Shulman Walks Off Opener, Harvard Splits Doubleheader with Brown

Harvard split its doubleheader with Brown this past Saturday, winning the first game 2-1 on a walk-off sacrifice fly before being shut out by the Bears 4-0 in the second game. The third game of the series — which was to be played on Sunday afternoon before being stopped by the weather — was postponed to a later date, which is still to be announced.

Entering the bottom of the ninth inning in the series opener, the Crimson was locked in a 1-1 standoff. Quickly, however, Harvard found itself with the bases loaded on no outs, and with junior infielder Tyler Shulman up to bat, he knew he had the chance to be the hero. On the first pitch of the at-bat, the junior hit a sacrifice fly ball to left, easily scoring the runner from third and giving the Crimson a huge series-opening victory.

After its poor start in its non-conference play, in which it went just 1-12 across four series, Harvard (5-16, 4-4 Ivy) now sits at .500 in Ivy play thanks to its strong starts from its pitching staff and an offense that has found ways to score runs when needed. Against the Ancient Eight, captain Gio Colasante has been excellent, with the two-way senior leading the league in OPS alongside his 2-0 record in pitching starts.

Brown (12-12, 6-2), however, is on a redemption arc of its own, as after finishing at the bottom of the conference last season with a 7-14 league record, the Bears are already 6-2 in the current campaign. Brown is currently one of two teams to never appear in the Ivy League Baseball Tournament since its inception in 2023.

Harvard 2, Brown 1

The first game of Saturday’s doubleheader saw G. Colasante’s third pitching start in league play, and it was once again a spectacle for Crimson faithful. The captain pitched seven strong innings — giving up just one run on four hits alongside six strikeouts — to maintain his conference ERA of just 1.29, fifth best in the league.

Pitching for the Bears was senior Peter Dubie, who had his second consecutive gem on the mound after giving up eight runs in a short start against Yale earlier this season. The righty gave up just one run in 7.1 innings, allowing one hit and four walks to keep Brown in the close game.

The Bears scored first, pairing a triple with an RBI single to drive in their only run of the game in the second inning. In the bottom of the eighth, Shulman was walked, and thanks to good baserunning and a wild pitch, he was able to make it all the way to third base before an RBI single from sophomore utilityman Gavin Smith drove him in to score.

After junior pitcher Ryan McHugh pitched his second no-hit inning in the top of the ninth, the Crimson was officially in walk-off territory. G. Colasante opened the frame with a single, and senior outfielder Max Lane followed it up with another single before an error pushed both the pair to second and third.

After Brown decided to intentionally walk senior infielder Jordan Kang to load the bases, it was Shulman who went up to bat and was able to end the game on a first-pitch fly ball deep to left field that allowed G. Colasante to tag up and score the winning run.

Harvard 0, Brown 4

In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, Harvard did not fare as well.

Starting on the mound for the Bears was freshman Drew Nelson, who had pitched nearly perfectly in his first two starts of league play after a rough few games in nonconference. His excellence continued against the Crimson, as the righty pitched eight shutout innings while giving up only five hits and two walks.

More importantly for the freshman, he was able to get outs when he needed them most.

With runners on the corners in the bottom of the first inning, he got out of the pinch by forcing a fly ball to center field, and with runners on the corners once more in the fourth, he started a 1-3-4 double play on a bunt attempt to strand the baserunners and leave the game scoreless.

Junior Andrew Abler got the starting nod for Harvard, and while his opponent was finding creative ways to get out of jams early on in the game, the righty started off perfectly, literally.

Abler began the game with four perfect innings, allowing the Crimson to show off its brawny defense with nine groundouts before Brown managed to get anybody to first base. Unfortunately for Harvard, when the Bears did manage to get somebody on first base, it was during a home-run trot in the top of the fifth inning that opened up a 1-0 lead for the visitors.

Brown didn’t stop there, as the team added another run in the top of the seventh on an RBI single and two more runs in the ninth on a homer and a groundout-RBI, finally ending the game with a 4-0 advantage.

The shutout for the Crimson was its first in league competition, and for the third time in as many opportunities this season, Harvard opened a conference doubleheader with a victory before losing in the second game.

The decisive third game in the series was postponed due to inclement weather in Cambridge on Sunday, though a makeup date has not been formally announced by either team.

The Crimson will play next in the Beanpot Tournament semifinal against Northeastern at home on Tuesday, with the winner advancing to next week’s championship game against either the University of Massachusetts or Boston College, while the loser will head to the third-place game. Harvard finished runner-up to Northeastern last season, losing 5-4 at historic Fenway Park.

Looking ahead in Ivy play, the Crimson will take a trip to New Haven, Conn., to face the league-leading Yale Bulldogs in a three-game series. Saturday’s doubleheader will begin at 11:30 a.m. EDT, with Sunday’s game taking place at 12:00 p.m. EDT, and all three matchups will be available to stream on ESPN+.

—Staff writer Connor Castañeda can be reached at [email protected].