The Harvard softball team played 46 innings in five games at the Louisiana State University Tournament this weekend en route to four wins, three of which came in extra innings.

The highlight of the weekend for the Crimson came on Friday afternoon with a 12-inning, 1-0 upset of No. 23 Louisiana State University (15-5). Harvard (6-4) added a win against Lamar (4-9) on Friday and a pair of wins against Jackson State (5-13) over the weekend, but fell to Iowa State on Saturday afternoon (14-5).

“Harvard softball has some lofty goals that we hope to accomplish this season, and beating a top-25 team, and an SEC team, is definitely right there in the mix,” said junior pitcher Laura Ricciardone, who had nine strikeouts in the win. “It was exciting for us to accomplish one of those goals and prove to ourselves that we have what it takes to be successful outside of the Ivy League.”

HARVARD 5, JACKSON STATE 4

A hit to second base off the bat of junior catcher Katherine Appelbe in the bottom of the 10th inning was all the Crimson needed to score junior designated hitter Andrea Del Conte and finish off the Tigers, 5-4.

After scoring a run in the second and third innings, the Crimson extended its lead to four with a pair of runs in the fourth. But Jackson State took advantage of three consecutive walks by freshman pitcher Taylor Cabe to score three runs without recording a single hit in the inning.

Harvard clung to its one-run lead until the Tigers’ final at-bat. Jackson State sophomore Canessa Swanson stole a pair of bases and then scored from third on a fielder’s choice to send the game into extra innings.