QUEENS, N.Y. – Harvard softball returned to the diamond with a pair of nonconference clashes in the Empire State, as the Crimson dropped decisions against Army and St. John's at Red Storm Field.
After starting the day with a 5-1 defeat against Army, the Crimson battled against the Red Storm, as Harvard fell just short in a 3-2 contest against St. John's. Across both matchups in Queens, six different Crimson recorded hits against Army and St. John's.
HOW IT HAPPENED IN GAME ONE
After a scoreless first inning, Army (9-13, 0-0 Patriot League) tallied runs in the bottom of the second and third innings to build a 2-0 advantage heading into the fourth inning.
Harvard (6-9-1, 0-0 Ivy League) started the fourth strong, as junior infielder
Sophie Sun and first-year infielder
Hannah Ziecik recorded back-to-back singles to lead off the frame. With runners on the corners, sophomore infielder
Alexa Muller scored the Crimson's first run of the weekend with a groundout to second base, brining Harvard within one of the Black Knights, 2-1.
From there, Army grew its lead with a three-run showing in the bottom of the fifth to secure its 5-1 victory, as a Crimson rally in the top of the seventh fell just short. Harvard ended the weekend opener with one run on five hits, as junior pitcher
Nicolette Hunter led the way offensively with two hits.
HOW IT HAPPENED IN GAME TWO
Stellar pitching defined the clash between Harvard and St. John's (17-8, 1-2 BIG EAST), as both starting pitchers kicked off the contest with three shutout innings.
Harvard opened the scoring in the fourth frame against the Red Storm. Once again, leadoff singles from Sun and Ziecik set the table for a scoring opportunity, as a groundout from Muller scored the first run of the day to give the Crimson a 1-0 advantage.
In the home half of the fourth inning, St. John's drew level with run, as Harvard wasted no time regaining the lead in the fifth inning. A leadoff hit from junior outfielder and team captain
Megan Davies, along with a walk from first-year outfielder
Sheila Forbes, allowed a sacrifice fly from senior infielder
Finley Payne to bring in a run to put the Crimson back in the lead, 2-1.
St. John's drew even in the bottom of the fifth with a home run, as the Red Storm scored the go-ahead and eventual game winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning to end the game at 3-2.
Four different Crimson recorded hits against St. John's, as Harvard logged two runs on four hits in the second contest of the day. Across 4.2 innings of work, senior pitcher and team captain
Ryan Grace only allowed two runs, striking out two batters in the process.
UP NEXT
Harvard closes out the weekend in New York tomorrow, as the Crimson face St. John's at 10:30 a.m. to start the day. Harvard faces Army at 1 p.m. in the weekend finale. Crimson fans can stream the contest against St. John's live on ESPN+.
For complete coverage of Harvard Softball, follow the team on Twitter (@HarvardSB) and Instagram (@harvardsb).
