YALE 8, HARVARD 2

After taking the first tilt of the four-game set in New Haven, Conn., Harvard (10-22, 5-9 Ivy) found itself in locked in a tight battle with the Bulldogs (15-19, 7-7) on Saturday evening. Down by one heading into the bottom of the seventh, the Crimson gave up four runs in the frame and fell, 8-2.

Junior starter Matt Timoney kept the game close, giving up two runs in 5.2 solid innings of work. Relief struggles on the mound hurt Harvard in this one, with each of the four Crimson pitchers giving up one or two runs and none finishing a full inning of work.

While Harvard finished the game with 10 hits, the offense also left nine runners on base. Yale countered with twelve hits of its own, with the one through four hitters finishing 8-for-15 with five runs batted in.

HARVARD 6, YALE 2

While a shaky first inning on the hill prevented him from earning a shutout, freshman Nick Gruener was dominant for his first win of the season. The hurler from Miami, Fla. gave up just one hit in his final six innings of work, and the Crimson cruised to a 6-2 win to start the series.

The Bulldogs jumped on Gruener their first time through the order, singling four times and taking advantage of an error to go up 2-0.

But the Harvard bats woke up with a bang in the third, fourth, and fifth innings, scoring two runs in each. By game’s end, the Crimson had tagged Yale starter David Hickey for six runs on ten hits.

Junior right fielder Brandon Kregel finished his day with two runs, two hits, and a stolen base out of the cleanup spot, while senior second baseman Kyle Larrow had two hits and a stolen base of his own.

—Staff writer Caleb Y. Lee can be reached at caleblee@college.harvard.edu.