Softball Pecked by Eagles, Lose 7-0

The Crimson played its final non-conference game across the river at Boston College on a rainy afternoon yesterday.

Harvard’s 7-0 loss to the Eagles demonstrated that the Crimson still has some kinks to work out before beginning Ivy League play against Dartmouth on Sunday.

Freshman Michele McAteer, who had thus far pitched with the poise and composure of a veteran, got touched up for six quick runs before being replaced by junior tri-captain Kara Brotemarkle midway in the fourth inning.

In the bottom half of the fourth inning, hot B.C. bats extended their 3-0 lead thanks to a three-run homer by senior shortstop Cara Blumfield. Blumfield also drove in a run in the first.

“B.C. was able to get to some balls that were out of the zone or just a few inches off of it,” said McAteer. “Their best hitter (Blumfield) was able to get to a hanging change-up and drive one out.”

The Crimson bats managed only three hits against a trio of B.C. hurlers. Nevertheless, Harvard threatened to make a game of it in the fourth inning.

Not surprisingly, the rally began with a hit by tri-captain Tiffany Whitton. After a walk and another single, the Crimson had a chance to make a dent in the Eagles’ lead or even pull ahead. B.C. sophomore hurler Michelle Daly, however, got former high school teammate Kerry Flaherty to strike out to end the inning, putting a stopper on Harvard’s comeback attempt.

After B.C. increased its lead to 6-0, Brotemarkle came in to relieve McAteer. She continued her strong preseason performance, holding the Eagles to one hit for the rest of the game.

“The change in style from Michele to myself may have helped,” Brotemarkle said. “She’s a down-ball pitcher, but I throw a riser and a change-up, so they seemed more off-balance.”

Whatever the reason for her success, Brotemarkle staid the B.C. onslaught. The Crimson, however, never got anything going on offense to start a comeback.

“B.C.’s a good team,” said Whitton. “They did all the right things today to win. We have to get ourselves prepared for Ivies and see how we come out on Sunday.”

Sunday marks the Crimson’s league opener against Dartmouth. The Big Green plays Maine in a doubleheader at home as a final tune-up tomorrow.

The Crimson’s lackluster pre-Ivy season record does not seem to be cause for concern. Harvard has always struggled with B.C. in particular. Players emphasized that non-conference games are not always good indicators for league play.

“In my freshman year, we had a poor pre-[Ivy] season but went on to win the Ivy championship and went 11-1,” said Whitton.

That attitude, coupled with splashes of strong play in different facets of the game, has been a source of optimism for the squad.

“There have been a bunch of positive aspects of each game, but we haven’t really put them all together in one game yet,” said Brotemarkle. “That’s going to be the focus on Sunday.”

—Staff writer Rob Cacace can be reached at cacace@fas.harvard.edu.