Baseball Sweeps Lafayette, Coppin State in D.C.

This weekend, the 2017 Harvard baseball team, fresh off an offseason full of change, traveled to the nation’s capital to kick off its 43-game regular season with four games as part of the D.C. Grays Collegiate Challenge. The Crimson looked to take care of business in Washington, D.C. against two teams that had combined for one win and 10 losses before the start of weekend play.

Buoyed by an offensive outburst of 33 total runs, Harvard (4-0) did more than just take care of business—its weekend sweep illustrated the potential of a team firing on all cylinders.

“Everyone was ready to go, right off the bat,” sophomore outfielder Ben Skinner said. “We got off to a quick start, which definitely helped. We were able to get some momentum going and carried it through all four games.”

HARVARD 6, COPPIN ST. 2

Sophomore righty Kevin Stone pitched five innings of one-run ball, and his younger brother, freshman Grant Stone, picked him up with three innings of relief work, to guide the Crimson to a 6-2 win over Coppin State University (1-7) on Sunday.

“The bullpen was huge—it’s really nice when you can turn to your bullpen and be confident in them,” Skinner said. “We had some freshman arms that stepped up and they’re going to take on pretty big roles this season. We’re looking forward to watching them develop and help us as a program.”

Sophomore first baseman Patrick McColl drove in two runs on a fourth-inning homer to provide an early boost for Harvard. McColl also drew two walks on a weekend in which the Crimson drew 26 walks overall.

Meanwhile, junior Matt Rothenberg capped off his weekend by going 3-for-4 to up his early season batting average to .600.

“I thought we really played four complete games,” said Rothenberg, last season’s team leader in batting average and hits. “We swung it well, one-through-nine, [and] we got some great pitching performances. It’s huge for team momentum going forward.”

HARVARD 6, LAFAYETTE 0

Rothenberg was quick to point to junior righty Ian Miller’s complete game, one-hit shutout of Lafayette as the prime example of the weekend’s stellar pitching performance.

Indeed, Miller faced just two hitters above the minimum 27 and struck out eight in a nine-inning gem to lead Harvard to a 6-0 win over the Leopards (2-10) on Sunday.

On the offensive side, senior first baseman Matt Hink, who had just 15 plate appearances last year but a solid sophomore campaign, had a career day after driving in four runs on a pair of two-run home runs.

“I really think we have a good squad here,” Skinner said. “[Coach Bill Decker] mentioned that every single player got into a game at some point this weekend, which goes to show you how it was truly a team effort.”

Miller’s performance is a positive sign for a rotation that’s tasked with filling the sizeable hole that former Crimson ace Nick Gruener left. At the end of last season, Gruener elected to forgo his final year of eligibility to sign with the Baltimore Orioles.

Still, as Skinner notes, “the most important win is the next one”, and the downsized rotation, comprised of relatively inexperienced pitchers, will look to build off Miller’s spark.

HARVARD 14, COPPIN ST. 3

Harvard churned out 11 hits and got RBI’s across the lineup to down the Eagles and move to 2-0. McColl led the way with 3 RBI’s, while freshman leadoff hitter Quinn Hoffman, Hink, sophomore outfielder Patrick Robinson, senior infielder Drew Reid, sophomore outfielder John MacLean, and Skinner drove in runs.

The team’s consistent scoring, on top of the hot hitting, was catalyzed by five Coppin St. errors leading to six unearned runs.

Rothenberg went 1-for-3 in his first game of the season after sitting out the afternoon opener.

“As far as Matt goes, last season he was one of our best hitters, without a doubt,” Skinner said. “No one was surprised to see him come out and go six-for-10 [on the weekend]. He’s a really exceptional hitter and that’s what we expect from him.”

Out of the bullpen, junior Garrett Rupp gave up just one unearned run in three innings of relief work. Along with the rotation, Rupp and the bullpen are tasked with providing year-long consistency for the Crimson.

HARVARD 13, LAFAYETTE 1

Harvard scored four times in the first two innings and posted crooked numbers in the fifth and eighth innings en route to a season-opening 13-1 blowout over Lafayette.

Robinson drove in four on 3-for-5 hitting, while leadoff hitter Hoffman reached three times on three singles and added a stolen base.

Sophomore righty Simon Rosenblum-Larson pitched seven innings of quality one-run ball with nine K’s to complete the team effort.

“It’s just about having the same consistent week of preparation,” said Rothenberg, speaking on replicating this weekend’s success in the team’s upcoming jam-packed Spring Break trip to Florida. “When we get there, taking it game-by-game is the best way to do it.”

—Staff writer Bryan Hu can be reached at bryan.hu@thecrimson.com.