Wilson’s Walk-Off Powers Harvard Baseball to Series Win Over Cornell

Just days after a $2.2 billion blow from the White House, Harvard baseball handed out a punishment of their own.

In its highest scoring weekend of the season and second Ivy League home series of the year, the Crimson (8–22, 5–9 Ivy) strung together two straight wins over Cornell (11–16, 6–9 Ivy) on Saturday, including a walk-off thriller punctuated by first-year Liam Wilson’s home-run blast, before dropping a 14–13 heartbreaker in a Sunday slugfest. Wilson earned Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors for his performance.

Over three games, Harvard’s offense exploded for 30 runs and 43 hits — its most in any series this season — as the team posted double-digit knocks in each contest and showcased a balance of veteran leadership and emerging stars.

Harvard 8, Cornell 5

Saturday’s series opener began with a back-and-forth battle that ultimately swung in Harvard’s favor behind timely hitting and six strong innings from junior right-hander Callan Fang.

Cornell jumped ahead with four runs in the top of the second, but the Crimson quickly responded. A two-run bottom half — highlighted by an RBI single from senior Matt Giberti — trimmed the deficit, and Harvard tied the game 4-4 in the third on a sacrifice fly from senior William Lybrook.

In the bottom of the sixth frame, the Crimson seized the lead for good. Sophomore Tyler Shulman worked a bases-loaded walk before Lybrook delivered again with his second sacrifice fly of the game. Harvard tacked on two more runs in the eighth, with Lybrook capping a three-RBI performance and junior Jordan Kang adding an RBI on a fielder’s choice.

At the top of the lineup, Giberti led the charge, going 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI, improving to 12-for-14 on stolen base attempts after swiping two more bags. Senior George Cooper and junior Gio Colasante each tallied two hits and scored twice.

Fang earned the win, striking out six while surrendering three earned runs. Sophomore right-hander Ryan McHugh tossed 1.1 scoreless innings for his third save of the year, navigating a tense ninth inning with poise.

Harvard 9, Cornell 8

After building a 5-0 lead through five innings behind sophomore Truman Pauley’s brilliance, the Crimson saw its advantage vanish in the eighth, as Cornell erupted for six runs, aided by two Harvard throwing errors, a two-run homer from senior first baseman Kyle Musser, and a series of miscues that left the Crimson trailing 8-5 entering the ninth.

What followed was one of the most electric innings of Harvard’s season.

With one out, Kang blasted his fourth homer of the year — a two-run shot to left-center — to bring the Crimson within one. After senior Sawyer Feller’s single, Wilson stepped in as a pinch hitter and launched a walk-off two-run home run to left, completing the comeback and securing the series win.

It was Wilson’s fourth home run of the season and his first career walk-off. Harvard’s three home runs in the contest — from Kang, Wilson, and Colasante earlier in the game — marked a season high in Ivy League play.

Pauley — who has emerged as one of the Crimson’s top starters— delivered another gem. The sophomore tossed 7.0 innings of two-run baseball, striking out 10 and allowing just three hits. It was his second consecutive start with double-digit strikeouts, following his near no-hitter against Princeton a week earlier.

Feller went 3-for-4, while Colasante added two hits, a stolen base, and his fifth homer of the year. Lybrook contributed two more RBIs, bringing his series total to eight.

Cornell 14, Harvard 13

Sunday’s finale quickly turned into a slugfest — a 27-run, 34-hit offensive marathon that marked the highest combined run total in the 176-game history between Harvard and Cornell.

Harvard racked up a season-high 18 hits, with five players recording multi-hit games and four posting multiple RBIs. But despite a furious late-inning push, the Crimson couldn’t complete the sweep, falling 14-13.

The game featured five lead changes. Harvard briefly led 3-2 after a three-run third, capped by a two-run double from Cooper. Lybrook’s three-run homer in the fifth — his first of the season and ninth of his career — gave the Crimson a 6-5 edge.

Cornell then broke the game open with an eight-run sixth inning, turning a one-run deficit into a 13-6 lead. The Big Red strung together seven consecutive base runners, aided by a pair of hit batters, three walks, and five hits — including a two-RBI double from TJ Swidorski and a two-run single from Owen Carlson.

Harvard again refused to go quietly. A four-run seventh was sparked by RBI singles from junior Gio Colasante and sophomore Tyler Shulman, followed by Kang’s fifth homer of the season — and his third in as many games — to bring the Crimson within three.

The Crimson inched even closer in the ninth. Giberti laced an RBI double and Cooper followed with an RBI single to make it 14-13, but a game-tying rally was cut short when Cornell induced a fielder’s choice to end the game.

Despite the loss, Harvard’s offensive output was historic. Cooper went 4-for-5 with three RBIs and two doubles, finishing the weekend hitting .533. Lybrook batted .545 (6-for-11) with eight RBIs. Giberti added seven hits and five runs over the three games, while Feller and Rickheim combined for seven hits and five runs.

The Crimson now turns its attention to a trip to Providence next week for a three-game series against Brown and the Beanpot Championship versus Northeastern at Fenway Park on April 29.

—Staff writer Dhruv T. Patel can be reached at dhruv.patel@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @dhruvtkpatel.

—Staff writer Saketh Sundar can be reached at saketh.sundar@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @saketh_sundar.