CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Sophomores
Tyler Shulman and
Ryan Mooney each hit home runs in game one, and junior
Gio Colasante blasted two home runs in game two, but Harvard University baseball dropped an Ivy League doubleheader to Columbia, 16-13 and 8-3, on Saturday afternoon at O'Donnell Field.
Starting its final three-game series of the regular season, the Crimson (11-25, 8-11 Ivy) held a 13-9 lead entering the ninth inning in game one before the Lions (23-17, 15-5 Ivy) rallied for the decision in the series opener prior to taking the nightcap.
In the Ivy League standings, fifth-place Harvard stands one half game back of fourth-place Dartmouth (8-10 Ivy).
In game one, sophomore
Tyler Shulman (two hits, two RBIs) hit his third homer of the year while sophomore
Ryan Mooney (two hits, three runs, RBI) launched his first career homer. Sophomore
Jack Rickheim (two hits, three RBIs), senior
Sawyer Feller (three hits, three runs), senior
Matt Giberti (two hits, two RBIs), and junior
Gio Colasante (double, three RBIs) helped pace the Crimson offense.
In game two, Colasante went 2-for-4 with two home runs, two RBIs, and two runs scored, hitting two homers in a game for the first time in his career. Giberti added a triple – his third of the year – and senior
George Cooper contributed an RBI.
Prior to Saturday's second game, the Crimson honored the seven members of its Class of 2025 –
Nate Baxter,
Cole Cleary,
George Cooper,
Sawyer Feller,
Matt Giberti,
Peter Levin, and
William Lybrook – for their hard work and dedication to the program.
Game 1: Columbia 16, Harvard 13
Sophomores
Tyler Shulman and
Ryan Mooney each hit home runs, and all nine Crimson batters posted at least one hit, but Harvard fell to Columbia, 16-13, in the series opener.
The Crimson brought a 13-9 lead into the ninth inning before the visiting Lions plated seven runs in the top of the ninth to take the decision.
Shulman (two hits, two RBIs) hit his third homer of the year while Mooney (two hits, three runs, RBI) launched his first career homer. Sophomore
Jack Rickheim (two hits, three RBIs), senior
Sawyer Feller (three hits, three runs), senior
Matt Giberti (two hits, two RBIs), and junior
Gio Colasante (double, three RBIs) helped pace the Crimson offense.
Gallery: (5-3-2025) Baseball vs. Columbia - Senior Day
Harvard Highlights
- Sophomore Tyler Shulman notched two hits, two RBIs, and a home run. He hit his third home run of the year and fourth of his career. Shulman launched homers in back-to-back games following his home run at Fenway Park on Tuesday.
- Sophomore Ryan Mooney launched his first career home run alongside two hits, three runs, an RBI, a stolen base, and a walk.
- Sophomore Jack Rickheim went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, a double, a run, and a walk. He posted three or more RBIs in a game for the third time this season.
- Senior Sawyer Feller finished 3-for-4 with three runs, a double, and a walk. He registered a three-hit game for the second time this year.
- Senior Matt Giberti posted a 2-for-3 effort with two RBIs, a run, and a walk.
- Junior Gio Colasante hit a three-run double alongside two walks. He tallied three or more RBIs in a game for the third time this season.
- Senior George Cooper contributed a hit, a run, an RBI, and a walk.
- Junior Jordan Kang tacked on a hit and two runs.
- Senior William Lybrook added a hit and a run.
- Junior right-hander Callan Fang threw 6.1 innings in the start, tallying six strikeouts against zero walks.
- Sophomore right-hander Andrew Abler tossed 1.1 innings in relief, allowing no runs on no hits and no walks.
- As a team, Harvard scored 13 runs, marking its eighth game this year with double-figure runs. The Crimson totaled double-digit runs for the fourth time in its last six games and matched its season high for runs in an Ivy League game.
- Harvard compiled 15 hits in the contest for its 13th game with 10 or more hits on the year. The Crimson posted double-figure hits for the eighth time in its last nine games.
- All nine Crimson batters posted at least one hit in the contest with five posting multi-hit games. Eight members of the Crimson scored at least one run.
How It Happened
- Columbia opened the game's scoring in the top of the second, plating four runs, including a three-run home run.
- Harvard countered with three runs in the bottom of the second, pulling within 4-3. An RBI single to right field from RIckheim, walk from Giberti, and groundball from Cooper brought in runs for the Crimson.
- The Lions scored twice in the top of the third to move ahead 6-3.
- The Crimson answered with six runs in the last of the third, claiming a 9-6 advantage. Shulman started the stanza's scoring with a two-run home run to right field before Mooney blasted a solo home run off the scoreboard in left field. Colasante capped the frame with a three-run, bases-clearing double off the wall in center field.
- In the bottom of the fourth, Rickheim extended the edge to 11-6 as he laced a two-run double down the left field line.
- The visitors trimmed the margin to 11-9 with three runs in the top of the seventh.
- Abler and McHugh combined to toss a scoreless top of the eighth to keep the difference at 11-9.
- The Crimson scored twice in the bottom of the eighth to take a 13-9 lead. Feller came home after Mooney stole second before Mooney scored on a sacrifice fly from Giberti.
- Columbia plated seven runs in the top of the ninth, capping the frame with a grand slam to move ahead 16-13.
Game 2: Columbia 8, Harvard 3
Junior
Gio Colasante hit two home runs – his seventh and eighth of the season – but Harvard dropped an 8-3 decision to Columbia in game two.
The Crimson and Lions stood tied at 2-2 through three innings before the visitors scored six of the game's final seven runs.
Colasante went 2-for-4 with two home runs, two RBIs, and two runs scored, hitting two homers in a game for the first time in his career. Senior
Matt Giberti added a triple – his third of the year – and senior
George Cooper contributed an RBI.
Harvard Highlights
- Junior Gio Colasante went 2-for-4 with two home runs, two RBIs, and two runs scored. He blasted his seventh and eighth home runs of the year and hit two homers in a game for the first time in his career.
- Senior Matt Giberti hit a triple – his third of the year – and scored a run.
- Senior George Cooper notched an RBI.
- Sophomore Tyler Shulman added a hit and two walks.
- Junior Jordan Kang chipped in a hit.
- Junior right-hander Jack Smith threw 2.2 innings in relief, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks with two strikeouts.
- First-year left-hander Charley Bergsma tossed 2.0 innings in relief, permitting one run on one hit and two walks with two strikeouts.
- Sophomore right-hander Truman Pauley tallied six strikeouts over 4.1 innings in the start.
- Harvard's pitching staff totaled 10 strikeouts in the game, marking the 10th time this year that the Crimson's staff has registered double-figure strikeouts in a game.
How It Happened
- Columbia opened game two with a run in the top of the first to move ahead 1-0.
- Harvard responded in the bottom of the second, scoring twice to take a 2-1 edge. After Giberti tripled, Cooper brought him home with a sacrifice fly. Colasante then drove a solo home run to right field to push the Crimson in front.
- The Lions plated one run in the top of the second to knot the score at 2-2.
- Columbia staked itself to a 4-2 lead in the top of the fourth with a two-run home run.
- The visitors moved ahead 6-2 with two runs in the top of the fifth.
- In the bottom of the sixth, Colasante drove his second solo home run of the game over the wall in left field to cut the Crimson's deficit to 6-3.
- Columbia scored one run in each of the seventh and eighth innings for the final margin.
Next Up
Harvard closes its series with Columbia tomorrow – Sunday, May 4 – with the series finale at noon (ESPN+).
