Weekend Sweep Earns Softball Spot in the Ivy League Championship Series

Ahead of the final four games of the season against Dartmouth, Harvard trailed the Big Green by one game in the Ivy League North Division standings. This exact situation was nothing new for the Crimson.

In 2016, Harvard softball took three of four games in a home-and-home series with Dartmouth, clinching the North Division and earning a berth in the Ivy League Championship Series.

In 2017, however, the Crimson needed only three games to get the job done. With an 8-4 victory in the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader, Harvard booked its trip to Princeton, N.J. to take on the Tigers in the best-of-three playoff series.

“We’ve overcome a lot of things this year,” head coach Jenny Allard said. “I was really proud of their grit. They stayed the course. We’ve had some people really step up when we had some key injuries.”

All told, the Crimson (22-17, 13-7 Ivy) closed out its season at home with a four-game sweep of the Big Green (11-28-1, 10-10), outscoring the Big Green by a combined tally of 32-12.

Home runs were key for Harvard’s offense this weekend. The team hit nine of its 19 total homers in these four games alone.

“It was finally nice to see them swing with a lot of confidence,” Allard said. “I think it was just a confidence that we could square the ball up.”

HARVARD 8, DARTMOUTH 0 (5 INNINGS)

Seven runs in the bottom of the second and masterful pitching from the freshmen duo of Olivia Giaquinto and Alissa Hiener was all the Crimson needed to shut out Dartmouth in its final regular season game.

Following the seven-run outburst early on, the game was won on a walk-off home run in the bottom of the fifth, as a solo blast off the bat of freshman second baseman Isabelle Haugh gave Harvard an eight-run advantage. The team streamed out of the dugout to meet Haugh at home plate after the first home run of her career.

Having already clinched a spot in the Ivy League Championship Series, Allard opted for her two freshmen arms to handle the pitching duties in the final game.

“It was great just to see two freshmen going out there and doing their job and really stepping up for the team,” said junior right fielder Maddy Kaplan. “It was awesome because we need everyone to win the championship.”

Giaquinto made her fourth start of the season in the circle and fired four shutout innings, allowing only three hits and one walk. Returning from injury, Hiener made her collegiate debut in relief in the top of the fifth. The freshman stranded runners on first and second to preserve the shutout.

“We wanted to get Alissa out there,” Allard said. “She’s come back from a major injury. She’s worked hard to get herself back, and she did a great job for us.”

The bottom of the second was a wild inning for the Crimson offense. Two doubles, seven singles, a stolen base, and an error all contributed to seven Harvard runners crossing home plate in the frame. Between co-captain Giana Panariello and Giaquinto, the Crimson strung together six consecutive hits at one point in the inning.

HARVARD 8, DARTMOUTH 4

Harvard clinched its Ivy League playoff spot with a come-from-behind 8-4 win at home.

“We’re excited to extend our season, play another week with our seniors, and we’re determined to go out there and do our best with another shot at Princeton,” Kaplan said.

Down 2-0 entering the bottom of the fourth, the Crimson rallied for four runs on back-to-back long balls from Giaquinto and sophomore catcher Elizabeth Shively.

The following inning was more of the same for Harvard, as Giaquinto hit her second three-run home run in as many innings. The two home runs bumped Giaquinto’s season total to six, tied for the team lead with sophomore third baseman Erin Lockhart. All told, the freshman hit three long balls in four weekend games, each of them driving in three runs.

Leaving runners on base ended up being crucial for the Crimson’s pitching staff in this contest. Despite allowing a whopping 14 hits, sophomore Katie Duncan and senior Taylor Cabe stranded 13 Big Green and in the process held the visitors to four runs.

Harvard scored its eighth and final run of the day on an RBI single by sophomore shortstop Rhianna Rich in the bottom of the sixth. Rich, Giaquinto, and Shively finished with two hits apiece.

HARVARD 9, DARTMOUTH 2

The Crimson’s second and final game in Hanover, N.H. was not nearly as hotly contested as the first, as Harvard coasted to a 9-2 victory.

Immediately after closing out Dartmouth in the opening game, Cabe was back in the circle, this time getting the nod as the starter. Unhindered by her 28-pitch save, Cabe tossed 117 more to record her third complete-game win of the season.

The Boiling Springs, S.C. native scattered eight hits and struck out five in her seventh win of the season, improving her record to 7-7.

Home runs continued to be a theme in the second contest of the weekend. One of Cabe’s two runs allowed came via the long ball, and senior Catherine Callaway, Kaplan, and Lockhart all went deep for the Crimson.

For the second straight game, Lockhart homered in the fifth inning. Her three-run blast was part of a five-run outburst after four innings without any run production from either side.

Big Green junior backstop Claire Bird countered with a solo shot of her own in the home half of the fifth. However, Harvard opened the floodgates in the top of the seventh to put the game out of reach for Dartmouth. Callaway and Kaplan both went yard off Dartmouth reliever Tessa Grossman.

Rich tripled twice, going 3-for-5 overall and scoring three runs. The pair of three-baggers pushed her season total to seven, which is tops in the Ivy League. The next-highest total for any player is three.

HARVARD 7, DARTMOUTH 6

Despite batting around and posting five runs on seven hits in the bottom of the seventh, the Big Green was unable to overcome the Crimson in the first game of the weekend.

Dartmouth kicked off its final trip to the plate with four straight hits. Junior center fielder Lourlin Lara doubled in the final run against Duncan, but she was caught stealing third base for the first out of the inning. With runners on first and second and a 7-2 lead, Cabe replaced Duncan in the circle.

The Big Green continued to put the bat on the ball, sandwiching an RBI groundout between two singles to cut its deficit to two runs. A hit batter and yet another single put the tying run on third and the winning run on first with junior left fielder Tiffany Dyson due up. However, Cabe buckled down, striking Dyson out to kill the rally and earn her second save of the season.

The Crimson avoided defeat due to a plethora of insurance runs scored throughout the game. In the top of the fourth, Giaquinto spoiled Dartmouth’s shutout bid by blasting a three-run home run to left field. The homer was the Falls Church, Va. native’s fourth of the season.

In the top of the fifth, Harvard continued to benefit from the long ball. Lockhart, the Crimson’s biggest power threat, broke a nine-game home run drought by taking Dartmouth starter Breanna Ethridge deep to extend the lead to five runs.

While homers fueled Harvard’s attack early on, the Crimson manufactured its final two runs in the top of the seventh with patience at the plate. A whopping four walks and an RBI single from junior designated player Melissa Lacro plated two, enough to help Harvard fend off Dartmouth in its half of the seventh.

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