The last time the Dartmouth softball team was on Soldiers Field, it was celebrating its first-ever North Division title at the expense of the host Crimson.

A year later, Harvard wasn’t about to let that happen again.

Needing two wins in this weekend’s four-game set to clinch the division crown, the Crimson got it done early and in convincing fashion, sweeping the Big Green, 9-0 and 7-1, at home on Saturday.

“I’m proud of our team—everybody contributed,” co-captain Margaux Black said. “Everyone did something great today. We came out fired up, and it was awesome.”

HARVARD 7, DARTMOUTH 1

Just as in the first game, Harvard made a statement in the first inning and never looked back, cruising to a 7-1 victory and punching its ticket to the Ivy League Championship Series.

Junior Ellen Macadam got the game started with a double down the left-field line. Co-captain Melissa Schellberg moved her to third base with a single, and then sophomore Whitney Shaw drove a single through the left side to plate Macadam for the game’s first run.

“[They were] pivotal, Ellen’s hits,” Crimson coach Jenny Allard said. “First batter of the game, to get those hits and get on for us. And that puts Whitney up in that inning, and she’s just a strong, powerful hitter. It’s hard to get her out.”

Senior Jennifer Francis then singled up the middle to score Schellberg, who is also a Crimson sports editor, and Shaw.

Sophomore Rachel Brown did her part to protect the early three-run lead, scattering a pair of hits over four innings of work for her second win of the day. Brown also struck out 13 batters, which brought her season total to 219—surpassing the program single-season record she set last spring.

Harvard broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth, sparked by a one-out walk from sophomore Jane Alexander. Macadam singled to move Alexander to third and chase Dartmouth starter Kat Hicks from the game.

Reliever Evan Gray fared no better against the potent Crimson offense. After Macadam stole second, senior Stephanie Krysiak singled to shallow left to plate Alexander.

Macadam was tagged out at home on Schellberg’s suicide squeeze, but Shaw followed with a two-RBI double to deep right-center. Freshman Jess Ferri’s single to shallow left brought Shaw home for the seventh run of the game.

Black came on in relief and allowed just one run on four hits in three innings of work to seal the win for Harvard—giving the senior class another shot at winning its second Ivy title.

“I came out knowing that this was my last game on this field, and I really wanted to go out with a bang,” Black said. “It’s awesome to be able to celebrate on our own field.”