“Katie really did a good job hitting her spots and keeping them off balance throughout the weekend,” Lockhart said.
Three runs in the bottom of the second comprised the bulk of Harvard’s offensive output. With two outs and a runner on third, co-captain and second baseman Giana Panariello walked and stole second base. Singles off the bats of Rich and Lockhart brought in three runs.
Two crucial defensive plays stopped Yale from building significant momentum in the late innings.
In the top of the fifth, Bulldog catcher Madison Sack hit a bullet in the hole between second and first. Panariello ranged to her left into the outfield grass, stabbed the ball, and made a spinning throw to beat the runner to first. In the top of the seventh with a runner on first and no outs, Sack sent a deep fly ball curling toward the right field foul pole. Kaplan chased the ball into the corner and made the grab on the track, slamming into the fence and holding on for out number one.
The first four hitters in the Crimson’s lineup combined for five hits and all five runs batted in. Harvard was economical on the basepaths, only stranding five runners.
YALE 14, HARVARD 6 (5 innings)
Yale reversed its fortunes in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, delivering Harvard a high-scoring 14-6 defeat. The Bulldogs accumulated fewer hits than runs, but it benefited from four free passes, and five of its hits went for extra bases.
The Crimson’s pitching staff struggled from the outset, allowing 10 runs in the top of the second alone. All told, Harvard’s pitchers only struck out one Yale batter in the game.
Sack blasted two home runs and drove in six, and southpaw Terra Jerpbak kept the Crimson at bay despite allowing 10 hits and six runs. Sack’s biggest hit of the day came in the second, as she chased in four with a grand slam.
Despite the gaudy score on Yale’s side, Harvard’s offense kept its momentum from the earlier game. The Crimson posted 10 hits, including a double each from Lockhart and senior left fielder Catherine Callaway.
HARVARD 11, YALE 1 (5 innings)
Harvard beat up on Bulldog senior righthander Lindsay Efflandt in the first game Saturday afternoon in an 11-1 rout.
“On Saturday, we really came out playing loose and relaxed,” Lockhart said. “It allowed us to swing our bats and score a lot of runs early in the weekend and just have fun with the game.”
The Crimson’s offense, pitching, and defense were all in top shape in the first half of the twinbill. Five different Harvard batters mashed six total extra base hits, and Duncan cruised through five innings of one-run ball. Out of 12 starts, Duncan now has four without recording a strikeout, but this start also marked her sixth without allowing a free pass.
Freshman first baseman Olivia Giaquinto continued to rake, blasting her second and third home runs of the season. The Falls Church, Va. native smashed two solo shots over the left-field fence.
At 3-1, the game was closely contested until the Crimson’s turn at bat in the bottom of the fifth. Harvard piled on eight runs in the home half, the most of any inning in any game this season, to pick up the five-inning victory.
—Staff writer Jack Stockless can be reached at jack.stockless@thecrimson.com.