Losses Knock Softball Out of Ivy Title Race

Forgive the Harvard softball team if they sound a bit like Charles Dickens. After sweeping Ivy-leading Yale on Saturday, then dropping a pair of games to Brown and eliminating itself from contention for the Ivy title, the Crimson was definitely feeling the best of times and the worst of times.

Heading into the weekend, Harvard (19-17-1, 7-5 Ivy) trailed the Bulldogs (27-19, 7-5) by one game in the league standings, before the pair of wins over Yale gave the Crimson a one-game lead.

Losing yesterday’s first contest to the Bears (15-18, 8-4) was a setback for the Crimson, but the erosion of a 5-0 lead and a two-out, bottom-of-the-seventh grand slam from Brown’s Courtney Jenkins in game two hammered home the proverbial nail in the coffin.

BROWN 9, SOFTBALL 5

A must-win for both teams turned into a must-forget for Harvard.

The Crimson broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning of yesterday’s second game, powering its way to a 5-0 lead. Freshman third baseman Virginia Fritsch and junior pitcher Lauren Bettinelli launched back-to-back dingers, and sophomore designated hitter Rachel Murray joined the fun, blasting a two-run shot of her own three batters later.

Bettinelli held the Bears scoreless into the sixth, when Brown put a dent into the cushion on the strength of a three-run round-tripper from Jaimie Wirkowski.

Still, the Crimson went into the bottom of the seventh staked to a two-run lead one of its most reliable hurlers toeing the rubber.

The Bears managed to cut into the lead with an RBI single from Mary Seid, and then knotted the game at fives when Laura Leonetti ripped a single to center, driving in another run.

Brown managed to load the bases, while Harvard managed to record two outs, and the stage was set for Jenkins.

The freshman first baseman sent Bettinelli’s offering over the fence for a game-ending, heart-breaking grand slam.

“We didn’t lose the game because of a grand slam, we lost the game because when it came down to it, they got the job done,” co-captain second baseman Sara Williamson said. “We thought we had done it both games, but the Ivies are fickle and if you don’t play seven hard innings, any game can slip right between your fingers.”

Still, that extra base hit had extraordinary implications for the Crimson.

With the loss, Harvard suffered its fifth setback of the year. Yesterday, Cornell swept Penn and finished its Ivy schedule with a 10-4 mark, thereby knocking out all teams with five losses. Brown also has only four losses, and will host a doubleheader against Yale next weekend.

Fritsch went 2-for-4 on the day with a home run, her fifth of the year, and drove in two runs. Bettinelli and Murray batted 1-for-3, each with a home run, and knocking in one and two runs, respectively.

Inside the circle, Bettinelli (8-7) tossed 6 2/3 innings, giving up nine runs on nine hits while punching out five.

BROWN 8, SOFTBALL 6

The Crimson drew first blood, scoring a run in the top of the first when junior first baseman Cecily Gordon lined a double to left center, bringing home junior outfielder Lauren Stefanchik.

Not to succumb to hibernation, the Bears promptly roused in the bottom of the inning, swiping a 2-1 lead on a two-run home run from Leonetti.

Brown again got a boost from Leonetti, whose single though the middle in the third inning scored a pair and gave the Bears a 4-1 advantage.

“They just seemed to get all the timely hits,” co-captain and pitcher Kara Brotemarkle said. “The ball found the holes in the defense, when it wasn’t going over the fence, and that made a big difference in the outcome of the game.”

In the top of the fourth inning, Gordon led off with a double to center and Fritsch reached base after an error. Bettinelli singled to left to drive in Gordon, and the bases were cleared when sophomore catcher Erin Halpenny singled to right field and advanced on a throwing error by the right fielder. Junior shortstop Rachel Goldberg singled home Halpenny for the fourth run of the inning and a 5-4 lead.

The margin was expanded to 6-4 in the fifth, when Fritsch got belligerent, dropping a bomb over the outfield fence for her fourth home run of the year.

