Softball Looks to Keep Ivy Momentum Against Penn, Columbia

Pictured: Stephanie Krysiak enters the weekend with an eight-game hitting streak.
Photo Courtesy: DSPics.com

The Particulars
Harvard opens its home Ivy League schedule with a pair of twinbills, opening against Penn Saturday and facing Columbia Sunday. The Crimson has only played one game at home so far this season.

Last Time Out
Harvard stepped out of conference play to take on Holy Cross in a doubleheader and captured 9-6 and 6-3 wins to complete the sweep. Ellen Macadam ended the afternoon with four doubles, including three in game one to go along with three RBI, and Jennifer Francis drilled a homerun in game two to lead the offensive output from the Crimson.

Rachel Brown earned her team-leading seventh victory in game one, going seven innings and striking out 10 while Julia Moore was credited with the win in game two, scattering four hits and allowing just one run over five innings. Margaux Black earned her first save of the season, pitching one inning of relief.

Scouting the Quakers
Penn enters the weekend riding a six-game win streak, having swept three consecutive home doubleheaders. Last weekend, the Quakers took down conference opponents Brown and Yale, shutting out each team once in the process. In game two against Yale, Taylor Tieman pitched a four-hit shutout, striking out five Bulldogs to earn her fourth win of the season. Kelsey Wolfe had both RBI on the day as the Quakers improved to 9-12 on the year and 4-0 in league action.

Brooke Colma paces the Penn offense with a .361 batting average heading in to the weekend, along with team-high totals of 22 hits and 12 RBI. Alisha Prystowsky also has 12 RBI on the year and leads the team with two homeruns this season. Tieman boasts the lowest earned run average on the team at 1.25 and her four wins on the season fronts the Quaker pitching staff.

Scouting the Lions
Columbia is riding a three-game win streak heading into the Ivy weekend, most recently taking down Marist in a pair of non-conference contests. After a 10-2 six-inning victory in game one, the Lions were able to sustain their offensive efforts to down Marist 5-2 in the second game. Maggie Johnson led the Lions in game two, going 2 for 3 from the plate with a homerun and two RBI. Johnson also took the win in the circle, going seven innings and allowing just two runs while striking out three for her fifth win of the year.

With a team-high 27 hits and .338 batting average, Kayla Lechler leads the Lions at the plate. Johnson has a team best 14 RBI while Dani Pineda is close behind with 13 RBI and a team-high four homeruns. Johnson has a team-high five wins on the season Maureen O’Kane’s 3.81 ERA and 71.2 innings pitched are team-leading marks.

Friends of Jaclyn Day
On Saturday, April 10, Harvard Athletics will be celebrating its first Friends of Jaclyn Day. Events will be held during Harvard softball’s doubleheader against Penn (12:30 p.m. start) and baseball’s twinbill against Penn (noon start).

Among the events for the day will be trivia questions between innings, dizzy bat races, t-shirt sales and giveaways, autograph sessions and a raffle for tickets to a Boston red Sox game. All proceeds will go to the Foundation. There will be a booth to write letters to current patients and fans are encouraged to wear purple.

To read more about Saturday’s events, click here. For more information about the Friends of Jaclyn organization, please visit their website at www.friendsofjaclyn.org.

On the Horizon
After this weekend, Harvard is back in action April 13 as it travels to Rhode Island to take on Providence in a single non-conference contest. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m.