"It feels like a dream. It doesn't feel real," said senior leftfielder Hillary Read. "I watched the [women's] basketball team do it this winter, and I admire those guys so much, and it's hard to believe we're following their example right now."

If the Harvard women's basketball team set the stage, Harvard softball is taking the curtain call.

Harvard (33-20, 12-0 Ivy) continued its history-making ways Friday when it swept Holy Cross (31-19-1, 15-5 Patriot League), 7-4 and 6-0, in a best-of-three-game NCAA Play-In Series at Soldiers Field to earn the program its first-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The Crimson found out last night that it will head to Amherst, Mass. as the No. 4 seed to face the top-seeded Oklahoma Sooners (47-13) in Region Five on Friday afternoon. The other two teams in Harvard's Region are host UMass (42-12) and Boston College (38-12-1).

There are eight Regional sites, each with four teams competing in a three day, double-elimination tourney. The winning team from each Region will advance to the Women's College world Series in Oklahoma City.

"It feels great. It's very exciting," said Harvard Coach Jenny Allard. "We've never done it as Harvard softball. These kids have never done it. It's unchartered territory. As a head coach, it's very satisfying as well."

Harvard was led to victory on Friday by Read's outstanding day at the plate. Read was a combined 4-for-6 with seven RBI and the first two home runs of her career, a two-run shot in the opener and a three-run blast in the nightcap.

In addition to earning the team a first-ever bid to NCAAs, Harvard's two wins gave it 33 for the season, the most ever by a Crimson softball squad. The previous record of 32 victories was set last year.

Harvard 7, Holy Cross 4

Harvard sent ace Tasha Cupp to the mound in the first game, and while she was not as dominating as she has been lately,she delivered a fine outing to lead the Crimson tothe win. Battling through soreness in her pitchingarm, Cupp (16-5) threw a complete game and allowedsix hits and one walk while striking out two. Herfour runs were all unearned.

The game was scoreless until Harvard struckfirst in the bottom of the third. Co-captaincenterfielder Jenny Franzese led off the inningwith a double over the head of Holy Cross'sleftfielder. Franzese came around to score whenjunior catcher Terri Teller ripped an RBI singleinto right.

HARVARD  7HOLY CROSS  4HARVARD  6HOLY CROSS  0

The score did not remain 1-0 very long. AsTeller stood on first, Read caught a pitch belthigh with a swing that immediately left no doubtsas to where the ball would land. A few secondslater, the ball was lying behind the leftfieldfence, and Read was enjoying the first home runtrot of her career.

"[The ball] has never looked that big to mebefore," Read said. "I've never even hit one outin practice. It's just never happened. I don'tknow how to describe it."

Holy Cross answered Harvard's challengequickly. In the top half of the fourth, theCrusaders--aided by some good luck and a Harvarderror--tacked two runs on the board to pull withinone.

The rally began when Holy Cross junior JenniferJenkins sent a sharp grounder to second. Harvardjunior co-captain Tara LaSovage bobbled the ballinitially, and her throw to first was too late toget Jenkins.