Softball Goes 3-2 at San Diego Classic

The Harvard softball team began its spring-break California trip by going 3-2 at the San Diego Classic.

The Crimson opened the weekend with a win against Colorado St and closed Friday with a loss to San Jose State. On Saturday, it dropped its first game against Long Beach State but split the day after dominating Miami of Ohio. Harvard completed the five-game Classic with a loss to San Diego on Sunday evening.

Olson said the team was impressed with the performance of its freshman class, which played in its third collegiate tournament.

"They are doing a really good job of not playing like freshmen,” junior co-captain right fielder Shelbi Olson said. “It’s obviously hard not having that experience, but when we all step on the field, no one knows what class you are. We are all wearing the same uniform and the same colors.”

SAN DIEGO 2, HARVARD 1

In the Crimson’s second close loss of the weekend, Harvard was outhit five to four. Harvard’s only run came in the third when sophomore left fielder Andrea Del Conte reached on a throwing error and scored on a Katherine Lantz single—the sophomore second baseman’s second hit of the night.

San Diego tied it up in the fourth and the two teams went into the seventh locked at 1-1. In the bottom of the seventh, the Toreros scored the winning run when shortstop Kylie Ordos drew a leadoff walk, took second on a sacrifice bunt, and came home on an RBI single by centerfielder Dana Prelsnik.

Freshman Morgan Groom pitched the complete game and allowed two runs on five hits and four walks.

HARVARD 7, MIAMI (OHIO) 2

After putting up one run in the second, the Crimson fell behind in the top of the third. But a four-run fifth and two-run sixth ensured Harvard the victory.

Although no Harvard hitter reached base more than once, the Crimson was able to string together hits, and Del Conte, Lantz, and sophomore catcher Katherine Appelbe all had two-RBI games.

The Redhawks scored two in the third but were blanked for the remainder of the game. Groom pitched the complete game and gave up three hits and a walk.

Harvard’s biggest offensive showing came in the fifth, with four runs on three hits and a throwing error by Miami shortstop Kylie McChesney.

LONG BEACH ST 3, HARVARD 2

Lantz had a perfect day at the plate and accounted for three of Harvard’s six hits, but the Crimson dropped its first Sunday matchup.

The 49ers scored all three of its runs in the bottom of the first off back-to-back homers by second baseman Nalani St. Germain and third baseman Darian Tautalafua, and Harvard was blanked until the sixth inning when a Lantz single up the middle brought home the Crimson’s two runs.

“We got ourselves in the hole,” Crimson coach Jenny Allard said. “We battled back, but we just ran out of time. We need to be stronger in the start, and we did that against Miami of Ohio.”

Harvard couldn’t get anything going in the seventh as Olson pinch-hit into a double play and Appelbe struck out swinging to end the game.

Freshman pitcher Jamie Halula and her Long Beach St counterpart, junior Erin Jones-Wesley, both threw complete games.

SAN JOSE ST 9, HARVARD 2

The Crimson’s bats were quiet in a loss to the Spartans Friday, and Harvard’s four pitchers could not figure out how to contain the San Jose State lineup, giving up nine runs on eleven hits.

Harvard got on the board first, scoring in the bottom of the second and third, but the Spartans came back with a four-run fifth inning that knocked both Groom and her replacement, senior Jessica Ferri, out of the game.

Catcher Dorothy Morentin drew a lead-off walk and advanced to second on a single up the middle. Doubles by designated hitter Markesha Collins and third baseman Jessica Garcia gave the Spartans a two-run lead.

San Jose State opened up the game with a five-run seventh, with a triple by House bringing home two and a single by Garcia scoring the third. The Spartans’ final two runs came on a groundout to second and an error by Gusse.

HARVARD 4, COLORADO ST 3

Opening the tournament with a win over the Rams, Del Conte went three for four while Halula, who came in after one inning of work by Ruiz and gave up four hits, striking out six.

After Colorado State came out firing with three runs on four hits in the first, Harvard was blanked until the bottom of the third, when freshman centerfielder Zoe Galindo reached on a single and was brought home by senior Stephanie Reagan.

The Crimson tacked on another in the fifth, sixth, and seventh on RBIs by sophomore shortstop Gusse and Regan—her second in as many at-bats.

Freshman pitcher Holly Reinke pitched the complete game for Colorado State and allowed 10 hits.

“We went down early, and it was good to see us bounce back,” Olson said. “We had a couple mistakes, but it didn’t phase us. It didn’t feel like we were down in the dugout or on the field. We just chipped away and chipped away and focused on ourselves and our team.”

—Staff writer Hope Schwartz can be reached at hscwhartz@college.harvard.edu. Follow her on Twitter @HopeSchwartz16.