“[Gusse’s] been so steadily defensively and she’s really coming on strong offensively,” Harvard coach Jenny Allard said. “For her to be that clutch, we really needed it.”

Yale responded in the top of the fourth inning with four runs on five hits off of Harvard sophomore pitcher Taylor Cabe. Ricciardone entered the game in relief, but the Bulldogs took advantage of a Crimson error to score their fourth run of the inning.

Gusse added her second double of the game in the bottom half of the fifth inning to even the score and set Harvard up for the late-inning win.

HARVARD 10, YALE 1 (5 innings)

Ricciardone led the Crimson on the mound and at the plate in the team’s opener against the Bulldogs with three strong innings in the circle and a grand slam.

The Crimson continued to put pressure on Yale after the grand slam, adding three singles and a three-run homer off of the bat of Lantz to take a decisive 9-0 lead.

“We were on a three-game slide there, so it was good especially for this team to come out in the first inning,” Ricciardone said. “That sets an incredible tone for the rest of the day.”

The Bulldogs scored their lone run of the game in the third inning, capitalizing on two consecutive errors by Crimson infielders.

Senior Gabrielle Ruiz came on in relief and struck out four of the nine batters she faced to close out the game for Harvard.

—Staff writer Eileen P. Storey can be reached at estorey@college.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Ariel Smolik-Valles can be reached at ariel.smolik-valles@thecrimson.com.