That was only the beginning of the Harvard onslaught. The Rams were forced to pull their opening pitcher after she gave up two more hits, two more walks, and hit a batter without getting any more outs in the second inning. And yet the tide was still not stemmed as Harvard’s batting lineup went rampant.

Sophomore Katherine Appelbe eventually grounded out to third to end the run, but the damage was already done. Harvard had scored six runs on three hits in a monster inning taking the score to 9-0.

Harvard’s attack cooled after that, going scoreless in the third before freshman Alyssa Siegmann hit a two-RBI single in the fourth. Errors cost the Rams the ability to stay competitive, committing eleven in the four innings of the first game.

This relentless offensive performance was complemented by a complete defensive effort from the Crimson. Freshman pitcher Morgan Groom gave up five hits but no runs in the first four innings and senior Jess Ferri kept Rhode Island to a solitary dab on the scoreboard to ensure that Harvard did not have to bat again.

“[Morgan Groom] was hitting her spots, moving the ball around the zone and I think it was hard for them to settle in on what she was throwing where,” Allard said. “She just had a really good performance today. And then Jess Ferri came in and she hasn’t got a lot of time on the mound, so it was nice to have her come in and get some innings of work, too.”

“I think today and all of our preseason preparation has been good for us,” Allard added. “We know what we need to do and I think we’re just ready to get league play started.”