Pictured: Melissa Schellberg collected two hits against the Friars.
Photo Courtesy: DSPics.com

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – After a solid weekend of conference play, the Harvard softball team kept its momentum going, utilizing a seven-run 10th inning to down Providence, 8-1, Tuesday afternoon. The win pushes the Crimson to 15-16 on the season while the Friars slip to 12-19 on the year.   

Tied at 1-1 heading into the top of the 10th, Harvard posted seven runs to take control of the game. Melissa Schellberg drove in Kassy Shiotani with an RBI single and Jennifer Francis followed with an RBI single of her own. Emily Henderson ripped a bases-clearing double and Ellen Macadam capped the inning with a run-scoring single to stake the Crimson to an 8-1 lead.  

Macadam started the game with a single to center but was unable to cross the plate after being moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice groundout. The Friars plated the first run of the game in the bottom of the third as Jen Abrams knocked in Katelyn Revens with an RBI single to take a 1-0 lead.

Providence pitcher Alicia Grosso managed to keep the Harvard bats quiet until the seventh inning where the guests took advantage of some Providence miscues to tie the game. Jessica Pledger got on with a one out walk and pinch-runner Ashley Heritage advanced to second on a Jennifer Francis single. Mari Zumbro came to the plate with two outs and grounded a ball to the right side that was mishandled, allowing Heritage to score the tying run.

Rachel Brown picked up the win in the circle, pitching five innings of relief and holding the Friars scoreless, scattering two hits and striking out seven. Grosso pitched all 10 innings for the Friars, absorbing her fourth loss of the season.

The Crimson is back in action Thursday as it returns home to face local rival Boston College in a doubleheader, starting at 3 p.m.