The first game matched up Thoke with Ivy Pitcher of Year Christine Quattrocchi. Abeles--who was three weeks removed from breaking her wrist in a game against Yale--came through in spite of her injury with a two-RBI single. But those were all the runs Harvard could manage, and Dartmouth went on to win, 3-2.

With its hopes of Ivy perfection crushed, Harvard came out loose and ready to play in the second game. Whitton, for the second time that week, homered to start off a game. That would be all the scoring Suzanne Guy would need on the day. She pitched a spectacular three-hit shutout in which just a few balls ever left the infield. Abeles--broken wrist and all--was perfect in the field with seven assists on the day.

The win over Dartmouth clinched the Ivy title and gave Harvard an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. Two weeks later, the Crimson flew out to Oklahoma to begin double-elimination Regional play.

In the Regional opener, the No. 3 Sooners dominated the Crimson on both sides of the plate in an 11-0 blowout. McKendry and senior Crystal Springer--who batted .447 to lead Harvard in hitting on the season--were the only two Crimson players with hits. Thoke managed to strike out six for Harvard, but she gave up two home runs and could not keep the Sooners from invoking the mercy rule.

In an elimination game against Northwestern the next day, senior Jessie Amberg and Whitton hit back-to-back home runs to build a 4-0 Harvard lead. After the Wildcats came back to tie, Whitton hit a two-RBI double to give the Crimson the lead again. But it wasn't enough, as poor luck on defense and questionable umpiring allowed Northwestern to come back and eliminate Harvard by a 9-6 score.

While the NCAA performance was not what Harvard had hoped for, the Ivy championship was a well-deserved ending to the careers of Abeles, Godfree, Springer and Amberg. The 41-7 Ivy record over the senior class's four-year term is the best in the history of the program.

For the team that they leave, the future looks bright. With six All-Ivy players returning for next year, Harvard will be the team to beat in the Ivy League for the foreseeable future.