It was a game of defensive mixups from the start, and Hendricks, who started for the Crimson, was the victim.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first thanks to the first two of Harvard’s five errors.

The first, a dropped fly ball in left field by Mackey, put runners on second and third with just one out. The second was an errant throw to third base by Mann that allowed an extra run to come home on a Mike Gulker double.

“We didn’t come out focused in that first inning,” said Walsh, who went on to suggest the picnic atmosphere before the game was perhaps responsible for the mental lapses.

“We talked about that today—being home with all the parents and the fans around after the first game and everybody’s clawing at you, trying to shove chocolate chip cookies down your face and we’ve got a ballgame. There’s no more of that. We’re gonna be standing out here in front of the dugout. I don’t know whether that’s the reason or not, we’ve just got to regain focus out there.”

The extra-inning loss spoiled a pair of comebacks in the game by Harvard, from deficits of 5-1 and 7-5. Especially painful were a pair of a baserunning blunders.

With two runs in and no outs in the fourth, Mann was erased after running on contact from third on a ball hit back to the mound.

Later, again with no outs in the bottom of the ninth, Hale, whose RBI double earlier that inning had tied the game, 7-7, took off when Salsgiver bounced a grounder to third. He was gunned out at the plate as well.

“We should’ve been home with that win after [nine] innings,” Walsh said. “Hale had a misread there, he saw the ball being chopped and he trusted his speed too much. He shouldn’t have even moved, he should’ve stayed home and left it up to Farkes.”

Walsh added that he would have had Farkes squeeze in that situation.

“We would’ve won the ballgame and gone home,” he said.

Harvard 7, Yale 2

After two weeks out of action with a sore shoulder, Brunnig (3-1) wasn’t going to let a little cold weather stop him from making his debut at O’Donnell Field.

The freshman braved blustery winds and 40-degree temperatures to pitch seven strong innings in the Crimson’s 7-2 win Friday.

“I was kind of concerned, but he wanted to go. He felt good,” Walsh said. “He’s going to win a lot of games for us over the next four years.”