With the bases loaded and none out in the bottom of the eighth, freshman catcher Monica Montijo hit an RBI single to drive the Harvard women's softball team past Rhode Island, 1-0, in extra innings.

"It was a huge relief to finally score," junior pitcher Chelsea Thoke said. "But we had been knocking on the door all day and hitting the ball really hard against her. We knew we'd eventually win."

Harvard (17-18, 9-0 Ivy) out hit URI (20-28-1) 10-1, but was unable to push a run across the plate in regulation.

On the other side of the ball, the Crimson pitching staff that allowed just seven runs in Harvard's four-game Ivy league sweep this past weekend was dominant once again against URI.

"The pitching has really fallen into place for us," Thoke said. "The weather's been excellent, and we've been able to work on our pitching without the rain. I've been able to fix one of the persistent problems that's been bothering me, and the entire staff is really strong."

Thoke and sophomore Suzanne Guy combined for the one-hit shutout.

Guy started the game and worked four innings of one-hit ball, recording four strikeouts with three walks before handing the reigns over to Thoke at the start of the fifth.

Thoke, the reigning Ivy Player of the Year, came on to pitch four hitless innings for the win, striking out five while allowing only a pair of walks.