SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Harvard softball kicked-off its west coast trip with a pair of victories against Portland State and Santa Clara. The Crimson offense was phenomenal in the matchups against the Vikings and the Broncos, producing 17 runs across the two contests.

The Crimson jumped out to a big lead against Portland State in its first game in the Golden State, scoring five runs in the third inning, and adding two more in the sixth for an 8-1 victory. Junior pitcher Riley Flynn silenced the Vikings offense, tossing Harvard's first complete game of the season, as the 2023 Ivy League Rookie of the Year struck out eight batters and only allowed one run on three hits.

Trailing 5-3 against Santa Clara, the Crimson rallied with a massive fifth inning, scoring six runs in the frame to pull away from the Broncos, 9-5. Senior infielder Priyanka Kaul anchored Harvard's offensive output, tying her career-high in RBIs with three.

HOW IT HAPPENED IN GAME ONE:
After a pair of scoreless frames, Harvard (7-5, 0-0 Ivy Leage) struck first in the third inning with five runs and never looked back against Portland State (4-20, 0-0 Big Sky).

Back-to-back singles from sophomore outfielder Audrey Szollosi and senior outfielder and team captain Savannah Fitzpatrick leadoff the third inning for the Crimson, as Szollosi tallied the first run on a throwing error by the Vikings' catcher, 1-0. Consecutive RBI-singles from senior infielder Maya Douglas and first-year catcher Quinn Salazar-Stewart pushed the Crimson advantage, 3-0, as Harvard found two more runs before the end of the inning on a Portland State fielding error and catcher's interference with the bases loaded.

Harvard's bats struck again in the sixth inning. Szollosi kickstarted the frame with a single up the middle to center field, marking her third multi-hit effort of the year. Another Portland State fielding error brough in another Crimson run, as sophomore infielder Sophie Sun crushed a pitch on a 1-0 count down the left field line for her third homer of the year, 8-0.

A native of Austin, Texas, Sun now has 13 home runs in 53 career appearances for the Crimson.

In the circle, Flynn was dominant. Making her fourth start of the year, Flynn tossed the first complete game of the year for the Crimson. A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Flynn logged eight strikeouts, a new single-game high for Harvard pitchers this season.

The Crimson scored eight runs on 10 hits, marking the fourth double-digit hit tally for Harvard this season. Kaul, Sun and Szollosi all picked up two hits, as Sun led the way with a game-high two RBIs.

HOW IT HAPPENED IN GAME TWO:
Just as it did in the first contest of the afternoon, Harvard jumped out to an early lead, as singles from Salazar-Stewart and Kaul scored the first two runs of the game against Santa Clara (13-10, 0-0 West Coast).

An NFCA Northeast All-Region selection last season, Kaul drove in another run in the third, extending Harvard's lead to three over the Broncos. In the bottom half of the third frame, the hosts scored three runs to tie the game, 3-3.

After Santa Clara took its first lead with two runs in the fourth, the Crimson stormed back, scoring six runs in the fifth inning. A hit and two walks started the inning for Harvard, as Kaul lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to get one run back, 5-4. On the first pitch of her at-bat, junior infielder Finley Payne sliced a between the third base and second, evening the score.

The Crimson offense didn't stop there, as singles from junior outfielder Lael Ayala, Fitzpatrick and Sun scored four more runs to put Harvard ahead by four.

Taking over in the fifth inning, junior pitcher and team captain Ryan Grace kept the Broncos offense quiet for the remained of the game. A native of Sammamish, Washington, Grace tossed three scoreless innings out of the bullpen, allowing just one hit with one strikeout in the process.

Harvard ended the win against Santa Clara with nine runs on 12 hits, tying the single-game season high for runs scored in a game.

HARVARD HIGHLIGHTS:

• For the second time this season, Harvard tallied double-digit hits in consecutive contests.
• The Crimson tied its single-game season high with nine runs in the 9-5 triumph over Santa Clara.
• Kaul tied her career-high in RBIs with three in the 8-1 win against Portland State.
• Flynn tossed Harvard's first complete game against the Vikings.
• Sun, Kaul, and Payne are all batting above .400 over the past four games.

UP NEXT:

The Crimson take on two more opponents tomorrow, facing Weber State at 1 p.m. EST and Saint Mary's and 3:30 PM EST in Moraga, California. Havard's contest against Saint Mary's will air live on ESPN+.

For complete coverage of Harvard Softball, follow the team on Twitter (@HarvardSB) and Instagram (@harvardsb).