Road Trip Ends With Narrow Win

The second weekend of spring break proved to be less than perfect for the Harvard softball team, as it traveled to Southern California for the San Diego Classic II.

After losing its first four games, the Crimson (8-8) was finally able to pull out a win with a stellar performance from junior pitcher Rachel Brown in the weekend finale.

The team remains optimistic about its chances in its next few games as it heads back to the East Coast.

“I think we were in a lot of tight games,” Harvard coach Jenny Allard said. “We played against a lot of tough teams, but we were in all the games.”

HARVARD 1, SAN DIEGO 0

On Saturday, the Crimson battled San Diego (8-11) in a pitching duel between Brown and Toreros freshman pitcher Cassidy Coleman.

Brown held San Diego to one hit while recording 15 strikeouts. She would have completed the no-hitter, but Toreros freshman left fielder Dana Prelsnik was able to tag an infield single in the final inning.

“We had terrific pitching from Rachel Brown,” Allard said. “I thought she did a really great job. She worked well with her catcher [sophomore Mariel Sena], and the two of them were terrific as a battery today.”

A timely double by junior infielder Mari Zumbro in the second inning gave the Crimson its lone run, and its fielders did their part to keep the San Diego offense in check.

“We played flawless defense today,” Brown said. “Honestly, we were tired of losing. We were hungry to win.”

OHIO STATE 4, HARVARD 1

In the second game on Friday, Brown held Ohio State (7-16) scoreless through four innings, but late offense from the Buckeyes gave them the three-run victory.

In the fifth, Crimson junior infielder Jane Alexander hit a double to left center, and freshman infielder Kasey Lange followed later in the frame with a double of her own, scoring Alexander and putting Harvard up, 1-0.

But the Crimson could not muster any more offense, and the Buckeyes broke through and scored two runs each in the fifth and the sixth inning.

Harvard left six runners on base, and the offense managed only five hits.

“We just need to capitalize on our opportunities,” Allard said. “We have to learn to convert the opportunities on base into runs.”

OHIO 2, HARVARD 1

The Crimson faced off against Ohio (10-7) in another pitcher’s duel in Friday’s first game, but its offense again came up short in a 2-1 loss.

The Bobcats jumped out early with an RBI double from senior outfielder Melissa Bonner in the first inning and a run on a fielder’s choice in the third.

Harvard responded with a run of its own in the bottom of the third with a sacrifice fly from sophomore outfielder Stephanie Regan, but the Crimson was blanked for the rest of the game after the score.

Harvard freshman pitcher Laura Ricciardone only allowed five hits, but Ohio’s two runs were enough to secure the victory.

Crimson captain Ellen Macadam finished with two hits and a run scored.

SAN DIEGO STATE 4, HARVARD 3

On Thursday, Harvard squared off against a strong San Diego State team (16-14), but a late-inning comeback wasn’t enough for the Crimson in the loss.

The Aztecs were able to break a scoreless tie in the fourth when junior infielder Justeen Maeva homered off Brown, who delivered 11 strikeouts and only allowed four hits and one earned run.

The Crimson responded quickly in a big fourth inning with Regan’s two-RBI single, but San Diego State found a way to score three more runs in the sixth and the seventh, putting Harvard down 4-2 heading into the bottom of the last inning.

In the seventh, Alexander doubled to left field and scored on a fielding error by the Aztecs. But the final two Harvard batters struck out, ending the Crimson’s comeback bid.

WISCONSIN 7, HARVARD 4

In the opener against Wisconsin (15-9), Harvard faced a familiar foe, having played the Badgers two days earlier at Loyola Marymount.

The first two innings were costly for the Crimson, as three errors allowed Wisconsin to jump out to a 7-0 lead.

In the fourth, Harvard was able to cut into the lead, scoring three runs.

An RBI single by Lange led to another run in the sixth, but the Crimson offense could not rally to erase the seven-run deficit.

“We were certainly disappointed that we didn’t win more games,” Brown said. “Still, we stuck with every team that we played.”