Powerful UMass Downs Crimson

Harvard softball stepped out of conference for a doubleheader with the University of Massachusetts yesterday. The Atlantic-10 Conference leading Minutewomen (26-12, 11-1), who swept a doubleheader from Dartmouth by the combined score of 28-5 three weeks ago, did not allow a single Crimson runner to cross the plate. Harvard (15-18, 4-4) did, notably, remain close for the entirety of the first game before falling 3-0. The Minutewomen took the second game 8-0 in Amherst, MA.

“I was hoping that today would be a good tune-up for the weekend,” Harvard coach Jenny Allard said. “We need to bring our A-game and we need to play to our talent. We’re not playing to our talent right now.”

Harvard will return to action in the final full weekend of league play as Princeton comes to Soldiers Field for a doubleheader tomorrow, followed by a visit by Penn on Sunday. Both twinbills are slated to begin at noon, and the Crimson is hopeful for a strong set of games.

“I think we want to go out with a bang,” freshman Bailey Vertovez said. “I think we’re going to put it all together this weekend.”

MASSACHUSETTS 8, HARVARD 0

The Minutewomen jumped on Crimson pitching early to take the second game of the doubleheader.

Massachusetts put three runs up in the first and followed with two more in the second, chasing Harvard sophomore starter Amanda Watkins after 1 1/3 innings of work. She gave up five runs, four earned, on seven hits and two walks.

“Defensively, we didn’t help her,” Allard said.

“Amanda pitched well enough to get out of those innings but we were making errors behind her, not picking the ball up, not being prepared, and not making plays we should have made,” she added.

Vertovez came in to pitch the remainder of the game. Of the three Minutewomen who crossed the plate, just one counted as an earned run.

Vertovez struck out two while allowing just two hits and two walks.

Harvard was unable to get much going at the plate, as Massachusetts pitcher Jenna Busa scattered four hits over her five innings of work.

Junior Lauren Brown, senior Erin Halpenny, freshman Hayley Bock, and Vertovez all recorded singles for the Crimson.

The Crimson’s best chance came in the first inning, when Brown led off with a single and both Brown and junior Julia Kidder were safe on a fielders’ choice. A groundout and two popups ended the Harvard threat.

“If we come up that first inning and score it’s a different ballgame, because we kind of relax and play looser,” Allard said.

“We didn’t step up for that one run that could lead to other runs.”

MASSACHUSETTS 3, HARVARD 0

Massachusetts starter Brandice Balschmiter limited the Crimson to just one hit, a single by Vertovez in the third inning, on her way to shutting out Harvard in the opener.

Vertovez’s hit almost put Harvard on the board. Freshman Hayley Bock led off the inning with a hit-by-pitch, and had advanced to second on a fielders choice. Bock was sent home on the Vertovez single, but was thrown out at the plate by the centerfielder.

Harvard’s struggles on the scoreboard masked a generally good effort at the plate against a pitcher who averages near double-digits in strikeouts per game. The Crimson struck out just five times against Balschmiter.

“We were going up there with confidence,” Vertovez said. “We were fouling her off, and we were putting it in play.”

But the Minutewomen struck quickly after the first-inning threat, scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the third off Crimson starter Shelly Madick. Massachusetts added an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth, aided by one of three Harvard errors on the game.

Madick went six innings, giving up four hits and five walks while striking out two, while Vertovez pitched a scoreless seventh for the Crimson.

—Staff writer Brad Hinshelwood can be reached at bhinshel@fas.harvard.edu.