Softball Drops Seven, Wins Finale of Vacation Trip

Before departing with her team for the sunny South on a weekend road trip, Harvard softball coach Jenny Allard warned that the journey “could be interesting.” Whether that was a euphemism for problematic or simply a statement of impending discovery, Allard had a hunch that her unproven Crimson squad would be tested both at the Carolina Classic Tournament and upon its return north.

Harvard (3-9) dropped all five of its contests at that tournament and two more in a road set versus Providence before rallying to snap the slide against Drexel.

Despite its struggles, the Crimson seeks the positives in these non-conference meetings, employed as tune-ups before the Ivy season begins in earnest this weekend.

“You don’t mind a little inconsistency early,” Allard said. “You want to see improvement, you want to see growth, and you want to see your team get on a good roll as it heads into conference.”

HARVARD 5, DREXEL 1

Harvard broke a nine-game losing streak in Philadelphia Thursday, besting Drexel (6-7) on the strength of a complete game from freshman Amanda Watkins and three RBI from fellow rookie Danielle Kerper.

Kerper powered the Crimson offense with a triple and a home run, putting the team ahead for good with a two-run shot to center field in the fourth inning. Pilar Adams contributed a pinch-hit RBI single and sophomore Susie Winkeller drove in a run with a groundout to tie the game at 1 after the Dragons took an early lead.

“By the end I think it was good,” said senior first baseman Cecily Gordon. “We learned what we needed to do. It was a major turnaround mentally, realizing our potential and what we need done on the field.”

The winning margin might have been greater had Drexel not turned a triple play to escape a jam in the fourth.

Watkins moved to 2-3 on the year with the win, holding the Dragons to six hits in seven innings with one strikeout.

The second game of the scheduled doubleheader was called for darkness halfway through the contest.

PROVIDENCE 4, HARVARD 1

Harvard dropped both ends of a double-header to Providence (16-5) at Raymond Field on March 30, failing to rejuvenate a lineup that stalled throughout the spring vacation.

In the late game, freshman Shelly Madick kept the team in the game through four innings before surrendering a three-run longball in the fifth that sank the Crimson. Madick (1-3) took the loss, giving up six hits and four earned runs in five frames to go along with two strikeouts.

The Harvard offense, meanwhile, could not break through against Friars hurler Tanza Lewis, who held the Crimson to a mere three hits in a complete-game win.

“Our bats started waking up with Providence,” Gordon said. “People were seeing the ball better and that’s something that doesn’t get reflected in the scores.”

Winkeller, who started in right field, drove in the team’s lone run with an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth.

Sophomore Becky Voaklander came on in relief of Madick and pitched two scoreless innings.

PROVIDENCE 12, HARVARD 4

The Crimson jumped out to an early lead on a big blast in the first inning but could not contain the heart of the Providence order for long and ultimately lost the front end of the double-header in blowout fashion.

After falling behind 2-0 in the top half of the first, Harvard struck back in the bottom of the inning. Two outs followed by three straight walks brought Kerper to the plate with the bases loaded, and she made the Friars pay with a grand slam.

Kerper was one of the lone bright spots at bat for the Crimson this week, providing pop from the corner outfield positions.

“It takes a lot of focus and energy to dig deep and swing the bat hard when we’re down,” Gordon said of the slugging rookie.

The 4-2 lead rapidly disintegrated, with the starter Watkins and reliever Voaklander both unable to stop the Providence 3-4-5 hitters. Cleanup hitter Michelle Willette in particular punished the Harvard hurlers, going 5-for-5 with a home run and six RBI.

Watkins lost her third decision of the year, surrendering six earned runs and seven hits in 3 1/3 innings. Voaklander faired no better, allowing five earned runs and ten hits in the final 3 2/3 innings.

The series was moved to Providence from Cambridge due to the weather and playing conditions of the field, which led to the postponement of a match-up with Boston University the day before.

COASTAL CAROLINA 6, HARVARD 0

Harvard ran its string of scoreless innings to 14 in a shutout at the hands of Coastal Carolina (15-14) in its last game in Chapel Hill, N.C. at the UNC Softball Complex.

In another feeble offensive showing, the Crimson managed just three hits: a leadoff double from sophomore Julia Kidder in the first, another double by Winkeller in the second, and a sharp single to left by Gordon in the sixth.

