“It’s hard to take anything [positive] out of a game when you’re down 10-0 or 6-0 right off the bat,” Martin said.
Harvard finally got something going offensively in the top of the sixth. Martin led off with an infield single and was replaced with freshman pinch runner T.J. Laurisch. Sophomore Brandon Kregel then singled to left, classmate Ethan Ferreira walked, and Laurisch scored on a fielders choice to give Harvard its first run. But Klug flied out to center and sophomore Tanner Anderson struck out to end the rally.
Rice scored again in the bottom of the inning on doubles by Stainback and Teyki—who like Aquino went three-for-four—before Saathoff had a two-out RBI single to left to score junior Carlton Bailey in the bottom of the inning.
But Rice pushed its lead to 10 by adding two more runs on fielders choices in the seventh and eighth. Jordan Stephens struck out eight over seven innings for the Owls, who recorded 13 hits on the afternoon.
“They’re putting the ball in play, and they’re getting doubles and triples, and the pitchers are just able to throw strikes,” Martin said. “Its so much easier to play when you’re ahead and so much harder to play when you’re down.”
RICE 5, HARVARD 2
In the closest game of the series, it was the third inning that proved to be the difference, as the Owls rallied for four runs—all unearned—off of Crimson junior starter Sam Dodge.
With the bases loaded and two out, Saathoff misplayed a ground ball, allowing Rice’s first two runs to cross the plate. Dodge then hit Stringer with a pitch to load the bases again and Tyrek singled through the left side to score two more before Dodge escaped the bases-loaded jam by getting Cook to fly out to center.
In the following inning, Rice loaded the bases again, and Aquino singled home a run before Dodge stranded three more by getting Stringer to pop out.
Dodge, freshman Joey Silepka, and classmate Sean O’Neill held the Owls scoreless the rest of the way, and Harvard made it interesting in the final two innings.
In the top of the eighth, Wineski walked, Martin singled to right, and Kregel singled to right center to load the bases with no outs. After Ferreira struck out, freshman D.J. Link reached on a Teyki error, giving the Crimson its first run of the series. But Zech Lemond entered in relief of Austin Kubitza—who had struck out eight over seven innings—and immediately whiffed Saathoff and Klug to end the threat.
After O’Neill escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the ninth, another Rice error in the bottom of the frame scored freshman Michael Loughlin to make it 5-2. But Ferreira struck out swinging as the tying run, and Rice took the win.
“We just didn’t make plays when we had to,” Martin said. “We’re just literally not making any plays at all, offensively and defensively.”
Wineski was a bit more optimistic about the team’s performance.
“[This series] really shows what we strive for, what we need to work on,” he said. “[But] we’re a young team, so I think we’ll learn.... I think the team’s going to really pull together and get better.”
—Staff writer Scott A. Sherman can be reached at ssherman13@college.harvard.edu