Harvard’s 2-1 seventh-inning lead disappeared when a Brotemarkle wild pitch got past Miller, and a Wildcat runner came home from third to tie the game at two.

The Crimson took the lead again in the eighth when Whitton drove in the automatic baserunner from second—an implementation of international tiebreaker rules.

But Harvard couldn’t hold the 3-2 lead as the Wildcats singled in their free baserunner to tie the game and won it with a two-run homer.

The ending ruined an outstanding pitching performance by Brotemarkle, who kept the Wildcats scoreless for the first 5.2 innings and retired 10 in a row at one point.

“There are a few games that we lost that we learned lessons from, where we felt that we had the game,” Allard said, referring to the loss to Villanova.

Harvard’s bid to bounce back in the nightcap against Villanova was cut short as the game was called after five innings with the Wildcats up 2-0. The Crimson only managed one hit off the Villanova starter. Guy was the tough-luck loser.

A trip one hour up north to Easton gave Harvard a welcome opportunity to end its losing skid against Lafayette, a struggling Patriot League team.

Brotemarkle showed no lingering effects from her spoiled effort at Villanova with a complete-game, 11 strikeout shutout in Harvard’s 4-0 win in game one.

The Crimson went ahead in the third by scoring a run off a single from freshman Lauren Bettinelli, a Stefanchik bunt and a wild pitch. A two-run homer by tri-captain Sarah Koppel and a solo shot by Cooley in the fifth gave Harvard the insurance.

Harvard showed no mercy in the second game as it turned a 3-1 lead into a 12-1 rout with a nine-run fifth inning. Cooley and Whitton each hit three-run homers to spur the rally.

Freshman Beth Sabin gave up one run in three innings to earn the win, and Guy and Tanner each pitched shutout innings for the Crimson.

Harvard had originally scheduled a doubleheader at Lehigh on Mar. 26 as well, but the games were cancelled.

Buzz Classic

Harvard may not have matched last year’s unprecedented second-place finish at the 25-team Buzz Classic, but it still met its goal of starting strong against the competitive tournament field.

Harvard went 3-1 in the round-robin portion of the tournament with a convincing 5-2 win over Mercer, a tough 5-2 loss to host Georgia Tech, a late come-from-behind 5-3 win over Tennessee Tech and a wild 18-11 blowout of Charleston Southern.