Baseball Wraps Up Solid Weekend with Sweep

After going eight games without a victory, Harvard’s baseball team has built up a three-game winning streak thanks to a sweep of yesterday’s doubleheader against Hartford.

The Crimson (6-11) took down the Hawks (5-10) in close 6-5 and 6-4 decisions at Fiondella Field in Hartford, Conn., continuing the long stretch of road games at the top of Harvard’s schedule.

In both games, the Crimson relied on all aspects of play to overcome early Hartford leads.

“Our bullpen and pitching in general did an outstanding job, the hitters did what they had to do, and the defense played great as well,” sophomore Brent Suter said. “Everything came together.”

This was especially true late in both games, when Harvard’s clutch hitting and relief pitching became crucial to secure victories in the final innings.

HARVARD 6, HARTFORD 4

In the second of the teams’ matchups, effective pitching by Suter to start the game and by freshman Joey Novak to finish it up kept the Hawk bats at bay and allowed the Crimson’s hitters take the lead.

After a scoreless opening frame, Hartford got an unearned run off a Harvard error in the second. But the lead was short-lived, as junior Sam Franklin was walked, stole second, advanced to third on an error, and finally made it home off of sophomore Jeff Reynolds’ single up the middle in the top of the third.

In the fourth, junior Dillon O’Neill stepped up on defense and made a huge diving catch on a sinking line drive in center field to preserve the tie.

“Having [O’Neill] out there at center field today was absolutely huge for us,” Harvard coach Joe Walsh said.

Reynolds led the Crimson offense with four RBI, including two off of a two-out double that helped put Harvard up, 4-1, in the top of the fifth. The Hawks answered quickly with a homer and three runs to even the score again.

But O’Neill, Franklin, and Reynolds combined efforts at bat to break the tie and give the Crimson a two-run lead in the top of the seventh inning. Novak struck out Hartford’s first two batters, and Franklin got under a pop-up to left field for the final out to secure the victory.

HARVARD 6, HARTFORD 5

In yesterday’s opener, Harvard overcame some powerful pitching by the Hawks’ starter and some unexpected pitching challenges of its own to come out with the win.

To start off the game, a first-inning error allowed Hartford jump ahead, and the Hawks continued to score in the next two frames.

“The error turned into a run, and next thing you know, we’re down 3-0,” Walsh said.

Meanwhile, the Crimson’s bats were kept silent by Hartford pitcher Matt Thatcher, who took a no-hitter into the top of the fifth.

“We were taking good swings and making good hard contact, but we just didn’t have much to show for it,” Walsh said.

Harvard’s starting pitcher, junior Eric Eadington, was taken out after three innings due to stiffness in his forearm, but fellow junior Daniel Berardo came in and gave up only two hits in another three innings of play.

Hartford was up, 5-3, by the end of the sixth, but the Crimson rallied in the top of the seventh and scored three runs to take the 6-5 lead.

Sophomore Jonah Klees came in for Berardo, who took a Hawk hit to the hip, and struck out one Hartford batter in the final frame.

The final out came on a crucial play by Harvard’s defense, when O’Neill chased down a hit at the left center-field wall. The center fielder got the ball to junior shortstop Sean O’Hara, who then made a powerful throw to junior captain Tyler Albright at the plate, just in time to beat what would have been Hartford’s tying run.

Yesterday’s success was critical for the Crimson considering its upcoming schedule.

“It’s definitely big to get some wins under our belt,” Suter said. “And it’s a good feeling going into this midweek game and especially the Ivies.”

—Staff writer Madeleine Smith can be reached at smith21@college.harvard.edu.