CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – A resilient, thrilling performance lifted Harvard softball past Dartmouth in the Ivy League Tournament, as the Crimson secured a 6-5 victory to advance to the Championship Round.
Trailing 5-2 in the fourth inning, the 2024 Ivy League Player and Rookie of the Year
Sophie Sun orchestrated a magical moment, evening the score with a bases clearing, three-run RBI-single. In the bottom of the sixth, sophomore outfielder
Lael Ayala drove in the go-ahead run, winning Harvard the elimination game.
Providing critical relief innings, senior pitcher
Anna Reed shutdown the Big Green bats over 4.2 innings of work, allowing just three hits and zero runs with two strikeouts. In her three appearances at the 2024 Ivy League Tournament, Reed has pitched 19.2 innings, posting a 1.07 earned run average.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
In the first inning, Dartmouth (18-7, 13-7 Ivy League) tallied the first run of the contest, scoring a run after a pair of Harvard (26-16, 14-7) fielding errors, 1-0.
The Crimson fought back, responding immediately with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, Sun drove a single to left field, as junior outfield and team captain
Savannah Fitzpatrick worked a walk in the next-at. After a sacrifice bunt from senior infielder and team captain
Madi Mays, Payne drove a shot to deep center field, as the ball hit the wall for a go-ahead, two-run RBI-double, 2-1.
After a scoreless second inning, Dartmouth leveled the score, as the Big Green hit three consecutive singles to score a run, 2-2. Later in the frame, Dartmouth regained the lead, scoring an additional three runs, 5-2.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Harvard battled back. With the bases loaded and two outs, Sun dug out a bases-clearing, three-run RBI-single, to left center field, as all three runs scored to tie the game, 5-5.
The game-winning arrived in the bottom of the sixth inning. After senior catcher
Allison O'Heany launched a line drive leadoff single, Ayala came up clutch, bringing home the game-winning run with an RBI-double on a full count, 6-5.
Facing the 2024 Ivy League Pitcher of the Year Jensin Hall, the Crimson scored six runs on eight hits, tied for the most runs allowed by Hall in a game this season.
HARVARD HIGHLIGHTS:
- Harvard earns its second comeback win of the 2024 Ivy League Tournament, as it erased two and three run holes this week.
- The Crimson scored six runs against Hall, tied for the most runs allowed by the Ivy League Pitcher of the Year this season.
- In the circle, Reed has appeared in every contest in the 2024 Ivy League Tournament, posting a 1.07 earned run average over 19.2 innings of work, striking out seven batters.
- Ayala has been stellar at the plate in Princeton this week, as the Atlanta, Georgia native has a team-high .556 batting average, driving in five runs as well.
UP NEXT:
Harvard will face Princeton in the Championship Round, as the Crimson need two wins to earn its second straight Ivy League Tournament Championship. The Championship Round will air live on ESPN+.
For complete coverage of Harvard Softball, follow the team on Twitter (@HarvardSB) and Instagram (@harvardsb).
