HANOVER — What a difference a week makes.
Dartmouth sophomore Ubaldo Lopez was selected as one of Collegiate Baseball’s National Players of the Week for his performance over six games last week, hitting safely in all six contests with five doubles, two homers and 11 RBIs. But considering what he had done prior to those games, Lopez may be the most unlikeliest player to earn the honor among the eight receiving the honor this week.
It was just a matter of time before Lopez put it together at the plate, but the native of Miramar, Florida, had not found much success in his career with just five hits (and only one double) in 50 at-bats. Perhaps returning to his home state during Dartmouth’s spring break trip helped him find his stroke.
In the first of three games against Bradley at the RussMatt Invitational in Auburndale, Florida, Lopez launched his first career home run in the fifth inning, a two-run shot, tying the game at two. The score had not changed when he stepped to the plate in the ninth with two outs and the bases loaded, and he did not disappoint, crushing another four-bagger for a game-winning grand slam in the 6-2 triumph. Lopez became the first Big Green hitter in nearly three years with two homers in a game, and none has driven in more than six runs in a game in seven years.
Over the course of the week, Lopez proved that was not merely a one-game fluke. He hit doubles in each of the next two games against the Braves, then helped Dartmouth win the first Ivy League series of the season against Princeton by going 5-for-12 with three doubles, five runs and five RBIs in the three-game set. But his biggest moment came in the second game with the Big Green trailing by a run in the ninth with two outs and the bases loaded, as he did against Bradley. This time he ripped a double into the left-center field gap, scoring all three runs to send Dartmouth on its way to a series-clinching 10-8 victory.
Lopez finished the week with a slash line of .409/.481/.909 with nine hits and 20 total bases in his 22 at-bats, raising his career average 94 points in the process.
Dartmouth (7-11) returns to the diamond on Wednesday when it plays at Quinnipiac (8-11) at 3 p.m
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