SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Well rounded displays in the circle and at the plate elevated Harvard softball to a pair of wins against Holy Cross and USC Upstate to open the Crimson's weekend in South Carolina.

The Crimson offense took centerstage in the tournament opener against intrastate foe Holy Cross, as Harvard logged a season-high 14 hits to earn an 8-3 win against the Crusaders. Junior infielder Sophie Sun and sophomore catcher Quinn Salazar-Stewart each hit home runs in the first inning, as six Crimson recorded multiple-hits in the weekend opener.

In a thriller against the Spartans, the Crimson secured a 3-2 win against USC Upstate with stellar pitching and a go-ahead two-run home run from Sun in the top of the seventh. Junior pitcher Nicolette Hunter started the game with 3.2 scoreless innings and three strikeouts. 

HOW IT HAPPENED IN GAME ONE

Harvard's (3-3, 0-0 Ivy League) offense wasted no time producing fireworks, as the Crimson brought home five runs in the bottom of the first. With junior outfielder and team captain Audrey Szollosi on first base with a leadoff single, Sun sent the second pitch of her at-bat into the stands, putting the Crimson ahead, 2-0, with a two-run home run.

A native of Austin, Texas, Sun hits her first homer of the 2026 campaign as she now has 18 home runs in her Crimson career.

Harvard didn't stop there, adding three more runs. After back-to-back hits from senior infielder Finley Payne and sophomore infielder Alexa Muller, Salazar-Stewart worked a full count and crushed a ball to center field to extend the Crimson's lead to three with a three-run homer, 5-0, the first home run of her collegiate career.

Holy Cross (0-1, 0-0 Patriot League) tallied two runs in the top of the third inning, as the Crimson padded its lead in its half of the third with a sacrifice fly from Sun, 6-2. Harvard and Holy Cross exchanged runs once again in the fifth inning. After a run from the Crusaders in the top half of the frame, the Crimson scored two more runs, as Sun drove in another with a groundout while senior outfielder Lael Ayala ripped an RBI-double to extend Harvard's lead, 8-3.

From there, the Crimson pitching stuff shut the door on the Crusaders, securing the 8-3 win. In the circle, senior pitcher Riley Flynn only allowed two earned runs in four innings, picking up three strikeouts in the process. Out of the bullpen, senior pitcher and team captain Ryan Grace tossed three scoreless innings to end the contest.

Offensively, six different Crimson recorded multiple hits, as the Crimson tallied season-highs in both runs (8) and hits (14). Sun drove in four runs, the most in a contest for the two-time NFHCA Northeast All-Region selection since the 2024 season.

HOW IT HAPPENED IN GAME TWO

Both starting pitchers thrived in the opening moments of the clash between Harvard and tournament host USC Upstate (7-2, 0-0 Big South), as the scoreboard sat at 0-0 after three frames at Cyrill Softball Stadium.

In its half of the fourth, the Crimson jumped into the lead. With Salazar-Stewart and first-year infielder Hannah Ziecik on first and third, a bunt from Ayala scored the opening run of the day to put the Crimson ahead, 1-0. In the sixth inning, the hosts leveled the score, 1-1, and would add another before the inning ended to take a 2-1 lead into the seventh.

Harvard rallied in the top of the seventh. With a runner on, Sun orchestrated a fantastic moment, putting the Crimson in the lead again with a two-run home run to deep center field, her second home run of the day and the 19^th of her Crimson career.

From there, Flynn shut the door on USC Upstate in the home half of the seventh, as the Crimson picked up a 3-2 win against the Spartans. Ziecik and first-year outfielder Sheila Forbes both recorded multiple hits, as Hunter struck out three batters across 3.2 scoreless innings.

HARVARD HIGHLIGHTS

• The Crimson tallied season-highs in both hits (14) and runs (8) in the 8-3 win against Holy Cross. Six different Crimson logged multiple hits.
• Sun recorded her first home run of the 2026 season against Holy Cross and added another against USC Upstate, as the Austin, Texas native leads all active Crimson with 19 career home runs.
• Salazar-Stewart hit the first home run of her collegiate career and matched her career-high in RBIs with three against Holy Cross.
• Ziecik recorded multiple hits in a game for the first time in her career against Holy Cross.
• Forbes has recorded three multiple-hit efforts in her last four appearances.

UP NEXT

Harvard continues its time in South Carolina tomorrow, taking on the Crusaders again at 11 a.m. and Wofford at 4 p.m.

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