Crimson Picks Up Three Wins on Road

In last weekend’s twinbill against Bryant, the Harvard softball team grabbed a 7-0 lead in its second matchup of the day before officials called the game due to a lack of light. Unable to avenge its 6-3 loss from its earlier game, the Crimson left Rhode Island angry and frustrated.

Harvard took that frustration and unleashed it on the Quinnipiac Bobcats (16-13) and the Iona College Gaels (7-11) in consecutive doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. The Crimson (12-10) went 3-1 over the weekend with a sweep against Quinnipiac—including a shutout—and a split series against the Iona. Harvard outscored its opponents, 22-13, highlighted by junior Mari Zumbro’s grand slam against Iona.

In its final weekend before Ivy League conference matchups, all of which are two back-to-back doubleheaders, the Crimson understood the importance of using Quinnipiac and Iona to get into a proper rhythm before starting conference play.

“This is one of the most important weekends for us as a team,” co-captain Ellen Macadam said. “The teams we play here are much more similar in caliber to the teams we’ll be playing in the Ivies. So it’s good to be able to get everything firing and working before we open conference [play].”

IONA 8, HARVARD 3

In Harvard’s last game of the weekend, the Crimson kept things close by overcoming a 3-1 deficit to tie the game at three by the end of the third inning. But the Gaels scored five unanswered runs over the next three innings to take the 8-3 victory.

“The fourth game is always the toughest,” junior pitcher Rachel Brown said. “To play four games in a weekend is not easy. We didn’t quite have our usual energy.”

Harvard struck first with freshman infielder Kasey Lange hitting a double to bring home Macadam and give the Crimson a 1-0 lead. But Iona responded, scoring three runs in the bottom of the second, as Harvard struggled with the Gaels’ pitching.

“We needed to attack their pitcher a little more,” Macadam said. “We were a little slow in adjusting to their pitcher.”

The Crimson faced one of the toughest pitching staffs of the year as Iona senior pitcher Alyssa Maiese struck out nine batters in Harvard’s loss.

“We faced one of the best pitching teams we’ve seen all season,” Brown said. “For our offense to score seven runs in two games was great.”

HARVARD 4, IONA 1

Earlier in the day, both teams remained scoreless until the top of the seventh inning, when Harvard pitcher Zumbro pounded the ball out of Iona’s Rice Oval Park for a grand slam to put the Crimson up, 4-0.

“It was a really close game,” Macadam said. “Kind of a pitcher’s duel. With two outs, we loaded the bases, and then Mari came in and hit a grand slam for us. It was unbelievably great.”

Brown struck out 15 of the 26 batters she faced, allowing only one run at the bottom of the seventh.

“We had great defense,” Brown said. “I was confident that every time a runner got on, my defense could make the plays. It was just a matter of when we could score.”

HARVARD 7, QUINNIPIAC 4

Harvard scored first and often in its second game against Quinnipiac. In the third inning, Macadam doubled off of an error and brought in junior infielder Jane Alexander. Later in the fifth, the Crimson blew the game open, scoring five more runs.

“We really came to play,” Harvard coach Jenny Allard said. “We brought good energy to the games today. Offensively, we really settled in, swung at some good pitches, and made things happen. Jane Alexander had an exceptional day at plate, and we had a lot of clutch hits.”

Alexander added to her single in the third inning with a double in the fifth, while freshman pitcher Laura Ricciardone and Zumbro helped the visiting team hold its lead down the stretch.

“Our pitchers did an amazing job of keeping us in it,” Alexander said. “Everyone just swung their bats like they were capable of, and we came together to put a bunch of runs on the board.”

HARVARD 8, QUINNIPIAC 0

Giving up a sole leadoff single at the bottom of the fourth and striking out 10 of the 23 batters she faced, Brown recorded her second one-hit shutout of the season in the Crimson’s first game against the Bobcats.

While Quinnipiac was unable to get anything past Brown, the Crimson scored twice in the fourth inning, followed by six runs in the seventh. Alexander and Lange each homered once in the final inning to lift Harvard to its 8-0 win.

“It was good to see our offense come together in full force,” Macadam said. “We’ve been getting a lot of runners on base in the past few games, but we haven’t had much success in scoring. So, I think we finally broke through today and scored a couple of runs.”