Sports Shorts

Hitting heats up and Bulldogs gain momentum heading into Ivy play

JULIA TIERNAN/YH SWING KIDS: Baseball plays a double-header this weekend.

Brute determination, as it turned out, was a feasible strategy. On Sun., Mar. 26, the Elis started hitting, and they haven't stopped yet. They won Sunday's doubleheader against Sacred Heart, 15-5 and 5-4, and powered past the Marist Red Foxes (14-5) 15-4 on Wed., Mar. 29. In those three games, the team's batting average improved 23 points, from .245 to .268.

Designated hitter R.D. DeSantis, SY '01, had five hits and six RBIs in those three games, including a three-run homer and a game-winning RBI against Sacred Heart. According to him, the formerly sleepwalking team has finally awakened. "We realized that we weren't going to win the league the way we were playing," he said. "This is the best chance we're going to have to get this done. Everyone's got a sense of urgency."

There's always room for improvement. In Wednesday's blowout, Yale allowed 12 Marist hits. But the Bulldog pitchers, who have had spotty control as a staff this season, didn't walk a single batter. Three convincing wins give the Bulldogs momentum for their first Ivy games this weekend. But coach John Stu-per knows that momentum is a double-edged sword, and he won't let his players rest on their recent laurels. "We have to keep it all in context. We can't get too full of ourselves," he said. "Penn and Columbia are difficult teams to beat on the road." Columbia's record this year is 3-18 (0-0 Ivy), but Stuper isn't about to forget that his team's record at Columbia is 1-6 over the last seven years.

Teams that start losing often keep losing. "It gets contagious," DeSantis said. "A pitcher realizes he's in a hole, and he gets nervous and starts throwing bad pitches. It's a snowball effect." Now, for the first time this season, the snowball is rolling in the Bulldogs' favor.
—Molly Ball

MEN'S GOLF

Rain washes out Eli chances at opening tourney

On Tues., Mar. 28, as the Yale men's golf team packed its bags and headed home from an unsuccessful few days of play, the feeling was unfamiliar. After a 12th place finish in the Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate Tournament held at William and Mary, disappointment etched itself on the men's faces.

Disappointment—a feeling matched only by the squad's collective frustration. For a team believed to be the class of the Ivy League, 12th place hardly seems satisfying—even in a field of 27, even against stiff competition, even on the first few days of play.

Large downpours, which transformed the fairways into veritable swamplands, proved a major source of the club's frustration, spoiling a final round that promised to propel the Bulldogs up the leaderboard. Having posted a discouraging 306 in Mon., Mar. 27's first round of play, the team found itself buried in the middle of the field. And despite shooting a 294 on Tuesday, the team failed to gain ground, watching helplessly as rain cancelled the second round and cut short the event for a number of teams.

Unfortunately for Yale, the final 18 holes amounted to little more than a practice round, holding no bearing on the results of the abbreviated tournament. The round was, however, more indicative of the Elis' abilities as they attempt to settle into the very young season. "The team is extremely strong," Chris Eckerle, BR '02, said. "We definitely have a chance to win the rest of the tournaments, qualify for the regionals, and move on to nationals."

First, however, the team must survive the Yale Spring Opener on Fri., Apr. 7, in which it will have the luxury of playing on familiar ground. "It's a definite advantage to know this course," Eckerle said. "We should be able to win [the tournament] this year."
—James Fagan

CAPTAIN'S NOTEBOOK

Women's ultimate

The women's ultimate team, Yale Ramona, is as spunky as ever. After getting back from Daytona Beach, Fla., we're tanned and toned, and ready for our upcoming season. We have great spirit and we like to win—Ramona has made the ultimate national tournament five years running.

Ramona has been extremely fortunate in finding some of the coolest freshmen on campus this year, and the upperclassmen are all sexy mamas who know how to go ho. After losing 10 seniors last year, the current juniors and seniors of Ramona have all stepped up their play and adjusted themselves nicely into leadership roles. Sarah Stehli, CC '01, is the master of the forehand throw, and she can hit you with it even in hurricane weather. Ashley Hayden, PC '01, makes excellent cuts and always works the flow down the field. Kristin Rising, ES '01, is the girl I look for in the endzone, 'cause you know she's going to come down with the disc.

Captain Divya Rao, SM '01, is our lady of grace—she's got ups, she goes ho, and she's always throwing nice breaks. Laura Haverland, PC '00, is an awesome, consistent player who always stays calm, cool, and collected. Caroline Korsten, SM '00, runs down every disc and knows how to throw a good huck. Fortunately, we have Lisa Kinney, ES '00, back this year from injury, and she's hotter than ever; with incredible break throws and great cuts, she's a huge asset. Then, there's me, and I just do what the aliens tell me to. So, that's us.
—Co-captain Joni Kletter

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