The game of softball, as the Harvard softball team’s encounter with Yale yesterday proved, is a game of inches.

And those inches were all that separated the Crimson from a sweep of the doubleheader and a perfect 4-0 start to its Ivy League campaign. Instead, Harvard (10-10, 3-1 Ivy) earned a split of the twinbill with the Bulldogs (11-7, 2-2) and sits just one game out of first place in the league.

“It was a great start to conference,” Crimson coach Jenny Allard said. “No one is going to go undefeated and we played tough.”

YALE 4, HARVARD 2

One pitch: that was all it took to sink Harvard in the late game versus Yale. With two strikes, two outs, and the bases loaded in the first inning, freshman starter Amanda Watkins hung a curveball to Bulldogs right fielder Niki Haab and turned to watch it sail over the fence in right center for a demoralizing grand slam.

“You can lose a game on one pitch,” Allard said.

Although the Elis would threaten on a number of other occasions as the game wore on, the home run was all the offense they would generate—and all they would need.

The Crimson, as if dazed by the big blast, delayed in putting pressure on Yale starter Peggy Hunt, and by the time it had built offensive momentum, the comeback bid was short on time.

“You always need a strong start,” freshman Danielle Kerper said. “It was hard to adjust to the second pitcher. Later in the game, our bats got better and we had more energy. Timing was the big issue.”

Hunt went the distance for Yale, holding the Crimson to five hits—none for extra bases—and two earned runs in her seven innings. Four of those knocks, however, came during a two-inning span over the fifth and sixth, during which Harvard got one run apiece and seemed to be honing in on a rattled Hunt.

“She didn’t shut us down by any means,” Kerper said. “We had few strikeouts.”

The Crimson got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth. Senior Cecily Gordon stroked a single into right field to lead off the frame before being pulled for pinch runner Sarah Shaughnessy. Shortstop Lauren Brown knocked an RBI single into center to plate Shaughnessy, who had moved to second on a sacrifice.

Harvard got another tally in the next stanza thanks to the fleet feet of senior Lauren Stefanchik. Stefanchik put down a perfect bunt for a one-out hit, then stole second and moved to third on a groundout. Sophomore Julia Kidder knocked in Stefanchik with a clutch two-out single.

With the team down by only two runs entering the bottom of the seventh, the expected Crimson rally never materialized.

“Although we didn’t quite get the runs at the end,” Kerper said. “I thought we fought pretty well.”

With two outs in the seventh, Harvard appeared to have placed the tying run on base when Brown clubbed a hit down the left-field line. But in another twist of fate, the ball was judged foul by the home plate umpire and Brown was returned to the batter’s box, much to the dismay of Allard.

“It was the wrong call, blatantly wrong,” said Allard, who watched the play from the third-base coaching box. “The ball was completely fair.”

The game—and successful opening Ivy weekend—promptly ended on a soft grounder to short.

“We’re a little disappointed,” Allard said. “Because we thought we were the stronger team. Hopefully it fuels our fire.”

Sophomore Becky Voaklander kept the Crimson within striking distance down the stretch with five shutout innings in relief of Watkins, surrendering only a single hit in the process. Watkins moved to 3-4 with the loss.

HARVARD 2, YALE 0

Freshman Shelly Madick rounded off her breakout week with another complete-game win in the opening game, this one a four-hit shutout of the dangerous Bulldogs.

Yale starter Ashley Linnenbank matched Madick pitch for pitch through the early going, holding Harvard to a single hit—a bunt single by Stefanchik in the first—through the first three innings.

Kerper came through for the Crimson in the fourth, smashing her fourth home run of the season to deep right field to break the scoreless tie.

Swinging for the fences, Kerper had some extra motivation in addition to her desire to grab Harvard the lead.

“It’s my dad’s birthday today,” Kerper said. “And I thought ‘What was the best birthday gift after coming in from California?’”

By that point, Madick was on cruise control, racking up six strikeouts in her fourth win in six days.

She got an insurance run from the offense in the last of the fifth inning. A hard-fought leadoff walk by Cecily Gordon—who fouled off several Linnenbank offerings to earn the free pass—and line-drive double from senior catcher Annie Dell’Aria put runners on second and third with one out. Junior Erin Halpenny finished the rally with a sacrifice fly to center.

Harvard begins another action-packed week with meetings against local rival Boston College and Boston University tomorrow and Thursday, before traveling south to take on Ivy opponents Princeton and Penn.

—Staff writer Jonathan Lehman can be reached at jlehman@fas.harvard.edu.