Softball Goes 2-2 Against Ivy Foes, Rich Wins Athlete of the Week

­Just as Harvard softball returned to Cambridge, so too did New England’s spring weather. As the cold slowly began to dissipate, Harvard slowly heated up, improving from last weekend’s 1-3 showing to go 2-2 in two doubleheaders.

It was a tale of two opponents for Harvard (11-14, 3-5 Ivy) this weekend. The Crimson dominated Cornell (6-17, 1-7) in the Saturday doubleheader, piling on 17 combined runs and holding the Big Red to eight. However, Harvard was no match for defending Ivy champion Princeton (13-13, 6-2) on Sunday, as the Tigers’ powerful pitching and hitting were both on display in the Sunday doubleheader.

Despite the ups and downs of the weekend, one constant was sophomore shortstop Rhianna Rich, who was named Athlete of the Week. The El Segundo, Calif. native had nine hits in 14 at bats, including two triples.

She scored four runs and drove in three more, and she also extended her errorless streak to 25 games to start the season.

Rich currently leads the Ivy League in batting average with a .437 mark, and she stands at seventh in stolen bases with seven.

“She’s just been steady for us,” head coach Jenny Allard said. “She makes big plays, she comes up clutch hitting, she has a lot of fight in her, she’s real competitive. She was one of the few that really stepped up this weekend.”

PRINCETON 6, HARVARD 2

In the final game of the weekend, the Crimson fought tooth and nail with Princeton until the top of the sixth, when the Tigers rallied for three runs to put the game out of reach for the host team.

Down 3-1 in the top of the fourth, Harvard appeared poised to erase its deficit. Princeton senior Erica Nori allowed a leadoff walk to sophomore catcher Elizabeth Shively. With one gone, sophomore third baseman Erin Lockhart roped a double to straightaway center, putting runners on second and third. A single off the bat of senior designated hitter Catherine Callaway chased in freshman pinch runner Chanel Varney to bring the Crimson within one.

However, Nori slammed the door on Harvard in the fourth, getting the final two outs of her day via groundout and flyout to strand two runners in scoring position.

Any hopes the Crimson had of building on its fourth inning momentum were dashed by Tiger sophomore righthander Riley Wilkinson. Coming on in relief for Nori, Wilkinson coasted through three scoreless innings to pick up her first save of the season.

Princeton rallied for three runs on four hits in the top of the sixth to extend its lead to 6-2. For the second time in two games, Harvard was unable to surpass two runs scored.

“I think every game from here moving forward is going to be a learning process,” co-captain Giana Panariello said. “We’re going to have to fight to win games. It’s a tough conference this year.”

Rich added her ninth hit of the weekend in the back half of Sunday’s twinbill, and she also contributed a sacrifice bunt.

Despite allowing six runs, four of which were earned, sophomore southpaw Katie Duncan tossed a complete game for Harvard, striking out seven in the process. Following its 11-run effort in the first game, the Tigers outdid themselves by notching 12 in this contest.

PRINCETON 10, HARVARD 2

(6 innings)

Princeton erupted for ten runs on 11 hits to down the Crimson in the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader.

The Tigers put up its second three-run inning in the top of the sixth. Fueled by doubles from sophomore first baseman Kaylee Grant and sophomore catcher Keeley Walsh, Princeton grabbed an eight-run lead, which gave the Tigers a shortened six-inning win when Harvard failed to score in the last of the sixth.

Princeton senior righthander Claire Klausner got the start in the circle, and she picked up her sixth win of the year. She kept the ball in play throughout her start, only striking out one, but she also kept Harvard off the basepaths by limiting the Crimson to five hits and one free pass.

“They moved the ball around the zone, and they got our hitters to swing at bad pitches,” Allard said, referring to the Tigers’ pitching. “When we did square the ball up, we hit it right to people, but most of the time they got us to hit what they wanted us to hit.”

Plating three runs in the top of the first, the Princeton offense fired on all cylinders from the beginning of the game.

Grant pulled a ball over the fence in right-center in her turn at bat, a two-run shot that gave Princeton a 3-0 lead.

One of the bright spots for Harvard’s offense in this contest was once again the sophomore shortstop. Rich went three-for-three with a double and a run scored.

HARVARD 9, CORNELL 5

A third inning comeback and a sixth inning rally propelled the Crimson to a sweep of Cornell on Saturday.

After Harvard squandered a one-run advantage in the fourth, the Crimson found itself knotted at five with the Big Red through five and a half innings. With two outs and a runner on third, Harvard looked to reclaim the lead heading into the final inning.

Two walks loaded the bases for Panariello. Before the Bay Shore, N.Y. native could get a chance to break the tie, however, Cornell pitcher Cora Geunes delivered a wild pitch, allowing Lockhart to touch home with the Crimson’s sixth run of the game.

Now facing a second-and-third situation, Panariello ripped a single into right field to plate two more, and she was chased in on Rich’s second triple of the contest to stretch Harvard’s lead to 9-5.

“I think obviously we had some good breaks,” Panariello said. “They had some breakdowns that we really capitalized on. This year is all about passing the bat to the next girl and knowing that she can get it done as much as you.”

The Crimson had the opportunity to secure the victory in the sixth because of its come-from-behind effort in the bottom of the third. With one run on the board, Rich stung the ball into the left-center gap. The ball rolled all the way to the wall, and two runs crossed home to cut the Big Red’s lead to one. Junior right fielder Maddy Kaplan drove in Rich with a ground-ball double past Cornell’s third baseman. In total, Harvard racked up five runs on three hits in the inning.

Duncan tossed seven innings, striking out five and walking none.

Rich notched three hits in four at bats, including two triples and three runs batted in.

Harvard continued to run wild on the Big Red’s catchers. This time around, sophomore center fielder Kaitlyn Schiffhauer swiped two bags, and Panariello added one.

HARVARD 8, CORNELL 3

Rebounding from its 1-3 showing a week ago, the Crimson recorded a convincing 8-3 victory over Cornell in the weekend opener.

“It was nice for us to bounce back yesterday against Cornell,” Allard said. “I thought we had a lot of confidence at the plate and really attacked certain pitches well, and our pitchers kept us in the game.”

After scoring just 12 runs in four games against Penn and Columbia, Harvard erupted for eight runs on 14 hits against the Big Red. Kaplan went four-for-five with a run scored and an RBI.

The Crimson got on the board first in the bottom of the opening frame with two runs. Harvard was aided by some errant pitching from Cornell’s starter Maddie Orcutt, who walked three and hit one batter in the inning.

The Crimson opened up the floodgates in the second inning, effectively putting the game out of reach with a four-run outburst.

With runners on first and third, Shively tripled to right field to clear the bases. Lockhart followed Shively with a shot to left, good for two bases and an RBI. Later in the inning, junior left fielder Dallas Hogan knocked in Lockhart with a single back up the middle.

Harvard’s offensive outburst was not entirely necessary, however, as senior hurler Taylor Cabe cruised to her third win of the season.

Cabe allowed two runs over six innings, and freshman Olivia Giaquinto came on in the ninth to finish off the Big Red.

The Crimson was active on the basepaths in this contest. Rich stole her seventh bag of the year, and Panariello swiped two more. Rich also contributed two hits, scored two runs, and drew a base on balls.

—Staff writer Jack Stockless can be reached at jack.stockless@thecrimson.com.