Pitching and defensive woes plagued the Harvard baseball team all weekend, leading to four losses against Ivy League opponents Penn and Columbia at O’Donnell Field.

The Crimson (5-18, 1-5 Ivy) allowed at least seven runs in every contest and committed a combined 11 errors, leading to 13 unearned runs.

“Coming into [the weekend], we knew we were a game back,” junior outfielder Mike Martin said. “It seemed like all the other Ivy League teams were pretty similar…. Our mindset was to win four. When it comes down to it, we didn’t play well together as a team.”

COLUMBIA 8, HARVARD 3

In the final game of the weekend, Harvard dug itself into an early hole and suffered an 8-3 defeat at the hands of the visiting Lions (11-15, 5-3).

Harvard senior starter Sam Dodge only lasted 2.2 innings on the hill, allowing four runs on four hits and two walks. After four Crimson arms struggled in game one, it took five different pitchers to get through the nine innings.

Adding to the labors of the Harvard pitching staff, three Crimson miscues on defense led to three unearned runs.

Senior outfielder Carlton Bailey had the team’s only extra base hit of the day and scored a run. Martin also provided a bright spot of his own, going 3-for-4 at the plate.

But the four through nine Crimson hitters couldn't get their bats going, recording just two hits on the game.

COLUMBIA 12, HARVARD 6

While the Crimson struck first for the only time of the weekend, the pitching staff could not find a way to avoid the big inning, as Harvard saw a 4-0 lead become an 8-4 deficit in the top of the fifth inning. The Crimson couldn’t recover and fell to Columbia, 12-6, in the first game on Sunday afternoon.

It was a pitch-by-committee sort of day for both squads, with neither starter finishing five complete innings, and Columbia’s Joey Donino throwing only three.

Looking for his first win of the season, freshman right hander Nick Gruener began the day strong, limiting the Columbia lineup to just one hit through four innings of work.

But then the wheels came off on the defensive end in the top of the fifth, as Crimson infielders committed two errors that led to three unearned runs.

The Lions continued their offensive onslaught after they knocked Gruener out of the game, scoring seven more runs off sophomore Nick Scahill and freshman Kevin Rex to put the game out of reach.