Yet the success of Guy and the Harvard defense behind her made those Crimson offensive shortcomings irrelevant.

Guy earned her third save of the year and lowered her ERA to a team-best 1.15, while Brotemarkle improved to 6-3 with a 2.28 ERA.

In addition to its pitching strength, another encouraging Crimson trend was its ability to outdo its opponents on the basepaths. The poised freshman catcher Miller caught a Terrier stealing to give Crimson opponents just eight steals on 12 attempts this season. Stefanchik gave Harvard its 33rd steal in 37 attempts, a tribute to Allard’s preseason change of philosophy and some healthy drills in the offseason.

Harvard will now gets its first chance to translate its early season success into a third straight Ivy title when it enters its first weekend of league play, with games set at Brown tomorrow and at Yale on Sunday. Neither team has beaten Harvard since 1997.

For Stefanchik and the other freshmen, it will be their first chance for the long-awaited Ivy season.

“We’re hitting really well now, the defense is good, and the pitching is awesome,” Stefanchik said. “So I think we’re feeling good about [Ivy play].”