It was an uneven beginning to the season for the Harvard softball team.

To open the season, the Crimson traveled to California to participate in the four-game Harrison Classic at UC Riverside. And after building up a 2-0 record with a pair of 4-2 victories, Harvard fell back to .500, suffering a pair of disastrous 8-0 losses.

While the first half of the weekend featured strong pitching and solid hitting, both offense and defense faltered as the weekend wore on.

After the opening weekend, Harvard (2-2) returned home with mixed feelings, having earned a victory against Southern Utah, but splitting two games against Cal Poly, and losing to UC Riverside.

CAL POLY 8, HARVARD 0

Plagued by lackluster offense and inconsistent pitching, Harvard was routed 8-0 by Cal Poly (13-10) in six innings, shut out for the second time in as many games.

With the decisive victory, the Mustangs earned some revenge for the loss they experienced at the hands of the Crimson the day before.

Cal Poly’s pitchers scattered just two hits as the Harvard hitters were unable to break out of their late-weekend slump.

The Crimson offense was stymied by starter Robyn Kontra, whom it had beaten in the previous meeting.

“I would say our inexperience playing outside caught up with us,” sophomore shortstop Lauren Brown said. “Playing against teams that have played several games outside, I think the adrenaline wore off.”

While Harvard held the Mustangs scoreless for the first two innings, they suddenly erupted in the third.

By the time the dust had settled at the end of the sixth, Cal Poly had collected 12 hits, launched two home runs, and was sitting on an insurmountable 8-0 lead.

UC RIVERSIDE 8, HARVARD 0