Softball Falters Against Dartmouth

After a slight delay due to rain, the Crimson (28-15, 14-3 Ivy) hosted Dartmouth (29-16, 18-2) on Monday, dropping both games of a home doubleheader after splitting a pair of contests on Sunday in Hanover. The three losses to the Big Green on the weekend ensured that for the second year in a row, the Crimson will not represent the North Division in the Ivy League Championship series.

The Crimson’s pitching rotation, which had been so consistent all season, gave up 17 runs in the last two games—as many as it had given up in the previous nine games combined.

“Today was tough,” junior Emily Gusse said. “We came out and battled. They just came out a little bit hotter. It’s tough, and it’s never fun to lose your season. We are proud of what we have accomplished this year and looking forward we have learned a lot and we will grow from it.”

DARTMOUTH 9, HARVARD 2

With its season on the line, the Crimson came up short against the Big Green in the final game of the series.

Dartmouth came out with a bang early, when sophomore shortstop Katie McEachern hit a home run to left center field to put Dartmouth up two runs early.

The Crimson was unable to score, while the Big Green slowly racked up a five-run lead going into the bottom of the fifth. Harvard finally broke through when junior Katherine Lantz singled to right with runners on second and third, driving both home and putting the Crimson back in the game.

However, that momentum soon faded as the Big Green strung together three hits and four runs the next half-inning, pushing the score to an insurmountable 9-2.

Pitcher Morgan McCalmon picked up her tenth win of the season for the Big Green.

The loss means that the seniors, including co-captains Kasey Lange and Shelbi Olson, will not get another chance to reach the NCAA tournament, a feat they accomplished their first two seasons.

“Kasey and Shlebi are two great leaders that I have been fortunate enough to have three years with,” Gusse said. “I cannot speak highly enough of them.”

DARTMOUTH 8, HARVARD 2

In the first game of the doubleheader, the Big Green struck early, putting up three runs in the first inning and extending its lead throughout the game, ultimately downing the Crimson by a six-run margin.

Three singles were all it took for the Big Green to manufacture three runs in the first inning, using two sacrifice flies and a throwing error to advance runners.

The duo of junior Laura Ricciardone and freshman Taylor Cabe kept Harvard in the game for the first three innings, but they gave up a run in each of the next three innings on a pair of solo home runs and an RBI double.

Dartmouth’s Kristen Rumley pitched six strong innings, giving up two runs on five hits for her 16th win of the season.

DARTMOUTH 2, HARVARD 1

The Crimson jumped out to an early lead against Dartmouth, but was unable to hold on in the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader.

Gusse doubled to left field, driving home junior Adrienne Hume for the first run of the game.

Ricciardone and sophomore Morgan Groom were able to hold the Big Green from scoring for the first five innings. In the sixth, however, an error by Olson allowed a runner to advance to second and eventually score on a single by Dartmouth.

The Crimson was unable to plate a runner in the top of the seventh, giving the ball back to Ricciardone with the game still tied. Kelsey Miller, the first batter she faced in the bottom of the seventh, belted a solo shot to give Dartmouth the walk-off victory.

HARVARD 2, DARTMOUTH 0

In the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader, Ricciardone shut down Dartmouth for eight innings, giving the Crimson enough time to finally get on the board in extras.

The story of the game was the pitching, with Ricciardone and the Big Green’s Rumley only allowing nine base runners in the first seven innings. The two also combined for 13 strikeouts.

In the top of the eighth, however, Lantz broke the tie with a double to right that plated one Crimson runner. A wild pitch during the next at-bat let another runner score, giving Harvard a two-run lead.

Ricciardone took it from there, giving up a single in the bottom of the eighth, but striking out the next two batters and getting a groundout to complete her 18th win of the season.

—Staff writer Jacob W. Lynch can be reached at jacoblync@gmail.com.