CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – First-year
Liam Wilson hit a two-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth in game two as Harvard University baseball topped Cornell, 8-5 and 9-3, in an Ivy League doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at O'Donnell Field.
After the Crimson (8-21, 5-8 Ivy) broke a 4-4 tie in game one to emerge with the victory in the series opener, the hosts rallied from an 8-5 deficit in the bottom of the ninth to edge the Big Red (10-16, 5-9 Ivy) in game two after the hosts had initially staked themselves to a 5-0 lead in the nightcap.
Harvard extended its winning streak to four games, improved to 5-2 in its last seven contests, and moved to 8-5 in its last 13 outings. The Crimson bettered its record at O'Donnell Field to 5-1 on the season.
In game one, senior
William Lybrook registered a season-high three RBIs while senior
Matt Giberti (3-for-5, two runs), senior
George Cooper (two hits, two runs), junior
Gio Colasante (2-for-3, two runs), and sophomore
Jack Rickheim (2-for-3) all posted multi-hit games. Junior right-hander
Callan Fang threw 6.0 innings with six strikeouts in the win while sophomore right-hander
Ryan McHugh tossed 1.1 innings in his third save of the year.
In game two, Wilson hit his fourth homer of the season while junior
Jordan Kang finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs and his fourth homer of the year. Colasante hit his fifth homer of the season, Lybrook contributed two hits and two RBIs, and senior
Sawyer Feller went 3-for-4. On the mound, sophomore
Truman Pauley threw 7.0 innings in the start, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks with 10 strikeouts. Harvard set season highs in Ivy play in runs (nine), hits (14), and home runs (three).
Game 1: Harvard 8, Cornell 5
Senior
William Lybrook tallied three RBIs, senior
Matt Giberti posted three hits, and Harvard topped Cornell, 8-5, in the series opener.
The Crimson faced a 4-2 deficit after the top of the second but scored six of the game's final seven runs – including a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth to re-gain the lead – to defeat the Big Red in game one.
Lybrook registered a season-high three RBIs while Giberti (3-for-5, two runs), senior
George Cooper (two hits, two runs), junior
Gio Colasante (2-for-3, two runs), and sophomore
Jack Rickheim (2-for-3) all posted multi-hit games. Junior right-hander
Callan Fang threw 6.0 innings with six strikeouts in the win while sophomore right-hander
Ryan McHugh tossed 1.1 innings in his third save of the year.
Harvard Highlights
- Senior William Lybrook tallied a game and season-high three RBIs alongside a hit and a walk.
- Senior Matt Giberti went 3-for-5 with two runs, an RBI, and two stolen bases. He notched his second three-hit game of the year and improved to 12-for-14 on stolen base attempts on the season.
- Senior George Cooper registered two hits and two runs scored.
- Junior Gio Colasante posted a 2-for-3 effort with two runs, an RBI, a walk, and a stolen base.
- Sophomore Tyler Shulman contributed two RBIs, a hit, a walk, and a stolen base.
- Sophomore Jack Rickheim finished 2-for-3 with a run, two walks, and a stolen base.
- Junior right-hander Callan Fang threw 6.0 innings in the start and win, allowing four runs – three earned – on eight hits and two walks with six strikeouts.
- Sophomore right-hander Ryan McHugh earned his third save of the season, tossing 1.1 scoreless innings and permitting no runs on three hits and one walk with one strikeout.
- First-year left-hander Luca Alagheband hurled 1.2 innings in relief, giving up just one run on two hits and no walks.
- As a team, Harvard totaled 11 hits, marking its seventh game with double-figure hits on the year. Four members of the Crimson posted multi-hit games.
How It Happened
- The Crimson jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first as Colasante sent a sacrifice fly to center field and Shulman followed with an RBI single to left field.
- Cornell plated four runs in the top of the second to take a 4-2 lead.
- Harvard pulled within 4-3 in the last of the second as Giberti sent an RBI single to center field.
