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Harvard softball celebrates
5
Yale YALE 18-20, 6-7 Ivy
6
Winner Harvard HARVARD 17-8, 6-4 Ivy
Yale YALE
18-20, 6-7 Ivy
5
Final
6
Harvard HARVARD
17-8, 6-4 Ivy
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Yale YALE 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 5 11 3
Harvard HARVARD 0 1 0 0 3 1 0 0 1 6 10 2

W: Grace, Ryan (4-1) L: Emma Taylor (10-9)

Game Recap: Softball |

Softball Completes Comeback Victory Against Yale in Extra Innings

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard softball started the series against Yale with a bang, as the Crimson overcame a four-run deficit to defeat the Bulldogs in nine innings, 6-5.

The visitors jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the fourth inning, as the Crimson scored four unanswered runs to in the fifth and sixth innings to send the game to extra innings. Senior outfielder and team captain Savannah Fitzpatrick tied the game with a sensational inside-the-park home run, as senior infielder Priyanka Kaul secured the win in the ninth inning with a walk-off RBI single.

Junior pitchers Riley Flynn and Ryan Grace were lights out in their relief appearances. The duo combined for eight strikeouts, allowing only two hits while keeping the Yale offense off the board for 5.1 innings. The Crimson pitching staff finished the day with 10 strikeouts, collecting double-digit strikeouts in a single game for the first time this year.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
The first inning between Harvard (17-8, 6-4 Ivy League) and Yale (18-20, 6-7) saw the visitors take the first lead, doing so by scoring three runs on four hits.

After sophomore pitcher Nicolette Hunter escaped a bases loaded jam in the second inning to keep Yale off the board, the Crimson tallied its first run in its half of the second inning with back-to-back doubles. With two outs, first-year designated player Alexa Muller roped a hit off the outfield wall for a double, putting a runner on for first-year catcher Quinn Salazar-Stewart. The Chandler, Arizona native put the Crimson on the board, firing off an RBI-double into the gap in left centerfield, 3-1.

The Bulldogs grew their lead to 5-1, scoring one run in the third and fourth innings.

Harvard stormed back in the fifth inning, pulling within one of Yale with three runs in the frame, 5-4. Patience and hustle paid off for the Crimson in the inning, as Harvard scored the runs with two walks and an infield single.

Fitzpatrick and first-year outfielder Elena Weinseimer recorded singles to start the frame, as a walk from junior Finley Payne loaded the bases. Sophomore infielder Sophie Sun and Muller both drew walks with the bases loaded, bringing home two runs. With the bases still loaded, senior infielder Maya Douglas beat out the throw at first base, scoring Harvard's third and final run of the frame with an infield single.

The Crimson kept rolling in the sixth inning, tying the contest emphatically with a major moment. On a full count, Fitzpatrick launched a hit towards centerfield. The ball bounced off the top of the wall, as the senior captain hustled all the way home to tie the game with an inside the park home run, 5-5.

Both pitching staffs posted zeroes in the seventh inning, as a Harvard softball contest went into extra innings for just the second time this season. In extra innings, Grace was instrumental to the Crimson's success in the circle, keeping the Bulldogs off the board with four strikeouts across the eighth and ninth innings.

The Crimson ended the thrilling contest in the ninth inning. With Sun and Payne on second and first, Kaul sent a shot up the middle of the infield, scoring Sun for the game-winning run with a walk-off single. Harvard now has two walk-off wins this season, this being the first at Soldiers Field.

The Crimson scored six runs on 10 hits, as Harvard has recorded double-digit hits 11 times this season. Flynn and Grace combined for 5.1 innings of relief work, allowing zero runs and just two hits with eight strikeouts.

HARVARD HIGHLIGHTS:
  • Harvard is now 2-0 in extra innings games this season.
  • For the first time in the series, consecutive contests have gone to extra innings between Harvard and Yale.
  • Fitzpatrick's inside-the-park home run in the sixth inning is her first homer of the year.
  • Douglas, Salazar-Stewart and Fitzpatrick all recorded two hits. Six different Crimson drove in runs.
  • Grace and Flynn tossed 5.1 combined innings from the bullpen, holding the Yale offense scoreless and to two hits with eight strikeouts.
  • The Crimson pitching staff recorded double-digit strikeouts in a game for the first time this season.
UP NEXT:

The Crimson and Bulldogs return to the diamond on Sunday, Apr. 13, wrapping up the series with a doubleheader starting at 12:30 p.m. Admission to Soldiers Field is free of charge and Harvard fans can stream both games of the twinbill live on ESPN+.

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