Harvard, Yale Split Pair of Pitchers’ Duels

In the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader against Yale, the Harvard baseball team could only muster two runs in a 4-2 loss. Add the near-freezing temperature and swirling winds sweeping O’Donnell Field, and Crimson coach Joe Walsh knew that the team might have take a different approach to manufacturing runs in the second half of the twinbill.

So in the thirty minutes between the two games, Walsh talked to his team about being more aggressive—both at the plate and on the basepaths.

Harvard (8-21, 6-4 Ivy) did just that, stealing six bases en route to winning the second game by the same score it had lost the first, and salvaging a split against the rival Bulldogs (10-14, 5-5).

“We did talk about wanting to run,” Walsh said.

“People get excited because they look forward to swiping the bag,” captain Harry Douglas added.

The Crimson got some solid performances out of its strong crop of freshman pitchers over the course over the day. Rookies Jonah Klees and Brent Suter each made impressive starts, while Will Keuper and Conner Hulse helped in relief.

“I’ve been using them all a lot,” Walsh said. “I’m hoping they’re not ‘freshman’ anymore.”

Next up for the Crimson is a trip to Fenway this afternoon, where the team will take on Boston College at 2:05 in the Beanpot consolation game. Tomorrow afternoon, Harvard will make up Saturday’s rained-out doubleheader against Yale.

HARVARD 4, YALE 2

The top of the fourth inning provided the perfect opportunity for the Crimson players to use the aggressiveness that Walsh stressed in between games.

With one out, Douglas doubled to deep left before senior Tom Stack-Babich was hit by a pitch. Sophomore Tyler Albright popped out, but then Walsh called for a double-steal that advanced the runners to second and third.

This turned out to be the key moment in the game. On the following play, junior first baseman Dan Zailskas squeaked a single through the left side of the Bulldogs’ infield. Douglas scored to put Harvard on the board, a result that would have been unlikely had he still been on second base.

Stack-Babich then came home on a Yale throwing error trying to catch Zailskas stealing second to put the Crimson up, 2-0.

Suter pitched a gem, going 6 1/3 innings and giving up just one earned run while striking out eight.

He was removed in the seventh after loading the bases with one out. Luckily for Harvard, Will Kepurer was able to come in and get out of the jam. Keuper first induced a groundout—which scored a run to knot the score at two—and then notched a strikeout to end a potentially big inning for Yale.

“It was big to get the win in the second game,” Douglas said. “Our pitching was very good and there are a lot of positives you can take from this.”

The Crimson responded in the bottom half of the inning, taking the lead once more after sophomore shortstop Sean O’Hara brought home Zailskas—who also closed the game for Harvard. The aggressiveness on the basepaths wasn’t all good, though, as O’Hara was thrown out trying to stretch his double into a triple.

Harvard added an insurance run in the eight courtesy of a sacrifice fly from Stack-Babich, which plated senior second baseman Taylor Meehan.

With Yale threatening in the top of the ninth, a nifty snag and strong throw from O’Hara guaranteed the Crimson a split.

“It was a great clutch play by O’Hara to end the ballgame,” Walsh said.

YALE 4, HARVARD 2

The Crimson managed only six hits against Bulldogs’ starter Brandon Josselynm, who struck out six in his complete game win.

Even when the Crimson did get men on base, the runners were often stranded. Harvard left seven men on base in the game.

In the second, a tough third strike was called on sophomore centerfielder Dillon O’Neill with runners on the corners to end the inning, on a day in which the umps allowed for a wide strike zone, given the strong wind.

“We didn’t do enough against them—not bringing guys in and not putting the ball in play enough,” Walsh said.

Klees was nearly unhittable through the first three innings, but got into trouble in the fourth. The Crimson could have escaped with less damage had it capitalized on a running miscue by Yale. Instead, Klees was hit hard for three runs in the inning—and it could have been worse had it not been for a diving stop by O’Hara, which saved a run.

“It’s those types of little things that we always seem to pay for,” Walsh said.

Harvard pulled to within one run in the fifth. After O’Neill was hit by a pitch, Meehan—who was 3-for-4 in the game—crushed a ball to the fence in center field for a double. A sacrifice fly from senior Matt Rogers scored O’Neill from third, and a single from Douglas—who went 3-for-5 over the course of the day—brought home Meehan.

Klees loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth, but then got a strikeout and a pop out. Sophomore Dan Berardo came into the game looking to get the third out, but walked in a run instead. Berardo was able to get the following batter to ground out to Douglas to keep the Crimson within striking distance.

But Harvard’s offense was unable to score a run in the final two frames of the seven-inning contest, and the Bulldogs pulled away with a win.

—Staff writer Jay M. Cohen can be reached at jaycohen@fas.harvard.edu.