Harvard Sweeps Yale in Two Games

Flying towards home plate on freshman Kasey Lange’s rocket down the right field line, co-captain Ellen Macadam made a sudden dive headfirst. Grazing her fingertips over the plate just in time to score the final run, Macadam helped the Harvard softball team (30-14, 14-2 Ivy) grab the second of two victories against Yale (15-23, 6-10 Ivy) in yesterday’s doubleheader.

After a close 12-11 win in the first game of the day, the Crimson came back to mercy the Bulldogs 11-3, concluding Harvard’s four-game sweep of Yale.

The squad grabbed two victories against the Bulldogs in Sunday’s doubleheader.

“I thought it was a great sweep for us,” Macadam said. “I don’t think we’ve ever had this strong of an offensive team, not that I’ve seen. So it was great to see us continuing to hit all the pitches and scoring a lot of runs.”

HARVARD 11, YALE 3

After nearly losing the first game of the doubleheader, Harvard came back firing in the second contest, scoring six runs in the second inning to gain an early 6-2 lead.

Junior shortstop Jane Alexander started the rally, singling up the middle with bases loaded to bring home junior first baseman Whitney Shaw.

Freshman right fielder Shelbi Olson walked in sophomore left fielder Ashley Heritage, and Macadam’s rocket to left field brought in another.

Sophomore center fielder Stephanie Regan then smacked one in between the Bulldogs’ third baseman and left fielder to plate one more, and Lange blasted a two-RBI double to bring the Crimson’s lead to four runs.

After a quick third inning in which neither team scored, Yale attempted a comeback in the fourth, knocking in a run to bring the deficiency down to 6-3.

But this wasn’t enough to stop Harvard, which scored three more runs in the bottom of the fourth off a Lange two-run home run and freshman catcher Ali Scott’s RBI double to right field.

Crimson freshman pitcher Laura Ricciardone kept the Bulldogs scoreless in the top of the fifth as classmate Lange dominated defensively, making all three outs to first.

“The freshmen have been so important,” Heritage said. “They just came in so gutsy without nerves, and have given it everything they have. They play such an important role on our team.”

Yale was not prepared to give up just yet, switching pitchers in the bottom of the fifth inning to throw a defensive curveball at the Harvard offense.

But once again Yale could not halt the Crimson’s lineup, as Macadam singled through the left side to plate Alexander.

Lange then hit a single down the right side to bring home Macadam and cut the game short at five innings.

“Laura [Ricciardone] was really sick today actually so the fact that we could finish in five innings and give her a break was perfect,” Scott said. “It was just what she needed.”

HARVARD 12, YALE 11

In the first game of the day, Harvard was seconds away from an 11-6 victory when in the top of the seventh inning, a dropped third strike—what would have been a game-ending third out—ultimately became the start of a five-run rally for the Bulldogs.

The matchup began with Yale taking a 4-1 lead after the first inning, the Crimson’s sole run resulting from a Regan sacrifice that brought home Macadam.

In the second inning, the Harvard defense kicked into gear, keeping the Bulldogs from scoring throughout the next three innings while the Crimson took back the lead, 6-4.

By the end of the fifth inning the score was tied at six runs apiece as Yale scored two, and Harvard brought home one with Zumbro’s sacrifice fly to right field.

In the sixth inning, the Crimson held the Bulldogs scoreless for a fourth time and gained hold of the lead by knocking in four runs off of three hits and three errors.

Then just when it looked like Harvard had secured an 11-6 victory, Yale took the second chance given to them by a dropped third strike.

A five-run rally by the Bulldogs followed to tie the score, 11-11.

But the Crimson offense remained relentless.

Alexander tripled to right center and scored on a Macadam single to pull out a win for Harvard.

Now with a league record of 14-2, the Crimson needs only one win against Dartmouth in next weekend’s doubleheader to clinch the North Division and advance to the Ancient Eight championship game.