“We were playing tough teams and I’m not going to discredit them,” Gordon said. “But I think a lot of it had to do with our own mental game.”

Watkins took the hill yet again, preserving the scoreless tie for three innings before faltering in the fourth. She departed having allowed three earned runs on nine hits in four innings, yielding to Voaklander, who also allowed three runs (one earned) on three hits despite four strikeouts. Voaklander was let down, at times, by her defense, with errors by Rachel Murray and Kidder both leading to runs.

PENN STATE 9, HARVARD 0

Penn State (15-9) out-hit Harvard 13 to two in a mercy-rule five-inning decision last Saturday in the team’s second loss of the day.

“It was a tough spring break,” Gordon said.

The Nittany Lions leapt out to an early advantage in an error-plagued first inning, with two Crimson errors developing into three Penn State runs. The Nittany Lions added another run in the second, four more in the third, and a final tally in the bottom of the fourth.

These scores came at the expense of Voaklander and Watkins, who teamed up again but failing to keep runners off base.

Singles by Gordon and senior Annie Dell’Aria were the only signs of life from a dormant batting order that was held silent by Penn State’s Ashley Esparza, who also went 3-for-4 with 4 RBI.

COASTAL CAROLINA 7, HARVARD 1

Although the Crimson was able to get on the scoreboard in its early game last Saturday, the plot line wasn’t any different from its other outings in North Carolina. The offense struggled, the pitching wilted, and the team lost by a decisive margin.

Harvard fell to Coastal Carolina (13-14) for the first of two times in two days, trailing early and failing to narrow the gap.

Crimson ace Lauren Bettinelli received her only start of the road trip and took the loss, giving up four hits, four earned runs, and four walks in four innings.

After the Chanticleers scored two in the first, another pair of runs in the fourth chased Bettinelli from the hill. Madick relieved and limited the damage to four hits and two earned runs in the final three innings.

A two-out double by junior left fielder Cara Woodard in the fifth inning plated senior Beth Sabin, who had reached on a two-bagger of her own. Theirs were the only two Harvard hits of the game.

NORTH CAROLINA 7, HARVARD 3

A torrid start to the game by the host Tar Heels (17-14) downed the Crimson last Friday, which nevertheless turned in its best performance of the tournament at the plate.

“No one likes to lose,” Gordon said. “But it showed us where we need to be.”

North Carolina’s first eight batters all reached base against Harvard starter Watkins as the Tar Heels put up a four-spot in the opening inning.

Although the Crimson trimmed the lead to 4-1 when Dell’Aria doubled home Gordon in the bottom half, North Carolina iced the win with three more runs in the third.

Watkins was the victim of this early assault, touched up for eight hits and seven earned runs in her three innings of work. Voaklander, however, was stellar out of the bullpen, shutting out the Tar Heels for the remaining four frames on three hits and no walks.

Harvard made its last serious comeback attempt in the bottom of the fifth, when Kidder singled home Adams and sophomore Lauren Brown, who had reached base on a walk and an error respectively.

Ashley Allen went the distance for North Carolina, allowing five hits and just one earned run in her seven innings, along with eight strikeouts.

CALIFORNIA 8, HARVARD 0

Against the third-ranked team in the nation, Harvard performed valiantly but inevitably showed the rust and inexperience that doomed the team over the course of its road trip in a five-inning defeat.

The Crimson held California (24-3) to three hits in its opening game at the Carolina Classic, but Madick walked four and suffered from an error in her 1 2/3-inning start, capped by a three-run blast by Golden Bears shortstop Chelsea Spencer. The homer brought the score to 8-0 and it stayed that way until the mercy rule was enforced after four-and-a-half innings.

Voaklander delivered the first of two spotless relief performances on the day, retiring seven straight to slop the bleeding.

“Every staff is going to have its ups and downs,” Gordon said. “When one pitcher was getting hit, another came in and finished the game strong. There’s a depth in the staff.”

California ace Kelly Anderson­—who moved to 13-1 on the year with the win—limited the struggling Harvard lineup to two hits from Dell’Aria and Kidder.

­—Staff writer Jonathan Lehman can be reached at jlehman@fas.harvard.edu.