Sports Shorts

JULIA TIERNAN/YH The softball team has banked on its pitching staff

SOFTBALL

With low ERAs, Elis earn better than average results against UConn

After a convincing 4-1 victory, the Elis are anticipating a successful opening weekend as they take to the road to challenge Penn, described by Gengaro as "much improved," on Sat., Apr. 8, and Princeton, a "consistently strong" team according to Gengaro, on Sun., Apr. 9.

In its win over UConn, Yale showcased its offensive prowess and pitching talent. Led by two hits each from Monica Lebron, TC '01, and Alice Liu, SY '01, Yale was able to hold off the Huskies, who closed the score within one in the fifth inning. Yale scored two runs in the seventh inning to ensure the victory. Pitcher Mariah Fike, TD '03, allowed UConn only six hits en route to earning the win. Her E.R.A. remains under 1.00 for the season.

As the Bulldogs look to begin a successful Ivy campaign, offensive performances by Carlie Ware, SM '00, and Lebron will be counted on to create and capitalize on scoring opportunities. Ware is currently leading the Bulldogs in runs scored and batting average. Jesseka Bartholomew, ES '03, and Kristen Maturo, MC '01, have combined for 27 RBIs on the season, and will be pivotal if Yale hopes to contend for the title.

The talented pitching staff has led the Bulldog's defensive effort, with two pitchers—Fike and Teri Hickey, SY '00—whose ERAs stand under 1.00. Gengaro and Cara Denver, SM '02, round out the pitching staff—both have ERAs under 2.00.

With this combination of strong pitching, and excellent offensive firepower, the Bulldogs hope to prevail against their early Ivy competition. "We still have a lot of room for improvement offensively, and there is no better time to step it up and score some runs," Maturo said. "We definitely have the talent it takes to win Ivies, and we are looking to start on the right foot with wins on the road this weekend." —Darcy Wiecks

BASEBALL

Starting strong but unable to finish, Elis winless in Ivies

If baseball were a sudden-death game, Yale would be in first place right now. But despite scoring the first run in every one of last weekend's four games, the Bulldogs (8-18, 0-4 Ivy) managed to lose them all and land themselves firmly in the cellar. At Pennsylvania on Sat., Apr. 1, Yale lost 5-3 and 9-1. At Columbia on Sun., Apr. 2, Yale lost 14-9 and 7-5. The Bulldogs were the only Ivy team not to win a single game in the opening weekend of league play.

"We had a couple of big innings," center fielder Chris Elkins, SM '03, said. "They just had bigger ones." Elkins had eight hits—raising his average 46 points to .313—including a leadoff home run in the first at bat of the first inning of the first game against Columbia (6-19, 3-1 Ivy). His homer opened up the team's biggest inning of the weekend—five runs on five hits—but pitchers Jon Steitz, CC '02, and Craig Breslow, CC '02, each allowed five earned runs.

When the pitching was on, the hitters couldn't make it happen: Matt McCarthy, TD '02, held Penn (11-10, 3-1 Ivy) hitless for four innings in Saturday's first game. Yale outhit Penn 11-5, but lost 5-3.

"You can't just have one part of your game working at any given time," designated hitter R. D. DeSantis, SY '01, said. DeSantis is hitting .322 with four home runs. He said he keeps from getting discouraged when the team is down by focusing on his numbers and setting personal goals.

For his part, Elkins keeps his spirits up by looking on the bright side. "I look for the fun aspect of the game," he said. "I try not to think about the bad stuff that's happening. This weekend was bad, but I'm sure we'll pull out of it soon." They'd better: the Bulldogs host Princeton and Cornell this weekend. If Elkins' perky prediction doesn't pan out, fun will soon be all the team has to play for. —Molly Ball

MEN'S LACROSSE

Bulldogs fall hard to Brown

The last few weeks have not been kind to the lacrosse team. After losing to Cornell and Princeton, Yale faced Brown on Wed., Apr. 5, and wound up with another Ivy defeat.

Captain Don Gerne, BR '00, attributed the loss to a lack of cohesion: "If we were going to win, we would have had to play a team game. We just couldn't execute."

The Elis have come out strong in their first few games, but are having difficulty maintaining consistency. They've been competitive in league games, but not haven't done enough to win them; the team has shown frequent bursts of cohesion and dominance, but hasn't yet hit upon the right combinations.

The Ivy League has become much more competitive this year, and Yale is suffering the consequences. The level of experience on this year's team is the main factor for the disappointing record. Last spring, the Bulldogs had nine seniors on the team, but this year there are only three. So many talented freshmen and sophomores promise a strong team in the future, but as of now Yale is inexperienced on the field.

The attack has relied on veterans Chris McIntyre, SY '00, and Brian Hunt, TD '02, who have led the team in scoring. Defensively, Pat Hein, SM '01, and Ryan Morris, BK '00, have been solid.

Gerne said that to turn the season around, the players have to put records out of their minds. If the Elis can begin to play consistently, they still have a decent shot at making some noise in league play.

—Reilly Dibner

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