“We’ve been waiting for one of those for her,” Allard said. “We were just trying to get Kasey to connect with the ball, and I was surprised they pitched to her. They had handled her earlier in other at bats, but she just did a great job.”

HARVARD 12, YALE 3

Harvard overcame a tough break at the beginning of the game but responded with a run in the bottom of the first and three in the second to take the lead.

Onorato led off with a long fly ball into the right center gap. She stretched it into a triple when freshman center fielder Zoe Galindo booted the ball. Onorato came home when sophomore second baseman Katherine Lantz bobbled the ball on the cutoff.

Halula gave up her second consecutive hit to the same spot, but heads up fielding by Galindo held junior center fielder Tori Balta to a single, and Halula shut down the Bulldogs’ threat with two fly-outs and a groundball to Gusse.

In the top of the third, senior second baseman Jennifer Ong grounded to Gusse, who was bowled over by sophomore right fielder Riley Hughes charging from second. Though the runner was called for the final out of the inning on the interference, Gusse stayed down for several minutes.

But the shortstop was able to walk it off and she started the next inning with a slow chopper over starting pitcher Chelsea Dunham’s head, beating out the throw for a single. Gusse’s bat and defense would prove crucial for the rest of the game.

“Oh you know, I’m feeling old,” Gusse said about her collision. “You do what you need to do. I got the out, so that’s what matters.”

Up 4-3 going into the bottom of the fifth, Harvard batted through the order and scored eight runs to end the game. Gusse and Lange both had RBI doubles, and freshman left fielder Haley Davis—batting cleanup in place of sophomore left fielder Andrea Del Conte, who was out with injury—drew a walk.

“Haley has a great mindset for cleanup,” Allard said. “She has a lot of patience, and she seeks good pitches. She’s been doing well in that spot.”

With Hume’s walk-off double, the Crimson hit .444 in the game and .392 for the day, capping off an eight-game conference homestand.

—Staff writer Hope Schwartz can be reached at hschwartz@college.harvard.edu. Follow her on Twitter @HopeSchwartz16.