Softball Takes Three of Four From Yale

In its last home stand of the season, the Harvard softball team came out with a strong showing against Yale, going 3-1 on the weekend to climb above the .500 mark overall.

After a mid-week non-conference game against Bryant, the Crimson has just a four-game set against Dartmouth to close out the regular season.

“We want to play Harvard softball so we have a chance going into the last weekend,” Harvard senior Laura Ricciardone said. “It’s important for us to do our thing and make sure we have a shot going into that last weekend and all bets are off, just go for it.”

YALE 3, HARVARD 1

The team’s only loss of the weekend came in its last contest of the series. The Crimson (20-19, 11-5 Ivy) could not pull off the sweep against the Bulldogs (9-20, 3-11), as two runs in the top of the seventh inning proved to be the deciding factor.

Leading up to the seventh, the match up was concentrated on pitching. Ricciardone got the start for the Crimson. She was strong through her seven innings, striking out three and walking only one batter, but the defense gave up two unearned runs in the final frame that were the difference in the game.

With two outs in the top of the seventh, the Crimson was just one out away from going into its half of the seventh inning attempt, but back-to-back fielding errors allowed the Bulldogs to pull ahead. Harvard could not answer the call in the bottom of the inning.

HARVARD 6, YALE 4

After going down 1-0 early in the top of the first, the Crimson was able to keep the eyes on the prize en route to a four run bottom of the second that proved crucial in the win.

With two on base and two out, senior first baseman Adrienne Hume came up big, sending a triple deep down the left field line, plating two runs. Junior enter fielder Zoe Galindo joined the hit parade with her single to left center, scoring Hume from third. A stolen base and a wild pitch later, senior second baseman Katherine Lantz stepped up to the plate and sent a double deep into left field, capping off Harvard’s scoring for the inning.

Yale looked as if it might make a comeback in the top of the seventh when third hitter Camille Weisenbach was up with a runner on second and a chance to tie the game, but junior Morgan Groom pitched her way out of the jam, inducing Weisenbachto fly out to center to end the game.

HARVARD 6, YALE 5

With the score knotted at four and two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, freshman Maddy Kaplan connected for a double to center field to give the Crimson a 6-4 lead.

The Bulldogs brought the potential go-ahead run to the plate in the top of the seventh, but senior shortstop Emily Gusse stopped a sharp grounder and flipped the ball to Lantz to end the game.

Harvard got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the third inning. After senior Andrea del Conte walked, Kaplan laid a bunt down the third base line for a single to set up the run-scoring opportunity for the Crimson. Gusse capitalized with a double to the left-field gap, the first of two for the San Diego, Calif., native in the game.

“[Gusse’s] been so steadily defensively and she’s really coming on strong offensively,” Harvard coach Jenny Allard said. “For her to be that clutch, we really needed it.”

Yale responded in the top of the fourth inning with four runs on five hits off of Harvard sophomore pitcher Taylor Cabe. Ricciardone entered the game in relief, but the Bulldogs took advantage of a Crimson error to score their fourth run of the inning.

Gusse added her second double of the game in the bottom half of the fifth inning to even the score and set Harvard up for the late-inning win.

HARVARD 10, YALE 1 (5 innings)

Ricciardone led the Crimson on the mound and at the plate in the team’s opener against the Bulldogs with three strong innings in the circle and a grand slam.

The Crimson continued to put pressure on Yale after the grand slam, adding three singles and a three-run homer off of the bat of Lantz to take a decisive 9-0 lead.

“We were on a three-game slide there, so it was good especially for this team to come out in the first inning,” Ricciardone said. “That sets an incredible tone for the rest of the day.”

The Bulldogs scored their lone run of the game in the third inning, capitalizing on two consecutive errors by Crimson infielders.

Senior Gabrielle Ruiz came on in relief and struck out four of the nine batters she faced to close out the game for Harvard.

—Staff writer Eileen P. Storey can be reached at estorey@college.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Ariel Smolik-Valles can be reached at ariel.smolik-valles@thecrimson.com.