Ivy Softball Roundup

By failing to sweep either Columbia or Cornell at Soldiers Field this past weekend, the Harvard softball team has left its Ivy title hopes in the hands of the Big Red's remaining opponents for the second time in three years.

The Crimson (14-16, 5-3 Ivy) has little margin of error over its final six Ivy games-two home doubleheaders versus Yale (18-17, 4-4) and Brown (5-25, 3-5) this weekend and a pair at Dartmouth (13-13, 6-2) the following weekend.

Even if Harvard manages a six-game sweep, which will be no easy task, either perennial Ivy cellar-team Penn (12-21, 2-6) or Princeton (12-11, 3-5) would have to win a game at Cornell (24-13, 8-2) this weekend, weather permitting, for the Crimson to gain even a share of the Ivy title. Current long-range forecasts are predicting showers in Ithaca all weekend.

The Big Red is undefeated in eight games at home this year, including two stunning wins over Brown. In that doubleheader, Cornell came back from an eight-run deficit in the first game and a six-run deficit in the second.

Two years ago, when Cornell last came within striking distance of eliminating Harvard from Ivy contention, the Big Red stepped up and wrapped up the league title, destroying Dartmouth by a combined tally of 19-0.

This year's Penn and Princeton teams should be much stronger than that 1999 Dartmouth team, however. The Tigers spoiler hopes will rest heavily on junior pitcher Brie Galicinao-a player who can single-handedly win ball games with her arm and her bat, as the Crimson recently learned. Galicinao has been dominant on the mound this season, posting an 0.98 ERA while striking out 80 through 87 innings.

But Galicinao has been no Chelsea Thoke in terms of endurance. This season, Galicinao has yet to post a win after pitching the previous day. Two weeks ago, she was shelled against Dartmouth after dominating Harvard the day before. Last Saturday, she was relegated to pinch-hitting duties despite pitching a gem versus Yale the previous afternoon.

None of this is good news for Harvard's hopes of a Princeton upset, since the Tigers take on Cornell on Saturday after playing Columbia on Friday. One possibility, however, is that the heavy rains could hold out until Saturday and postpone solely the Cornell-Princeton games.

Weather has had a negligible effect on Harvard's schedule so far this season, although yesterday's scheduled doubleheader at No. 25 UMass (26-9) was pushed back to Thursday so the Minutewomen could make up a conference game. UMass-winners of 20 straight-are climbing up the national rankings for the first time since U.S. National Team pitcher Danielle Henderson's graduation.

Crop Rotation

Dartmouth pitcher Christine Quattrocchi had a fairly-tale freshman year in 2000, posting a 22-4 record with a 1.31 ERA to earn Pitcher of the Year Honors while leading her team to second place in the Ivies and ECACs-the best season in Dartmouth's short history.

But nowadays, Quattrocchi is mired in a sophomore slump. She dropped her first five starts of the season against tough competition, and her numbers haven't improved in Ivy play. She escaped with 8-5 and 7-6 wins over Princeton and Penn, respectively, in her first two Ivy starts, before getting hammered in 11-3 and 4-0 defeats at the hands of Cornell and Columbia, respectively, last weekend.

To make matters worse for Dartmouth, its field is still covered with snow. The Big Green played its home Ivy games in New Haven last weekend.

Yet despite all the misfortune, Dartmouth is even with Cornell in the loss column and a game ahead of Harvard in the Ivy standings-thanks mainly to a new freshman ace named Lisa Caruso.

Caruso has given up one run in four Ivy wins, including shutouts of Cornell and Columbia last week. She has pitched the second game of each of Dartmouth's four doubleheaders to learn from Quattrocchi's mistakes before taking the mound herself.

Junior infielder Kristin King-the two-sport All-Ivy athlete who has been the Big Green's leading hitter from the past two seasons-is also off to slow start. Simply put, Dartmouth is winning already and still has plenty of room for improvement.

Lion Pride

Despite being only a second-year program and a first-time Ivy competitor, Columbia (14-18, 3-7) pulled out victories last weekend against Harvard and Dartmouth-the league's top two teams from year ago. Adding to the unprecedented accomplishment is that the game-winning RBI in each game came off of a former Ivy Pitcher of the Year.

Coach Christine Vogt '94 is bringing the Columbia team along quickly. Having already earned three wins in their first Ivy season, the Lions have far surpassed the debut performances of Dartmouth and Cornell, who were both winless in their first Ivy seasons in the mid 90's.

Since Columbia has always ranked dead last in the Ivies in sponsorship of women's athletics, the Lions' performance this past weekend already makes them one of the most successful women's teams in school history. The Columbia women's soccer team needed 15 seasons to beat Harvard, and the Columbia women's basketball team needed 20 years. The Columbia softball team did it in just one try.

The Lion field hockey and lacrosse teams have never beaten Harvard in their short histories. The field hockey team did, however, win an ECAC championship en route to a school record 13 wins on the season and the ECAC championship last fall. Such success has not been found by the lacrosse team, which is winless in 27 league games in its first four seasons of Ivy play.