Softball Wins Three at Elon

Harvard softball successfully kicked off its season with three straight wins over the weekend at the Elon Phoenix Classic, hosted by Elon College in North Carolina.

The Crimson tested a batch of freshmen at some key positions throughout the weekend, and couldn’t have been more pleased with the results.

“The weekend was awesome,” said junior co-captain Tiffany Whitton. “Everyone played hard and people stepped up to help us win games.”

And win the Crimson did. Harvard’s 3-0 record in the 16-team tournament was matched only by Elon.

No undisputed tournament champion was crowned because Saturday’s games were rained out and postponed to Sunday, and Sunday’s bracket playoffs were cancelled. So instead of playing five or six games during the weekend, Harvard played just the three teams in its round-robin pool—Maryland-Baltimore County, Cleveland St. and Appalachian St.

In its only Sunday game, Harvard bested Appalachian St., 2-1, thanks in large part to the efforts of freshman catcher Laura Miller.

Miller drove in both Crimson runs, twice singling in sophomore second baseman Sara Williamson with sharp hits through the left side of the infield.

Miller’s bat was all the Crimson needed on the day. However, for good measure, the freshman backstop called a great game for her upperclassmen battery-mates. Whitton (6 K, 4 IP) combined with senior Suzanne Guy and sophomore Kara Brotemarkle to stave off any rallies and preserve the victory.

“It was exciting to help the team,” Miller said. “But it was a group effort: Sara was on base both times and put into scoring position.”

In its second game on Friday, Harvard came from behind to win 5-3 against Cleveland St. After the Vikings surged out to a two-run lead in the first, freshman hurler Lauren Tanner gained control and gave the Harvard offense a chance to get back in the game.

The Crimson responded in the fifth frame, after posting an earlier run. Harvard played small ball to grab three runs off the Vikings and move ahead for good.

In its season debut—a 2-1 victory over Maryland-Baltimore County—the Crimson came out strong as Brotemarkle and Guy combined for a one-hitter. Sophomore Rachel Goldberg knocked in a run, and Whitton drove in the other Harvard score.

The Crimson heads to Philadelphia to battle Drexel next week, before leaving for spring break to compete in the Buzz Classic in Georgia.

The Crimson performed extremely well at the Buzz Classic last year, surging to a second-place finish in a 25-team field that included nationally-ranked teams. The Crimson shocked No. 23 Wisconsin on its way to the championship game against then-No. 3 California.

“This is a great way to head into spring break,” Whitton said. “We weren’t sure what to expect going in, but I think we showed that we play and as a team.”