Down 2-0 with runners on first and second with no outs, Harvard called a timeout, conferencing at the mound. UMass was relentless, however, earning yet another base off a bunt. With the bases loaded and no outs, the Minutewomen sent up the top of the batting order.
But Bettinelli then forced three fly balls that her defense fielded to finally close out the inning.
Harvard got its first hit in the bottom of the third inning off a bunt from freshman shortstop Julie Kidder, but could manage nothing more until after UMass did more damage.
Morin led off the fourth inning with a double that bounced off the fence just one foot short of a home run. Stefanoni drove Morin in with a double of her own and then scored on a wild pitch.
Franke hit to the infield for a single and was on base for Puglia’s home run, increasing the Minutewomen’s lead to 6-0.
“They were hitting [Bettinelli’s] mistakes,” Allard said. “It was a matter of them being really disciplined at the plate.”
Freshmen Becky Voaklander took over on the mound and helped the Crimson out of the inning with a strikeout.
She also held UMass scoreless in the fifth inning before allowing an unearned run in the top of the sixth.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, behind 7-0 and with two outs, Gordon slugged a solo home run in her third at-bat of the game.
“You know you hit the ball right when you can’t feel it off the bat, and that one was gone,” she said. “It just felt great.”
Junior catcher Annie Dell’Aria cranked a home run of her own in the bottom of the seventh, but the margin was insurmountable, leaving Harvard on the short end of a 7-2 final score.
The coaching staff changed almost the entire lineup in the half-hour break between games. Only Gordon at first base and junior left fielder Lauren Stefanchik remained in the same positions throughout the afternoon. The only other player to start both games was Halpenny, who played third base and catcher.
The Crimson used designated and pinch hitters heavily while trying to find the proper combination of offense and defense.
“Our strongest clutch offensive lineup is not our strongest clutch defensive lineup and vice versa,” Allard said. “I’d like to have something set.”
—Staff writer Carrie H. Petri can be reached at cpetri@harvard.edu.