- The hosts knotted the score at 4-4 in the bottom of the third behind a sacrifice fly to left field from Lybrook.
- Harvard broke the tie in the last of the sixth with two runs, moving ahead 6-4. Shulman brought in the frame's first run as he worked a walk with the bases loaded before Lybrook lifted a sacrifice fly to right field.
- The Big Red trimmed the margin to 6-5 in the top of the eighth with a run.
- The Crimson gained insurance in the bottom of the eighth with a pair of runs to extend the difference to 8-5. Lybrook and junior Jordan Kang each posted RBIs in the stanza.
- McHugh tossed a scoreless top of the ninth to close out the victory.
Game 2: Harvard 9, Cornell 8
First-year
Liam Wilson hit a two-run, walk-off home run to left field in the bottom of the ninth after junior
Jordan Kang hit a two-run homer earlier in the inning as Harvard beat Cornell, 9-8, in game two of the doubleheader.
Facing an 8-5 deficit entering the bottom of the ninth, Kang hit a two-run homer to bring the Crimson within 8-7 before Wilson ended the game with his two-run homer, lifting the hosts past the Big Red – a team that had rallied to take the lead after Harvard opened the contest with a 5-0 advantage.
Wilson hit his fourth homer of the season while Kang finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs and his fourth homer of the year. Junior
Gio Colasante hit his fifth homer of the season, senior
William Lybrook contributed two hits and two RBIs, and senior
Sawyer Feller went 3-for-4. On the mound, sophomore
Truman Pauley threw 7.0 innings in the start, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks with 10 strikeouts.
Gallery: (4-19-2025) Baseball vs. Cornell - Doubleheader
Harvard Highlights
- First-year Liam Wilson hit a walk-off, two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning after entering the game as a pinch hitter earlier in the contest. He recorded his fourth homer of the season.
- Junior Jordan Kang finished a season-best 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a home run. His two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth cut Harvard's deficit from 8-5 to 8-7. Kang blasted his fourth homer of the year and the sixth of his career.
- Junior Gio Colasante posted two hits, two runs, an RBI, a home run, and a stolen base. He launched his fifth homer of the season.
- Senior William Lybrook went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two stolen bases.
- Senior Sawyer Feller contributed a 3-for-4 effort with a run, a walk, and a stolen base. He notched his first three-hit game of the year.
- Senior George Cooper registered two hits, two runs, and a double.
- Sophomore right-hander Truman Pauley tossed 7.0 innings in the start, allowing two runs – both earned – on three hits and three walks with 10 strikeouts. He tallied double-figure strikeouts for the second time this year and in back-to-back starts.
- As a team, Harvard totaled 14 hits, its most in an Ivy game this year, marking its eighth game with double-figure hits on the year. Five members of the Crimson posted multi-hit games.
- The Crimson hit three homers in the contest – its most in an Ivy League game this season.
How It Happened
- Harvard opened the contest with a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second as Colasante launched a solo shot over the wall in right center field.
- The Crimson moved ahead 3-0 behind a pair of runs in the last of the third with an RBI single to right field from Lybrook capping the frame's scoring.
- The hosts pushed their advantage to 5-0 in the bottom of the fifth as Lybrook notched an RBI on a ground ball before Colasante came home on a double-steal attempt.
- The Big Red cut the deficit to 5-2 in the top of the seventh behind a two-run home run.
- Cornell moved ahead 8-2 behind six runs in the top of the eighth.
- Harvard scored four runs on a pair of two-run homers in the bottom of the ninth to walk off with the win. Kang brought Harvard within 8-7 with his two-run shot to left center. After Feller reached with a single, Wilson ended the ball game with a two-run homer over the wall in left center to lift Harvard to the 9-8 victory.
Next Up
Harvard closes the series with Cornell tomorrow – Sunday, Apr. 20 – at noon (ESPN+).
