Rickheim, Colasante Shimmer in Dominant Series Win Over Cornell

Harvard’s baseball team was on fire this weekend with its series win against Cornell, the first for the Crimson this season. With dominant performances in games one and three, bookending its defeat in game two, the team pulled through with an inspiring series win.

Even though the series was pushed back a day for rain, Harvard (4-15, 3-3 Ivy) played remarkably overall, taking down Cornell (4-15, 2-4) with a downpour of its own on offense. Both the Crimson and the Big Red have struggled to perform this season; however, each flexed strong defensive lineups in the three-game series, although Cornell failed to match Harvard’s stunning offensive performance in the third game.

The Crimson put up a jaw-dropping 22 runs over the course of the series, with 16 coming in the decisive third game. Senior outfielder Max Lane was on fire with eight RBIs, junior shortstop Jack Rickheim followed closely with seven RBIs, and powerhouse captain Gio Colasante drove in five runs himself after a shining start in game 1, where he pitched five perfect innings to start an impressive eight-inning outing.

Harvard 2, Cornell 1

G. Colasante opened the series with a beautiful eight-inning start to earn the game one win with an outstanding team of fielders supporting him. The captain was on track to pitch a perfect game until sophomore Mason Barela, catcher for the Big Red, slammed a fifth-inning homer. Regardless, the performance was a career highlight for G. Colasante and the longest outing of his career. The start continues a stellar beginning of Ancient Eight play for him, as his ERA through two games stands at 1.29.

Freshman relief pitcher Brett Gable recorded a ninth-inning save for the Crimson, despite walking two consecutive batters.

Junior pitcher Huxley Holcombe had an impressive start for the Big Red, also pitching a career-high 87 pitches, although he only lasted through the end of the sixth inning. Freshman pitcher Ross Yoshida relieved Holcombe in the top of the seventh and finished the game for Cornell.

G. Colasante, who walked in the top of the fourth, was the first player from either team to reach base in the game. Crimson sophomore catcher Liam Wilson drove in the first run of the contest with a line-drive double to the warning track, sending Lane home.

Barela tied up the game in the bottom of the fifth with a homer over the left field wall.

The game-winning run — a hard-hit homer over the left center wall — was scored by Rickheim in the top of the eighth. This was just the beginning of the junior’s astonishing weekend.

Harvard 4, Cornell 9

The Big Red found its footing with a spirited comeback to win game two. The hosts scored three runs in the first, including one on freshman right fielder Jake Hower’s steal of home plate, a run scored by junior shortstop Kevin Hager on a wild pitch from Crimson starter Luca Alagheband, and an RBI single.

Hower scored his second run of the game in the bottom of the third with an RBI single to advance the score to 4-2. Later that inning, senior TJ Swidorski scored two insurance runs for the Big Red with a two-run RBI single.

Cornell’s winning run was scored with a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh, bringing the score to 9-4.

The Crimson, despite exceptionally savvy baserunning, only managed to score four runs. G. Colasante was responsible for two — a double in the first, and a double in the seventh — thus continuing his impressive senior year campaign. Freshman Matthew Witkow and Rickheim each also recorded an RBI double in the third and seventh, respectively.

Harvard’s pitching staff faltered when Alegheband pitched two innings with five earned runs, and was relieved by freshman Davis Kahn in the bottom of the third. The rookie eventually gave up four runs. Kahn was swapped with senior Brian Dowling in the bottom of the seventh. Dowling finished the game for the Crimson, blanking the Big Red for the remainder of the contest.

Harvard 16, Cornell 3

Harvard came back rested on Monday, hoping to pull through for the series win, looking towards a chance to qualify for the Ivy League tournament in May. The Crimson did not disappoint.

Junior pitcher Andrew Abler walked away with the win in Monday’s dominant win. Letting up only two runs — one of which came from an RBI by Barela, who drove in Cornell’s singular run in game one — Abler pitched six solid innings, and was replaced by junior Ryan McHugh, who closed the game, only allowing one run from the Big Red.

Game three ended five pitchers deep into Cornell’s bullpen, with an overall abysmal pitching performance that enabled Harvard to rack up 16 runs.

Lane, with a three-run homer in the first, had an impressive day offensively. The senior went on to hit a three-run RBI double in the third, and drilled a second homer over the left-center field wall in the fifth.

Lane was not the only player with a double-homer day. Rickheim, with an unbelievable batting performance, drove in a run in the second, and had two monster, out-of-park hits: a homer in the fourth that drove in three runs, and a one-run homer in the sixth.

Three of the other 16 runs were driven in with a homer to deep left from G. Colasante, who played remarkably. The captain was named Ivy League Player of the Week for a second consecutive week, earning the first after last weekend’s series at Columbia. These awards place him solidly in the running for Ivy League Player of the Year.

The Crimson will play its first home series of the season this weekend against Brown, looking to pick up another dominant series win in Ancient Eight play after a disappointing start to the season out of conference.