Performance of the Year Runner-Up: Kara Brotemarkle, vs. Princeton

Co-captain pitcher Kara Brotemarkle pitched the game of her life for Harvard softball against Princeton at Soldier’s Field on April 10.

Actually, it was more like three games of her life. In a marathon performance, Brotemarkle was on the mound for 20 consecutive innings, facing 71 batters. She fanned nine Tigers and allowed 15 hits while she and her defense stranded 16 base runners.

“I’d have to say my proudest personal moment was the Princeton game,” Brotemarkle said. “There’s something that feels good about seeing what you can do when presented with a challenge.”

And it was a pretty big challenge. Princeton had been expected to walk away with the 2004 Ivy crown, and the Tigers had already beaten No. 23 Arizona State, No. 15 Fresno State and No. 13 Pacific when they came to Cambridge.

On the other hand, The Crimson was coming off a dismal 2003 campaign and wasn’t quite sure what to hope for this year.

So when the two teams faced off on the opening weekend of Ivy action, few would have predicted Harvard’s sweep. But Brotemarkle outlasted Princeton’s Erin Snyder on the mound, and in the end, her team came through for her.

After 19 scoreless innings, the Tigers scored an unearned run in the top of the 20th to go ahead.

Instead of cracking under the pressure as defeat appeared closer on the hushed field, Brotemarkle came straight at the last two batters, forcing two pop-ups to co-captain Sara Williamson at second base. Then, amid cheers and rally caps in the dugout, Brotemarkle’s offense miraculously mustered two runs with two outs to go ahead 2-1 and take the game.

“As cliché as it sounds, it was a true team effort,” Brotemarkle said. “And I can’t remember ever being as proud of my team as I was then.”

As much as her squad came through, it was Brotemarkle’s performance on the mound that stole the show. She faced off with Snyder the former Rookie of the Year, for 20 innings of grueling softball.

But instead, this year it was Brotemarkle who received top honors.

—Staff writer Carrie H. Petri can be reached at cpetri@fas.harvard.edu.