Brotemarkle and her defense were not able to hold the advantage, however, and Brown came back in the sixth.

After Wirkowski reached on an error and Courtney Jenkins singled to right, the Bears came within one on an RBI single from Melisssa Brown.

“We were hitting the ball well but weren’t getting those key plays on the field that we needed to win,” co-captain second baseman Sara Williamson said.

Uchenna Omokaro, the Brown starting pitcher, helped herself by singling through the left side, and put the Bears on top 7-6. Seid added the final run for the Bears with an RBI single.

“We laid it all out there and there was a lot of heart in all the games we played this weekend,” Brotemarkle said. “Sometimes things just don’t turn out the way you think they should.”

Bettinelli went 2-for-3 with an RBI, Gordon batted 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI, and Fritsch went 1-for-3 with an RBI.

Brotemarkle had an off-day, allowing seven earned runs on seven hits in six innings of work. After allowing only 26 earned runs in her first 111 1/3 innings this year, the outpouring of runs lifted her ERA from 1.63 to 1.97 and leveled her record to 9-9.

SOFTBALL 2, YALE 1

Harvard cracked open a scoreless game in the top of the seventh, taking the game and the sweep over the league-leading Bulldogs.

Bettinelli and Yale’s Beth Pavlicek locked horns in a pitcher’s duel for six innings, keeping both teams off the board through six.

But in the top half of the final inning, with the score still nil-nil, the Crimson was able to finally break through the Bulldog defense. Fritsch walked to lead off the inning, and freshman Susie Winkeller came in to run for her. Bettinelli attempted to sacrifice herself and move the runner to second by bunting, but Yale elected to try to get Winkeller at second and failed.

Halpenny then bunted and moved both runners up, setting the stage for Williamson, who singled home Winkeller and sent Bettinelli to third.

A walk to Goldberg loaded the bases, and freshman right fielder Julia Kidder was struck by an offering from Pavlicek, forcing home Harvard’s second run of the game, and giving the Crimson a two-run advantage heading into the bottom of the seventh.

But the Bulldogs were not done biting.

After Niki Haab led off with a pinch-hit home run, Harvard head coach Jenny Allard elected to go to her senior ace Brotemarkle in the dicey situation, and her move proved quite sage.

Brotemarkle retired the next three batters, thwarting the Yale comeback and earning her second save of the year.

Goldberg and Halpenny went 1-for-2, and Lauren Stefanchik, Williamson, Pilar Adams and Bettinelli all went 1-for-3.

Bettinelli surrendered one run on eight hits, picking up the win.

SOFTBALL 6, YALE 0

Brotemarkle blanked the Bulldogs with a four-hit, 10-strikeout performance, and Fritsch went yard for a three-run blast to propel the Crimson to its first victory on Saturday afternoon.

“The game was great,” Brotemarkle said. “We had a ton of energy and we had fun playing out there.”

Harvard jumped right on the board early with a four-run first inning.

Stefanchik bunted her way on with one out and Gordon followed with a single to left to give Harvard runners at first and second.

That set the table for Fritsch, who walloped a shot over the left field fence for her third home run of the season and three more RBI.

Bettinelli kept the inning going with a single to center, advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt from Halpenny. Williamson knocked in Bettinelli with a double down the left field line and gave the Crimson a 4-0 lead.

Brotemarkle then did what comes natural to her, setting Bulldog batters down time after time, aided by the pitch calling of Halpenny.

“Our offense really came through and got us a good cushion, so we could relax a little on the field,” Brotemarkle said.

Harvard added two more insurance runs, superfluous with Brotemarkle on the mound, in the sixth and seventh innings.

Stefanchik and Fritsch both went 3-for-4, and Williamson and Gordon batted 2-for-4 on the day.

The Crimson face cross-town rival Boston College on Thursday at Chesnut Hill, and then will play host to Dartmouth on Saturday for its final Ivy doubleheader.

—Staff writer J. Patrick Coyne can be reached at coyne@fas.harvard.edu.