When the Harvard softball team took the lead in the top of the ninth, it was three outs away from ending the weekend on a positive note.

After dropping the first game of a two-game series at Syracuse (11-14), the Crimson (5-12) went into the bottom of the inning looking to hold the Orange scoreless and emerge with the win. But a leadoff walk put the tying runner on base, and a sacrifice fly sent the game into the tenth.

Harvard was held scoreless in the top of the tenth, and Syracuse made the Crimson pay in its half of the inning, scoring to put the Orange on top and sweep the weekend.

“We did everything possible to lose that game,” Harvard coach Jenny Allard said. “We had no desire to win that game. We need to step up with our energy.”

The Crimson relied on freshman pitcher Morgan Groom for the bulk of the work. After starting the first game and throwing four-and-a-third innings, Groom pitched five-and-two-thirds in relief of sophomore Gabrielle Ruiz.

On the weekend, Groom gave up seven earned runs on five hits. She struck out twelve batters and allowed nine walks.

“She shouldered the work this weekend, and when her stuff was in the zone she was very, very effective,” Allard said. “She threw too many balls and had too many walks; that was our big mistake on the weekend. We just need to challenge the hitters more.”

SYRACUSE 5, HARVARD 4

The Orange jumped out to an early lead with two runs in the first and held the lead until the fifth, but the Crimson continued to chip away.

“We need to come out from the beginning with intensity and a sense of urgency,” said senior designated hitter Jessica Ferri. “I know in a lot of our games we’ve had some rough starts. If we clean up the early innings, hopefully they won’t come back to bite us late in games.”

Harvard added a run in the top of the third after sophomore left fielder Andrea Del Conte reached on an error and was brought home when co-captain right fielder Shelbi Olson singled through the right side.

Syracuse answered with a run of its own in the bottom of the fifth on a Morgan Dandin solo home run, and a two run homer by Ferri brought the score to a tie.

Freshman centerfielder Zoe Galindo continued the homerun derby with a go-ahead jack in the ninth, but the Orange brought it to a tie and scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the tenth.

The Crimson faced two different pitchers and outhit Syracuse, 11-4, with no strikeouts.

“Any loss is going to be disappointing,” Ferri said. “A loss where we were ahead and lost that lead is especially tough. It’s just a learning experience, and it builds character.”

SYRACUSE 6, HARVARD 2

Orange pitcher Lindsay Taylor pitched the complete game and allowed only two hits, a single and a homerun to Galindo that scored both of the Crimson’s runs in the second.

Harvard had difficulty stringing hits together and was held scoreless for the remainder of the game.

“We faced the same pitcher the whole game, and she definitely threw well,” Ferri said. “We weren’t really adjusting. We were putting the ball in play but we weren’t really making her come to us.”

Syracuse started scoring early, putting up two in the first and adding three in the fifth. The Orange added its final run in the sixth on a series of Crimson mistakes.

First baseman Jasmine Watson started off the rally with a single up the middle and advanced to second on a walk. She took third on a wild pitch and scored on an error by junior third baseman Kasey Lange.

Groom pitched the first four innings and allowed five runs on two hits, walking four. She was relieved by fellow freshman Jamie Halula, who allowed the final run.

The games at Carrier Dome were Harvard’s final two on the road before playing at home for the first time on Tuesday.

Although the Crimson did not come away with a win for the weekend, Ferri was pleased with the improvements made.

“I thought we played pretty well,” Ferri said. “They were two close games, and we were in a position to win both of them. We were right there. We just need that little extra push to get both wins.”

—Staff writer Hope Schwartz can be reached at hschwartz@college.harvard.edu. Follow her on Twitter at @HSchwartz16.