PRINCETON, N.J. – Harvard softball closed out the 2026 campaign at the Ivy League Tournament, as the Crimson fell against Brown, 8-2.
In the top of the first inning, senior infielder
Finley Payne hit a two-run home run to give the Crimson the initial 2-0 lead. An All-Ivy League Second Team selection, Payne ends her Harvard career with 154 hits, 19 home runs and 102 RBIs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Harvard (21-23-1, 12-9) started the day fast, scoring two runs on two hits in the top of the first. With a runner on first base, Payne crushed the second pitch of her at-bat to deep left center field, putting Harvard up by two runs early with a two-run home run, 2-0.
A native of Liberty Township, Ohio, Payne increased her home run tally on the 2026 season to 10 home runs, as Harvard has multiple student-athletes hit 10 or more home runs in a season for the first time in program history.
After going the first two innings without a run, Brown (21-23, 11-9) got on the board in the bottom of the third, pushing the score to 2-1 with a run on three hits. The Bears struck again in the bottom of the fifth inning, evening the score, 2-2.
With the scoreline tied at 2-2, Brown would record six runs to take the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, 8-2, as the Bears would see out the 8-2 victory in the bottom of the seventh.
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