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Jake Berger
Aliza Chambers
6
Winner Harvard HARV 2-7
5
Penn State PSU 9-5
Winner
Harvard HARV
2-7
6
Final
5
Penn State PSU
9-5
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Harvard HARV 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 6 12 1
Penn State PSU 0 0 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 5 7 1

W: Smith, Tanner (1-1) L: Lee, D. (1-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Uses Ninth-Inning Rally to Power Past Penn State in Series Finale, 6-5

CARY, N.C. – Senior Jake Berger and Chris Snopek each hit RBI singles in the top of the ninth, and junior right-hander Tanner Smith did not allow a run in the bottom of the eighth or ninth as Harvard University baseball rallied pass Penn State University, 6-5, on Sunday afternoon at the USA Baseball National Training Complex.
 
In the series finale of a three-game, neutral-site set, the Crimson (2-7) turned a 5-4 deficit entering the ninth inning into a 6-5 lead with a pair of runs in the top of the frame before keeping the Big Ten's Nittany Lions (9-5) off the board in the last of the ninth.
 
Harvard earned a victory over a Power-Five conference opponent for the third straight season. The Crimson tallied wins over both Miami and UCLA in 2022 before topping Pittsburgh in 2023.
 
Berger finished the game 2-for-4 with three RBIs while junior Matt Giberti went 2-for-4 with two runs as four members of the Crimson posted multi-hit games with Harvard totaling 12 hits on the afternoon.
 
On the mound, sophomore right-hander Callan Fang threw 6.0 innings in the start, allowing four runs – three earned – on four hits and one walk with a career-high seven strikeouts. Junior right-hander Tanner Smith tossed 3.0 innings of relief in the win, permitting one run on three hits and two walks with a season-high four strikeouts.

Harvard Highlights

  • Senior third baseman Jake Berger finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs, a double, and a run scored. He has reached base safely in seven straight contests. Berger tied the game with his RBI single in the ninth.
  • Junior outfielder Matt Giberti went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a double, a walk, and a stolen base. For the series, he hit .556 (5-for-9) with four runs, three doubles, and a .636 OBP. Giberti went 3-for-3 on stolen base attempts on the weekend.
  • First-year shortstop Tyler Shulman and junior catcher Sawyer Feller each posted two hits.
  • Senior designated hitter Ben Rounds tallied a hit, a walk, and the go-ahead run in the ninth. He has recorded a hit in all nine of the Crimson's games to open the year.
  • Senior first baseman Chris Snopek notched the go-ahead RBI single in the ninth, sophomore outfielder Max Lane added a hit, RBI, run, and walk, and senior outfielder Peter Messervy contributed a hit and a run.
  • Sophomore right-hander Callan Fang threw 6.0 innings in the start, allowing four runs – three earned – on four hits and one walk with a career-high seven strikeouts. Fang registered seven strikeouts in his second straight outing.
  • Junior right-hander Tanner Smith tossed 3.0 innings of relief in the win, permitting one run on three hits and two walks with a season-high four strikeouts.
  • Harvard posted 12 hits in the contest, marking its fourth double-figure hit performance of the year and second of the series. Four members of the Crimson notched multi-hit games on the day. 

How It Happened

  • Harvard plated a pair of runs in the top of the second to take a 2-0 lead as a ground ball from Messervy allowed Berger to come home before Lane worked a walk with the bases loaded to force home Messervy.
  • Penn State took a 3-2 lead after hitting a two-run home run in the bottom of the third and adding a run on a sacrifice fly in the last of the fourth.
  • The Crimson re-took a 4-3 advantage in the top of the fifth as a long sacrifice fly from Berger allowed both Lane to score from third and Giberti to hustle home from second.
  • The Nittany Lions tied the contest at 4-4 in the bottom of the fifth and gained a 5-4 edge with a run in the last of the seventh.
  • Harvard's rally in the top of the ninth began as Giberti hit a lead-off double and Rounds hit a one-out single to put runners on first and third. Berger followed with an RBI single through the left side to bring home Giberti and knot the score at 5-5. Snopek then hit the go-ahead RBI single through the left side to plate Rounds from second.
  • In the bottom of the ninth, Feller threw out a runner attempting to steal second and Smith notched a strikeout for the game's final two outs. 

Next Up

Harvard plays at East Tennessee State on Mar. 13 at 3:00 p.m. (ESPN+) before closing its spring break trip with a three-game series at Western Carolina from Mar. 15-17 (ESPN+) with game one on Mar. 15 at 4:00 p.m., game two on Mar. 16 at 2:00 p.m., and game three on Mar. 17 at 11:00 a.m.

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