Even against left handers, whom Walsh said his left-handed centerfielder often struggles with, Hale finished 2-for-4 with a double on the weekend.
Although Hale probably wasn’t in danger of losing his job—his defensive contributions would be hard to replace—the Crimson lineup needed a spark this weekend.
Harvard entered the series with only five runs in its last five Ivy matchups, but the Crimson did not tally fewer than seven in any of its four games this weekend. The increased run production led to three wins and a one-game Red Rolfe Division lead.
Part of the change in output was due to a weak Yale pitching staff, but at least some of it was due to Hale.
“I just started looking to go up the middle a little more, and the hits started coming,” Hale said.
—Staff writer Lande A. Spottswood can be reached at spottsw@fas.harvard.edu.