Dartmouth (18–6, 6–2) by two conference games. The teams will face each other in two doubleheaders this weekend and the four games could give the Elis a chance to move into the lead.

“This is our season pretty much,” captain and third baseman Andy Megee ‘11 said. “Its like a college football season. Every weekend matters so much.”

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The Big Green are arguably the hottest team in the Ancient Eight right now with a six-game winning streak, including two wins last weekend over Princeton (12–15, 6–2), which is tied for top spot in the Lou Gehrig Division. Dartmouth has bounced back from dropping two consecutive games to Penn during the opening weekend.

Last year, Dartmouth took control of Yale in the series and did not allow the Elis to win a game. This year, the Big Green are led by Ennis Coble, who is hitting .420 on the season, and Chris O’Dowd, who leads the team with five home runs. Dartmouth pitchers Kyle Hunter and Kyle Hendricks lead the team with 2.12 ERAs each.

In the first game last season, the Big Green did not allow the Bulldogs to score a run and scored three of their own to secure a 3–0 victory. Junior Pat Ludwig d’12 did his best to keep Yale in the game on the mound. He struck 10 batters out in seven innings, but his effort alone could not win it for Yale who struggled at the plate.

“They don’t walk anybody,” Megee said. “Their walk rates are always the best in Division 1 baseball. They also hit well.”

The second game saw a strong performance from Andrew Kolmar ’11, who hit a home run and tripled for two RBIs. But the Bulldogs still fell short and lost 7–4.

The Big Green easily took the third game, winning 8–2. However, in the final game, Yale pushed Dartmouth to its limits but came one run short of victory. The Bulldogs had their first lead of the weekend in the fourth game, but a Dartmouth single in the 10th inning locked up the 3–2 victory.

“We have to hit well, pitch well and limit our mistakes,” Megee said. “If we sweep Dartmouth, we are absolutely in control of our own destiny.”

Kolmar sparked the comeback for the Bulldogs in their game against UConn on Tuesday. The Elis went on to win the thriller in 10–7 before play was stopped due to rain. Yale will hope to ride the momentum of defeating a strong Huskies team that the Bulldogs have not defeated since 2006.

The Bulldogs will continue to battle despite losing two players to injuries against UConn. Gant Elmore ’11 was hit in the face by a fastball and has many broken facial bones. Josh Scharff ’12 was hurt when he tried to slide home in the game against UConn.

“Gant’s plan is to play this weekend,” Megee said. “And [Scharff’s replacement, Hunter] has been playing well at short.”

Yale will need strong performances from Megee, who has a .316 hitting average, and freshman Jacob Hunter ’14, who has a .356 hitting average. Vinny Lally ’11 leads the pitching squad with a 2.45 ERA.

Play starts on Saturday at 12 p.m and the second game of the doubleheader is slated to begin at 3 p.m. The teams will take the field for another doubleheader at the same times on Sunday.

BASEBALL | Bulldogs split Penn, Columbia

April 11, 2011 1:56 am Leave a Comment

The hopes of an Ancient Eight crown may be fading.

The baseball team (15–12, 4–4 Ivy) split both of its doubleheaders this weekend, putting itself two games behind first-place Dartmouth (17–6, 6–2), which has won its last five games. Yale dropped a marathon 10-inning first game against Penn (15–12, 6–2), 0–2, and bounced back with a 13–6 win in the afternoon. The Elis continued that form with a 6–3 win over Columbia (12–15, 3–5), but were unable to control the Lions in the second game, losing 1–8.

“It was tough,” captain and third baseman Andy Megee ’11 said. “We easily could have won all four. But they just didn’t go our way.”

Coming into the weekend, Penn was riding the confidence of a 4–0 start to Ivy play. Both teams were solid at the mound; neither allowed a run until Yale finally conceded two runs in the tenth.

The Bulldogs, who have had a hot and cold performance at the plate this season, saw struggles from its top hitters, including big hitter Cale Hanson ’14, who went hitless in his three at bats.

“Penn’s pitcher was one of the better ones we have faced this year,” Hanson said. “He did a good job of keeping us off balance.”

Pitcher Vinny Lally ’11 started the first game on the mound and led Yale through the first nine scoreless innings. In the process, he allowed only four hits and struck out seven Quakers.

The Bulldogs failed to capitalize on a number of scoring opportunities. But their inability to score can be credited to the strong Penn defense, which refused to concede a run.

One of the best chances for the Elis to steal the win came in the eighth inning. Gant Elmore ’11 was tagged out at home as he tried to score from second base off a Kevin Fortunato ’14 single to left field.

The second game was a different story. The Yale offense erupted and never let up as the game progressed.

The Bulldogs scored five runs in the first inning alone. They then added two more runs in both the third and fourth innings. Another four runs in the next two innings in essence sealed the victory for the Elis, ending the Quaker’s five game winning streak.

Penn made a run late in the game, but was unable to find the momentum that had helped it defeat its previous Ivy opponents. After the loss, the team fell to 5–1 in conference play.

“The weekend was pretty disappointing,” Lally said. “A split doesn’t cut it.”

On Sunday, Yale continued its strong hitting to defeat Columbia 6–3. The Elis got off to another quick start in the game, scoring three runs in the second inning.

The duo of Jacob Hunter ’14 and Trey Rallis ’11 played a key role in the six total runs scored by the Bulldogs, combining for four hits and four runs.

Fortunato earned his first save of the year as he closed out the game on the mound and allowed only one run in 2.2 innings pitched.

“We have a great defense and [the team] took care of me,” Fortunato said.

The Lions tried to spark a comeback late in the game and succeeded in scoring three runs in the fifth and sixth innings. But they were unable to score again and finally lost, 6–3.

The second game was notably different for the Bulldogs who struggled to score runs and keep the Lions off the board.

Brook Hart ’11, who celebrated his 22nd birthday Sunday, came into the weekend with a 1.95 ERA through 32.1 innings pitched but struggled at the mound and allowed 10 hits and five runs.

“I think it just came down to executing when the opportunity is there,” Hart said.

Hanson scored the lone run for the Bulldogs in the sixth inning, but Yale was unable to rally behind the effort, falling to the Lions, 8–1.

The team will face UConn on Tuesday and Fairfield University on Wednesday before returning to Ivy play with four games against Dartmouth this weekend.

“It’s going to come down to next weekend against Dartmouth,” Lally said. “We’re still in control of our own destiny.”

Yale Daily News

Tag Archive: Baseball