Baseball Drops First Four Ancient Eight Games

The Harvard baseball team began its 2016 Ivy League campaign the same way it ended last season’s. The Crimson (7-14, 0-4 Ivy League) dropped all four games of its weekend series, falling to Cornell (8-9, 2-0) on Saturday before dropping both contests to Princeton (10-11, 4-0) the following day.

“For whatever reason, we didn’t really have it this weekend,” captain Matt Sanders said. “We struggled pitching, we didn’t swing the bats well. I guess that’s what happens with that is you come back up north with four losses under your belt.”

PRINCETON, 14, HARVARD, 5

Harvard suffered its worst loss of the weekend in its final game. A four-run fourth inning and a seven-run sixth propelled the Tigers to the doubleheader sweep.

Junior first baseman Nick Hernandez and senior catcher Andrew Christie, son of the New Jersey governor, combined to drive in nine of the hosts’ 14 runs.

Freshman Kevin Stone was tagged for six runs in two and a third innings while senior Sean O’Neill surrendered five runs while only recording one out.

Sophomore third baseman John Fallon led the Crimson offense with three hits and two runs scored. Fallon leads Harvard with 19 runs batted in this season.

PRINCETON, 4, HARVARD, 1 (SEVEN INNINGS)

Despite only having two hits on the afternoon, Princeton scratched out a win in the day’s first game. Sophomore pitcher Ian Miller walked six batters on the night and surrendered three runs in the first inning and Harvard’s offense was unable to figure out Tigers’ senior righty Cameron Mingo.

The Crimson managed four hits, with its only run coming off a Ben Skinner home run, the second of his collegiate career, in the seventh. Senior Shaun Rubin pitched two and a third perfect innings out of the bullpen.

“It’s [about] encouraging guys to not dwell on everything we did wrong but to look at things we can improve and I think individually everyone’s got something they can work on and then just take the positives out of the weekend,” Sanders said. “I think if we just continue to grow a little bit, we’ll find enough positives to turn this thing around.”

CORNELL, 6, HARVARD, 4

A late charge by Cornell lifted the Big Red to a come-from-behind victory in Saturday’s second game. Harvard jumped out to a 4-0 lead as senior starter Sean Poppen did not allow a hit through the game’s first four innings. The wheels came off in the fifth as a wild pitch and fielder’s choice cut the Harvard lead in half.

Senior catcher C.J. Price homered in the next frame and Cornell took the lead for good an inning later, tagging Poppen and sophomore Dylan Combs for three runs. The top five hitters in the Crimson’s lineup combined for seven hits, but the bottom four could only muster two.

“We lost a couple tough games this weekend, but hopefully we can flip it and spin a couple wins next weekend,” sophomore outfielder Conor Quinn said.

CORNELL, 5, HARVARD, 1 (SEVEN INNINGS)

Harvard starter Nick Gruener quieted the Big Red’s bats for the game’s first five innings, but a four-run sixth propelled Cornell to victory to start the weekend. The junior surrendered just one hit before conceding a single, walk, and hit by pitch before recording an out in the sixth frame..

Junior first baseman Cole Rutherford drove in the decisive run on a single that plated Frankie Padulo. The Crimson offense managed just three singles and a walk. Junior right hander Paul Balestrieri was the winning pitcher, registering seven strikeouts in his complete game to pick up his first victory of the season.

“Every time you lose a game you’re that much more motivated to win the next one and so when you get embarrassed a little bit the first weekend, it’s the perfect motivation to go out there the next weekend and hopefully grab four wins,” Sanders said.

–Staff writer Stephen J. Gleason at stephen.gleason@thecrimson.com.