Softball Ends Season With Two Losses

The Harvard softball team came into Sunday knowing it needed to win both games in order to advance to the Ivy League Championship Series. After losing to Brown last week due to an error-filled seventh inning, it was a close, hard fought loss this week that prevented the Crimson from returning to the ILCS for the fourth-straight year.

The disappointing doubleheader brought to a close a season which came down to the last day. Although there were many tears from the players at the end of the game, Harvard coach Jenny Allard was very proud of her team for its performance.

“I think you define success in many ways,” Allard said. “My goal every year is to have them overachieve, and this year they overachieved. They were resilient which was characteristic of our seniors who came out and led everyday.”

DARTMOUTH 13, HARVARD 1

After the loss in the first game, the Crimson knew its season was over. A run in the bottom of the first put Harvard up 1-0 and made it look like it would hang tough and finish the season on a positive note.

But the Big Green Machine turned the score on its head. Over the next four innings, Dartmouth put 13 runs on the board, enacting the mercy rule after five.

Freshman Jamie Halula started for the Crimson. After holding the Big Green scoreless in the first, Dartmouth jumped out in front in the top of second with a three-run home run from senior Katie Adams giving the Big Green a 3-1 lead. An RBI single by senior Morgan Wharton brought the score to 4-1.

Another home run in the top of the third gave Dartmouth a 6-1 lead as the game appeared farther and farther out of reach for the Crimson.

Two more runs were scored in the top of the fourth when junior Kasey Lange threw errantly to first allowing two Dartmouth runners to score, including the batter.

Sophomore Gabrielle Ruiz replaced Halula to try and contain the damage. She managed to get out of the fourth with just one more run plated, but at this point it was 9-1 in favor of the Big Green.

In the fifth, a Dartmouth triple to right field brought home two more runs. Dartmouth scored two more in the top half of the inning and after the Crimson was unable to score again the mercy rule was enacted.

“Dartmouth is a great team,” Allard said. “They earned it today.”

DARTMOUTH 5, HARVARD 4

Things were looking good for the Crimson in the bottom of the sixth inning of the first game of the doubleheader. Freshman Zoe Galindo had just ripped a triple into the corner of Soldiers Field and Harvard held a 4-3 lead.

It was the little things, however, that eventually did the Crimson in. Senior Stephanie Regan tried to lay down a bunt to squeeze Galindo home, but was unable to get on top of the pitch from Dartmouth hurler Kaitlin McCalmon and instead popped up to the third baseman, unable to advance the runner. After junior captain Shelbi Olson grounded back to the pitcher, Galindo was left stranded.

When Morgan Groom stepped back into the circle in the top of the seventh, the Crimson were three outs away from forcing Dartmouth into an effective one game playoff for a spot in the championship game. After the first two Dartmouth batters reached base on groundball singles, Groom managed to force a double play, leaving a Dartmouth runner on second base with two outs.

The next Dartmouth batter laid down an artful bunt to third base, and beat the throw on a close-call where the tie went to the runner. Groom then allowed a hit up the middle, which tied the game, 4-4.

The Crimson were unable to score in the bottom of the seventh, leaving an intentionally walked Lange on base.

In the first at bat of extra innings, freshman Katie McEachern lifted a home run to left field for Dartmouth, which would end up being the game winning home run.

Groom pitched seven innings for the Crimson, giving up four earned runs on 14 hits and totaling four strikeouts. Ruiz was awarded the loss for giving up the game-winning run in the eighth.

Lange hit her thirteenth home run of the season, a solo shot, giving her sole position of the program’s all-time career home run record.

“I think we played our hearts out today, which is part of why it’s so hard [to lose],” Olson said. “Everybody gave 100% of what they had, and I can leave the field knowing we played our hearts out and that’s all we can do.”

—Staff writer Jacob W. Lynch can be reached at jacoblynch@college.harvard.edu.