Another season, another Ivy League Championship for a Harvard women's athletic team.

And still more history made.

The Harvard softball team clinched the first Ivy title in the program's history this weekend by sweeping a pair of doubleheaders at Penn (10-27, 0-8 Ivy) and Cornell (29-8, 8-4). Harvard (27-20, 10-0) downed the Quakers by scores of 5-0 and 2-0 on Saturday afternoon before surviving a Sunday rain postponement to crush the Big red, 2-1 and 10-0, yesterday in Ithaca.

The Crimson now advances to the postseason, where it will host an NCAA Play-In Series versus the Patriot League Champion beginning on Thursday, May 7. Before the playoffs begin, however, Harvard has a chance to complete the school's first ever undefeated conference season if it can sweep a twin billing from Dartmouth at Hanover on Saturday.

Harvard's pitchers were phenomenal throughout the weekend, especially while outperforming Cornell in a much-anticipated battle with the Big Red's highly-touted staff. Senior southpaw Tasha Cupp (13-5) threw two complete-game shutouts, surrendered just five hits and struck out a combined total of 16 batters.

Freshman Chelsea Thoke (12-9) kept pace with Cupp as the Ivy League leader in strikeouts hurled 10 innings, rang up 15 batters, gave up just three hits and earned a victory. Senior Heather Brown looked sharp on the hill as well, allowing just two hits in four innings against Penn.

Harvard 5, Penn 0

Harvard started the weekend exactly as it had expected--going right after the woeful Quakers. Behind a complete-game two hitter from Cupp, Penn's offense really had no chance. And with its defense committing four errors, Penn sealed its own fate.

But the Crimson took no chances. Led by junior co-captain Tara LaSovage's 3-for-4, four RBI performance--including her third home run of the season--Harvard scored twice in the third, once in the fifth and two more times in the sixth to leave no doubt as to which was the better team.

Junior rightfielder Karen Rice and sophomore leftfielder Jessie Amberg each had 2-for-3 days at the plate with one run scored. Cupp drove in the Crimson's other run to help her own cause.

Rice is Quietly moving her way up Harvard's list of offensive statistical leaders. She is currently second on the team in batting with a .371 average, and she has an on-base percentage of .400, third on the squad.

Harvard 2, Penn 1

Despite 11 hits in game two, Harvard could muster only two runs against Penn pitcher Suzanne Arbogast. But Brown and Thoke made up for the Crimson's offensive inefficiency by combining to throw a gem.

Brown got the start and the win, going four complete innings, as the Quakers mustered only two hits off of the senior. Thoke then came on in relief for the last three frames and fanned four while giving up just one hit.

LaSovage and freshman designated player Mairead McKendry led the way at the plate for Harvard, both recording multiple-hit games. Sophomore first baseman Ghia Godfree and junior third baseman Meredith Bagley scored the Crimson's two runs.