Softball Splits Pair With URI

Leave it to Massachusetts to cool down the bats.

The Harvard softball team played its first home games yesterday after a California trip that saw the Crimson score an average of eight runs in its last three games.

But back home at chilly Soldiers Field, Harvard (6-10, 0-0 Ivy) could only muster a total of seven hits in a doubleheader against Rhode Island (8-12). Only because the Crimson faced a Rams pitcher that could not find the strike zone did Harvard win the first game, 6-3, but the home team's luck ran out in the nightcap as the Crimson was shut out, 7-0.

"I don't know what the answer is of why we're not hitting," co-captain Melissa Reyen said. "I just think that we're in a slump."

If Harvard hopes to win with any consistency, that slump has to end.

Harvard 6, URI 3

This game almost seemed like a battle of which pitcher would get rattled first.

After pitching uneventful first innings, Harvard sophomore Heather Brown and URI's Correna Berlinger saw trouble in the second. But while Brown pitched out of her bases-loaded, one-out jam, Berlinger didn't survive the inning.

The Rams led off the frame with a Kellie Cookus single and a sacrifice, and then Pam Asti hit a shot just over junior Melissa Kreuder's head, so close to being caught that Cookus had to hold at third.

Lisa Smith then hit a grounder that got Cookus caught in a rundown from which she later escaped, loading the bases.

But Brown got the next hitter to ground to senior shortstop Amy Reinhard, who forced Cookus out at home. A grounder to first ended the inning.

Harvard, meanwhile, did find a way to get runners across the plate. Walking across the plate, that is.

Two bases on balls and an error loaded the bases with two outs, and back-to-back walks to Reinhard and sophomore centerfielder Jenny Franzese scored a pair of runs.

Then Sue Foggo came in to pitch, and she didn't do too much better at first. A walk to Kreuder let in one more run, and a bases-clearing double by junior Katina Lee ended the scoring at six runs--on one big hit.

That, however, was all the scoring that Harvard did on the day. A single by freshman Karen Rice and a double by Reven were the only other Crimson hits for the remaining four innings of the game, but Brown made the lead hold.

With three runs on walks, it would be difficult to conceive of a way for URI to blow the game more than it did. In truth, Harvard received the victory rather than earned it.

"The runs in the first game were gimmies," Harvard coach Jenny Allard said. "We should have swung our bats today a lot better."

URI 7, Harvard 0

When you hit as many balls out of the infield for base hits as you commit errors, common sense dictates that you'll lose. Well, score one for common sense.

The Crimson had two of each and lost a 7-0 contest in the process. Rhode Island scored three times in the third inning to grab the lead for good and then plated two runs in both the fourth and seventh innings for the 7-0 victory.

Harvard didn't hit, field, pitch or run well in game two; basically, the only good thing that happened was that nobody suffered hypothermia.

"It was very disheartening," Allard said. "We weren't effective on the mound and we didn't hit."

Things fell apart for Harvard with two outs in the top of the third. Freshman pitcher Kathleen Brown looked like she might pitch out of a jam with a runner on second and nobody out, as the Rams sacrificed Heather Reinfinger to third and Brown induced a popup.

However, Jeanne Ferrier connected for a two-out single to drive in the game's first run. Meredith Cloutier doubled to right to put runners on second and third. Sara Villa then launched a rocket to deep centerfield, which sailed just over the outstretched glove of Franzese for a triple and two more runs. Heather Brown relieved her namesake for the third out, but the damage had been done.

And when Harvard first threatened to score, it was already down by five. The Crimson started a rally in the bottom of the fifth inning, but bad base-running kept the team off the score-board. A runner decided to try and score from third and nobody out on a sharp grounder to the pitcher, and she was roadkill at the plate.

"We got thrown out a couple of times when we shouldn't have," Allard said.

After a strong performance out West, yesterday's play left much room for improvement. Harvard will be in action again on Friday when it travels to Central Connecticut State for a twinbill.

Notes

Allard continued to juggle the top of the line-up, as getting on base has been a struggle for the team so far. Reinhard, a co-captain, hit first with Franzese batting second in both games.... The longest play of the year occurred on a rundown in the seventh inning of the second game, as Harvard used five throws to nail a runner trying to advance from second to third. For those of you scoring at home, the play went 8-2-5-4-3-9.... Harvard left eight runners on base in the second game, five of them in scoring position. URI  3 Harvard  6 URI  7 Harvard  0

HARVARD, 6-3 at Soldiers Field         R  H  E URI  000  102  0--  3  7  0 Harvard  060  000  0--  6  3  0

HR: None. 3B: URI--Smith, Kessler; Harvard--None. 2B: URI--Ashi; Harvard--Lee, LaSovage. E: None.

WP: H. Brown; LP: Berlinger

URI, 7-0 at Soldiers Field         R  H  E URI  003  200  2--  7  9  1 Harvard  000  000  0--  0  4  2

HR: None. 3B: URI--Villa; Harvard--None. 2B: URI--Bailey, Cloutier, Cookus, Smith; Harvard--Reyen. E: URI--Cloutier; Harvard--Franzese, Feinberg.

WP: Bailey; LP: K. Brown

HARVARD, 6-3 at Soldiers Field         R  H  E URI  000  102  0--  3  7  0 Harvard  060  000  0--  6  3  0

HR: None. 3B: URI--Smith, Kessler; Harvard--None. 2B: URI--Ashi; Harvard--Lee, LaSovage. E: None.

WP: H. Brown; LP: Berlinger

URI, 7-0 at Soldiers Field         R  H  E URI  003  200  2--  7  9  1 Harvard  000  000  0--  0  4  2

HR: None. 3B: URI--Villa; Harvard--None. 2B: URI--Bailey, Cloutier, Cookus, Smith; Harvard--Reyen. E: URI--Cloutier; Harvard--Franzese, Feinberg.

WP: Bailey; LP: K. Brown

HR: None. 3B: URI--Smith, Kessler; Harvard--None. 2B: URI--Ashi; Harvard--Lee, LaSovage. E: None.

WP: H. Brown; LP: Berlinger

URI, 7-0 at Soldiers Field         R  H  E URI  003  200  2--  7  9  1 Harvard  000  000  0--  0  4  2

HR: None. 3B: URI--Villa; Harvard--None. 2B: URI--Bailey, Cloutier, Cookus, Smith; Harvard--Reyen. E: URI--Cloutier; Harvard--Franzese, Feinberg.

WP: Bailey; LP: K. Brown

HR: None. 3B: URI--Villa; Harvard--None. 2B: URI--Bailey, Cloutier, Cookus, Smith; Harvard--Reyen. E: URI--Cloutier; Harvard--Franzese, Feinberg.

WP: Bailey; LP: K. Brown