Despite a strong showing on day one of its four-game series with Harvard at home — splitting the first two games while scoring 16 runs — the Bears held the lead for only one inning on the second day, falling 11-0 and 12-2 — both in six innings of play.
"We weren't able to make the adjustments on Sunday like we were able to on Saturday," said Kate Strobel '12.
Harvard 9, Brown 6
Harvard (24-24, 10-6 Ivy) opened up the game with a run in the top of the first before Brown (11-21, 5-11) put together a three-run third inning. Jackie Giovanniello '12 hit a two-run double to the right field fence, and Kelsey Wilson '09 advanced home on a Crimson error to put Bruno up, 3-1.
Harvard hit a two-run homer to tie the game in the top of the fourth, but the Bears answered back with two runs of their own. Kristie Chin '12 sent a single to left to bring in a run. Wilson's shot to center brought in the second run of the inning for a 5-3 lead.
Jessica Iwasaki '10 came in to pitch in relief of Michelle Moses '09 with one out and two runners on base. A double to center field drove in a run for the Crimson, but Iwasaki pitched out of a bases-loaded jam to close the inning with a one-run lead.
But the Bears could not maintain that lead, as Harvard capitalized on its offensive opportunities to score four runs in the sixth.
"When the other team gets runners on base, we let it spiral — that's what happened in that inning," Strobel said. "When one run scores, we don't have the mentality that we're going to stop them."
The Crimson added another run in the seventh to take a 9-5 advantage into the final half-inning of play.
Strobel led off the inning with a solo shot to center, but the next three Bears were retired in order. Despite the six-run effort, Brown fell 9-6.
Iwasaki recorded the loss, giving up five runs on five hits in 2 2/3 innings pitched.
Brown 11, Harvard 5
Trish Melvin '12 started the game on the mound for the Bears and walked in the first run of the game. But the offense was ready to back her up with three runs in the first.
Strobel's double down the right field line brought home Wilson, and Andrea Browne '10 doubled to left field to add another two runs and give the Bears a 3-1 advantage.
But the Crimson tallied a run in the second and came out strong in the third with three runs to take a 4-3 lead over Brown.
Lindsay Rice '11 stole home on a passed ball in the fourth with two outs to tie the game, 4-4, and the Bears' defense handled the Crimson with ease and sent them back to the field for a rough bottom half of the sixth inning.
The Bears put together a seven-run sixth, all with two outs, to propel the team to an 11-4 win.
"We went single after single," Strobel said. "Everybody was hitting. No one thought, ‘I'm going to hit the game-winner.'"
A single from Chin gave Bruno the initial one-run lead. Another single from Katie Rothamel '10 loaded the bases for Wilson. Harvard called on a reliever, but couldn't get out of the two-out jam as Wilson reached first on a walk, scoring another run.
A two-run single down the right field line from Giovanniello increased the lead to 8-4. Then Strobel stepped up to the plate and, for the second time on the day, sent the ball over the center field fence to cap off a seven-run inning.
"When your team has been rallying in front of you, it makes you feel more confident — hitting is contagious," Strobel said.
Strobel led the Bears' offense, going 3-for-8 with two home runs and five RBI on Saturday, while Wilson contributed a double and two RBI.
Chin recorded the win after one inning of play, allowing one run on three hits.
Harvard 11, Brown 0
The game started off evenly for both squads, as neither team could put together a run until the fourth inning. After a Crimson double and single brought in three runs, Emily Chaddock '11 walked in the fourth run before being replaced by Moses on the mound.
A solo shot and three Brown errors catapulted the score to a 7-0 Harvard advantage in the fifth inning. A double to right center with the bases loaded in the sixth and a single to center stretched the lead to 11-0.
"The first three innings we weren't hitting, but our defense was solid," Strobel said. "And when we made one or two errors, or had some walks, they started to produce runs."
Chaddock took the loss in 3 2/3 innings pitched, giving up four runs on five hits. The Bears' offense combined for only two hits in six innings of play, compared with nine hits for the Crimson.
Harvard 12, Brown 2
Brown bounced back in the second game of the day with two runs in the bottom of the first. But Harvard scored 12 unanswered runs to put the Bears away for the third time in four games.
Wilson started off the first with a hard-shot RBI double to right center to score the game's opening run. A single up the middle from Strobel gave the Bears a two-run lead they would not hold for long.
The Crimson tied the game in the second inning and added another run in the third on a sacrifice fly.
Brown had a valuable opportunity to score in the bottom half of the inning when Browne's bunt single loaded the bases, but Bruno's offensive struggles continued and the Bears were unable to put a run up on the board.
"We couldn't execute — just like the first game, our offense wasn't there," Strobel said. "You would hope that with the bases loaded we'd be able to manufacture one run — it wasn't clicking for us today."
Melvin entered the game in relief of Iwasaki with two runners on and no outs. Melvin loaded the bases with a walk and surrendered a two-run double over the center fielder's head to bring in two more runs for the Crimson.
Before Melvin recorded an out, Chin entered the game to finish out the inning.
A single to left field brought in two more runs, followed by another RBI single, which padded the Harvard lead to 9-2.
A three-run sixth extended the Crimson's lead to 12-2. Despite putting runners on second and third, the Bears could not cut into the 10-run deficit.
Iwasaki received the loss on the mound, giving up six runs on eight hits, putting her record at 1-6 on the season.
The Bears finish off their season with a double-header at Bryant on Thursday and a season-finale series against Yale on Saturday and Sunday.
They travel to New Haven, Conn., for two games on Saturday before returning back to Providence for a double header starting at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.
The team will honor two of its members, Moses and Wilson, who will be playing their final games in a Brown uniform.
"There's no better way to send off our seniors than with six straight wins – that's what we're going to strive for," Strobel said.
