Softball Wins Third Straight

When the pitching is effective enough, you can afford a slow offense.

The Harvard softball team (18-19, 9-3 Ivy) swept its doubleheader at home against Brown (15-18, 3-9) at Soliders Field despite scoring only six runs over the two games. Two strong pitching performances—including a complete game shutout in the second contest—were enough to overcome the shortages at the plate. The doubleheader, a make-up from Saturday’s rainout, followed a two-game split on Sunday when the Crimson managed only five runs.

“Our bats were flat both days,” Harvard coach Jenny Allard said. “We got the hits we needed today.”

HARVARD 2, BROWN 0

Eight days after her no-hitter, sophomore Rachel Brown put together a second strong performance, throwing a complete-game shutout on four hits. She also struck out 14 on 91 pitches.

The bats did not provide much help—the Bears actually outhit a Crimson team that managed only three all game—and junior Ellen Macadam drove in two runs on as many hits for the game’s only offense.

“Ellen is a great hitter,” Brown said. “I’m always so excited when she’s up to bat because she hits it so hard.”

Macadam drove in a run on a one-out single in the third, and added her second RBI of the day with a fifth-inning triple.

But Brown was the story of the day. She struck out two batters in every inning but the fourth and only allowed one runner to reach scoring position.

“I thought [Rachel Brown] was really getting ahead early in the count,” Allard said. “She was really spinning the ball well, and I thought she was staying in her technique, in her zone.”

Brown did not walk any batters in the day’s second game and faced 23 batters, two over the minimum.

“My focus was starting ahead early on the mound and making them swing at pitches when they were behind in the count,” Brown said.

As in the first game, one player accounted for most of the offense. Beyond Macadam, only junior Emily Henderson had a hit—a fifth-inning double. Even with six walks and two Brown errors, Harvard could not effectively drive in runs.

“I think certainly we would have liked to score some more runs, but we did what we needed to do and we strung together the hits,” Brown said.

HARVARD 4, BROWN 2

One swing is sometimes enough.

Sophomore Whitney Shaw hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the first to give the Crimson enough offense to hold on for the win. The long-ball to leftfield was her sixth of the year and came as part of a two-for-three performance in the first game of the afternoon.

Harvard continued its strong pitching from the weekend, allowing no hits after the third inning and never surrendering its lead after the first inning.

Sophomore Julia Moore pitched four innings, allowing two runs and earning the win. Senior Margaux Black pitched three no-hit innings to get the save.

“Margaux and Jules did a great job of shutting them down and making them swing at their pitches,” Brown said. “Brown is not a very aggressive team, so they [were trying] to draw the walks. Margaux and Jules both did a really good job of pitching ahead.”

Black allowed two base runners, one on an error and the second on a seventh-inning walk. She had no strikeouts, but seven of her nine out came by way of the groundout.

“Margaux came in and threw a lot of moving pitches and was very effective for us,” Allard said.

The Crimson had ten hits but still had trouble plating the runners. Other than Shaw, freshman Jessica Ferri was the only other Harvard player to have a hit with a runner in scoring position. Her sixth-inning double pushed the lead to two going into the game’s final inning.

“They were throwing good strike pitches, challenging their batters, and we got some key hits, we got timely hits,” Allard said. “The name of the game is great pitching, good defense, and timely hits.”