Softball Wins Two on Walk-off Hits

The Harvard softball team exorcised some demons in two consecutive wins over Yale on Sunday afternoon, completing a four-game weekend sweep of the Bulldogs.

The young team has struggled this season with recovering from defensive and pitching mistakes, while consistently stringing together hits in the clutch.

Not this time.

On senior day at Soldiers Field, the Crimson (16-17, 8-4 Ivy) won both games on walk-off hits—the first called after the 5th because of the mercy rule—beating Yale (8-26, 3-9), 12-3 and 5-3.

Sophomore first baseman Adrienne Hume came up big in the first game, slapping a two-run double into the right-center gap to walk-off in the fifth. After Yale tied it up in the top of the ninth during the second game, junior third baseman Kasey Lange responded with a one-out, two-run jack to end the game.

“Kasey Lange is a boss at life,” sophomore shortstop Emily Gusse said. “That’s all you need to say. Write that down.”

Though Harvard was missing freshman pitcher Morgan Groom, who sat due to illness after pitching a complete game the day before, freshman Jamie Halula and sophomore Gabrielle Ruiz combined to hold the Bulldogs to five earned runs on 12 hits and six walks.

With the wins, the Crimson extended its winning streak to six and remains tied with Dartmouth for first place in the North Division with eight conference games to play.

“In this conference, anything can happen,” Harvard coach Jenny Allard said. “We [knew] at the beginning of the season that we were graduating a lot of good players, and we’re in the mix. At this point in the year to still have a shot is great.”

HARVARD 5, YALE 3

After scoring three runs on small-ball plays in the second, fourth and sixth innings, it looked like the Crimson would walk away with its second easy win of the day.

But Yale stuck with Harvard, and its payoff came in the top of the seventh when starting pitcher Ruiz began to struggle with her control.

Freshman left fielder Allie Souza led-off the inning with a liner above Lange’s reach at third, and advanced to second when freshman shortstop Brittany Labbadia drew a walk. Sophomore catcher Sarah Onorato made the first out of the inning, a hard-hit liner speared by Hume at first.

After Ruiz gave up a bloop single to right field, Halula—who was credited with the win—came in to relieve the sophomore and gave up a sacrifice groundball and a single, which brought the score to a tie going into the bottom of the inning.

But the Crimson would come out on top, as junior co-captain and right fielder Shelbi Olson reached on a single up the middle and stole second, setting the stage for Lange’s walk-off.

“We’ve been waiting for one of those for her,” Allard said. “We were just trying to get Kasey to connect with the ball, and I was surprised they pitched to her. They had handled her earlier in other at bats, but she just did a great job.”

HARVARD 12, YALE 3

Harvard overcame a tough break at the beginning of the game but responded with a run in the bottom of the first and three in the second to take the lead.

Onorato led off with a long fly ball into the right center gap. She stretched it into a triple when freshman center fielder Zoe Galindo booted the ball. Onorato came home when sophomore second baseman Katherine Lantz bobbled the ball on the cutoff.

Halula gave up her second consecutive hit to the same spot, but heads up fielding by Galindo held junior center fielder Tori Balta to a single, and Halula shut down the Bulldogs’ threat with two fly-outs and a groundball to Gusse.

In the top of the third, senior second baseman Jennifer Ong grounded to Gusse, who was bowled over by sophomore right fielder Riley Hughes charging from second. Though the runner was called for the final out of the inning on the interference, Gusse stayed down for several minutes.

But the shortstop was able to walk it off and she started the next inning with a slow chopper over starting pitcher Chelsea Dunham’s head, beating out the throw for a single. Gusse’s bat and defense would prove crucial for the rest of the game.

“Oh you know, I’m feeling old,” Gusse said about her collision. “You do what you need to do. I got the out, so that’s what matters.”

Up 4-3 going into the bottom of the fifth, Harvard batted through the order and scored eight runs to end the game. Gusse and Lange both had RBI doubles, and freshman left fielder Haley Davis—batting cleanup in place of sophomore left fielder Andrea Del Conte, who was out with injury—drew a walk.

“Haley has a great mindset for cleanup,” Allard said. “She has a lot of patience, and she seeks good pitches. She’s been doing well in that spot.”

With Hume’s walk-off double, the Crimson hit .444 in the game and .392 for the day, capping off an eight-game conference homestand.

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