Pictured: Margaux Black picked up the win for Harvard in
game two.
Photo Courtesy: DSPics.com
ITHACA, N.Y. – The Harvard softball team upped its
conference record to 3-1, splitting a doubleheader with defending
Ivy League champion Cornell, dropping game one, 8-4, and capturing
game two, 7-6, Saturday. The Crimson improves to 9-15 overall while
Cornell moves to 15-8 on the season.
Both teams took some time to figure out the opposing pitchers in
game one, but the Big Red broke through with three runs in the
third and two more in the fourth to take a 5-0 lead. Harvard built
some momentum in the top of the fifth as Jane Alexander and Jessica
Pledger ripped consecutive singles to put two runners aboard. Jess
Ferri launched her first career homerun to center and Stephanie
Krysiak followed with an RBI single to bring the score to 5-4. The
Big Red responded with two runs in the bottom of the fifth and
another in the sixth to take game one, 8-4.
Melissa Schellberg and Emily Henderson finished the first game
with two hits apiece while Ferri had a game-high three RBI while
taking the loss for Harvard. Elizabeth Dalrymple was credited with
the win for Cornell, striking out 12 over seven innings of work.
Harvard wasted little time plating runs in game two as Whitney
Shaw drove a three-run homer to center to give the guests an early
3-0 edge. After scoring one run in the bottom of the third, Cornell
banged out six hits, including a triple by Morgan Cawley, and
scored five runs in the third to take a 6-3 lead. Harvard tied the
score a half inning later as Ferri knocked an RBI double to center
and Schellberg scored Eve Rosenbaum with a sacrifice fly. With the
score tied at 6-6, Shaw drove her second home run of the game, a
solo shot to left in the top of the fifth, to help the Crimson
regain the lead. Margaux Black held the Big Red in check down the
stretch, going 4.2 innings in relief and allowing no runs and just
three hits to get her first win of the season.
Shaw finished the game with two hits and four RBI while Ferri
turned in a 2 for 3 performance from the plate.
Harvard steps back out of conference in its next action,
squaring off against Holy Cross in a doubleheader April 6.
