Baseball Splits Six-Game Spring Break Road Trip to New York, Florida

The Harvard baseball team returned from its annual spring break swing through Florida with more than just a tan.

The Crimson (8-7) split four games in South Florida—despite falling to perennial NCAA tourney teams Florida Atlantic and Florida International—to finish the break 3-3.

It was the final tune-up for Harvard’s Ivy season, which starts today with a pair of contests at Columbia that were postponed from Saturday due to rain.

HARVARD 8, ST. THOMAS 6

A two-RBI double from sophomore Andrew Casey capped a four-run Crimson ninth, as Harvard surged past St. Thomas 8-6 in Miami on Thursday.

Sophomore Matt Brunnig struck out the side in the bottom of the inning to pick up his third save of the season and secure the victory.

The Bobcats fell to 22-12 with the loss.

The Crimson entered the final frame trailing 6-4 and in danger of dropping its third straight game.

But with the bases loaded and two outs, senior Ian Wallace stroked a two-RBI single to tie the game and set up Casey’s game-winning hit.

Four pitchers combined to pick up the Crimson win, with freshman Shawn Haviland (2-1) earning the decision for pitching a scoreless eighth.

FAU 11, HARVARD 5

Home runs from Schuyler Mann and Steffan Wilson weren’t enough, as the defending Atlantic Sun champion Bobcats downed Harvard 11-5 in Boca Raton on Wednesday.

Florida Atlantic (16-9) never trailed, scoring five runs in the first two innings off of Harvard starter Rob Wheeler (0-1) who took the loss for his first decision of the season.

Wilson finished the day 3-for-4 and Josh Klimkiewicz had a pair of hits for the Crimson.

FIU 11, HARVARD 6

The Panthers broke open a 4-4 tie with a six-run fifth inning to pull away from the Crimson on their way to an 11-6 victory in Miami on Tuesday.

FIU (21-9) took advantage of several Harvard miscues, including an error and three walks, to plate all six runs on only two hits. The big blow came on a bases-loaded three-RBI double by Michael Lopez.

Klimkiewicz homered twice for the Crimson, and Wilson doubled and homered.

Junior Javier Castellanos (1-2), who relieved senior Javi Arteaga with two outs in the third, took the loss for the Crimson.

HARVARD 13, LYNN 9

Behind a 15-hit barrage, the Crimson topped Lynn (21-12) in a slugfest in Boca Raton last Monday.

Casey and Zak Farkes led the way for the Crimson, both slugging their first home runs of the season. Farkes finished the day 2-for-4 with four RBIs, and Casey collected three hits and drove in a pair of runs for the Crimson.

Freshman Matt Vance reached base five times out of the leadoff spot—on a pair of hits and three walks—and scored four runs.

Senior Mike Morgalis (2-0) earned the victory for the Crimson, pitching six solid innings. He allowed only two earned runs on five hits, while striking out seven and walking only a single batter.

After freshman Brad Unger struggled in relief of Morgalis, freshman Taylor Meehan retired the final four Lynn hitters to pick up his second save of the season.

Mann, Lance Salsgiver, and Morgan Brown each chipped in a pair of hits.

HARVARD 6, NEW YORK TECH 2

The Crimson rode another strong performance from Haviland to its first Spring Break victory, a 6-2 decision over NYIT in Old Westbury, N.Y. on March 27.

Haviland pitched seven innings of four-hit baseball, allowing two earned runs while striking out three batters.

Haviland was relieved by Brunnig, who tossed the final two innings without allowing a hit to earn his third save of the season.

Wallace and Morgan Brown each had two hits for the Crimson. Farkes, Klimkiewicz, and Wilson all added singles.

NYIT dropped to 3-7 with the loss.

MAINE 8, HARVARD 4

A 16-hit offensive explosion by the Black Bears propelled Maine past Harvard 8-4 in the opener of the Crimson’s spring break road trip in Old Westbury, N.Y. on March 26.

With Harvard leading 2-1 through five innings, the Black Bears (8-7) broke out for five runs on seven hits in the top of the sixth to jump out to a 6-2 lead it would never relinquish.

Junior Frank Herrmann (2-1) took the loss, his first of the season, allowing four earned runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings of work.

Farkes had a double, a single, and two RBIs in the loss. Vance and Salsgiver each had two hits and scored twice.

—Staff writer Lande A. Spottswood can be reached at spottsw@fas.harvard.edu.