Cambridge, Mass. – The Harvard Crimson (25-14-1, 15-5 Ivy) took down the Columbia Lions (16-21, 11-9 Ivy) twice on Saturday with a 2-1 victory and an exciting 6-5 walk-off comeback win to move back into a first-place tie in the Ivy League.
With the Crimson and Princeton Tigers tied for first in the league, the regular season championship all comes down to tomorrow's results. With a win over Columbia for the third time, Harvard will earn at least a share of the Ivy League title.
GAME 1 | Harvard 2, Columbia 1
How it Happened
Trailing 1-0, the Crimson first put runs on the board in the second inning. Harvard scored twice, with one run coming across on Lauren Bobowski's single. The score remained 2-1 for the rest of the game, as the Crimson held on for the win.
Game Highlights
• Anna Reed (8-7) got the win for Harvard. The right-hander went four innings, giving up one run on three hits, allowing three walks and striking out two. Riley Flynn also pitched well, going three shutout innings without allowing a hit, walking none and striking out two. Combined, they limited Columbia to just 1-for-8 (.125) with runners in scoring position.
• At bat, the Crimson were paced by senior Kaitlin Lampson, who went 2-for-2 on the day with an RBI. Bobowski put together a noteworthy day at the plate as well, going 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI.
• The Crimson took a 2-1 lead in the second inning and never surrendered the advantage on the way to a 2-1 win over the Columbia Lions on Friday.
• Harvard out-hit the Lions at a 4-3 clip.
• With runners in scoring position, the Crimson went 2-for-6 (.333).
GAME 2 | Harvard 6, Columbia 5
How it Happened
The Crimson got on the scoreboard first, starting in the third inning. Savannah Fitzpatrick's bases-clearing double put all three runs on the board in the inning for Harvard.
The Lions then rallied to score four runs and take a 4-3 lead before the Crimson got back on the board in the fourth. Harvard picked up a run on Megan Welsh's leadoff home run, which brought the score level at 4-4.
Columbia busted up the tie and took a 5-4 lead moving into the sixth, when Harvard tied the game at five. The Crimson scored once on an RBI single off the bat of Hoang.
The game remained tied until the bottom of the seventh, when Harvard walked it off on Welsh's two-out RBI double.
Game Highlights
• Senior Lindsay Poulos (3-3) got the win out of the bullpen for Harvard. The right-hander went three shutout innings, giving up two hits, one walk and striking out one.
• Welsh led the way offensively for the Crimson, going 3-for-4 in the ballgame with a double, a home run and two RBI. Fitzpatrick provided a noteworthy performance as well, going 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and two RBI. Trina Hoang also contributed, going 2-for-4 for Harvard with an RBI.
• Harvard's highest scoring inning was the third, when it pushed three runs across.
• Harvard went 4-for-11 (.364) with runners in scoring position.
• The Crimson got two hits in five at-bats with the bases loaded.
• Harvard pitchers limited Columbia to just 1-for-8 (.125) with runners in scoring position. In addition to Poulos, Katie Arrambide and Flynn faced 36 Columbia hitters in the game, allowing six ground balls and 11 fly balls while striking out four.
Up Next
The Crimson will host Columbia for the third game of the series and the final of regular season play Saturday at 10:30 a.m., an earlier first pitch than previously scheduled due to weather. The game will serve as the team's charity game and senior day celebration where seniors will be honored following the conclusion. Tune in to ESPN+ to watch the Crimson.
