This past weekend, softball (11-19, 4-8 Ivy) faced Harvard (16-16-1, 8-4) in a heavy-hitting Ivy League series at home. Despite opening with a strong 4-0 win on Saturday, Bruno couldn’t maintain momentum and fell to Harvard 5-1 later that day and 10-2 on Sunday.
Despite the mixed results, the team has maintained a positive and united attitude. “At the end of the day, we always find a way to enjoy the game and each other,” Lily Berlinger ’26 wrote in an email to The Herald.
Coming off of the heels of a weekend series 3-0 loss against Ivy foe and conference leader Princeton, the Bears hoped to rebound against the Crimson.
The first game of the series was marked by efficient play on both sides. Bruno had a promising start with two runs in the first inning — the first thanks to a home run by pitcher and utility player Abby Bettencourt ’28, and the second from an RBI single courtesy of catcher and utility player Maggie Foxx ’28 that brought outfielder Torii Ramirez ’29 home.
Pitcher Macy Borowski ’27, backed by a strong defensive team, paved the way for the Bears’ lead. The Crimson, with their bases loaded, threatened to strike first in the first inning. But Borowski demonstrated her talents as a repeat Ivy League Pitcher of the Week by causing a flyout to center field to keep the Crimson off the board.
With Borowski holding steady, the Bears seized their opportunity at the plate and continued to string together hits, earning a third run in the second inning. Bettencourt notched the final run of the game in the third inning off of a misplaced Harvard throw to first base.
Although Harvard outpaced Brown 7-5 in hits, the Crimson struggled to get anything going due to the Bears’ strong defensive shutout and Bruno ultimately closed out the game with a 4-0 win.
The Bears returned to the field just two and a half hours later for the second game of the doubleheader.
After being held scoreless during the first game, Harvard set the tone for a comeback with two runs in the first inning. This quickly put Brown on the back foot, and the Bears were forced to claw back behind pitcher and utility player Edie Cobb ’28.
The Bears took up the challenge with resilience, suffering through two additional Harvard runs in the third and fourth innings but finally breaking the drought in the fifth inning. Outfielder and middle infielder Amanda Deng ’28 stepped up to the plate and delivered a single that brought outfielder and first baseman Elli Thompson ’28 home and put Brown on the board.
But the Bears were unable to combat Harvard’s consistency at the plate and depth in pitching — the Crimson rode an offensive surge to a 5-1 win to even the series.
Coming in 1-1, the third and final game on Sunday proved the deciding factor of the series. Despite the close game the previous day, the final was a decisive victory for the Crimson.
After Harvard went up 2-0 in the second inning, utility player Alyssa Villarde ’27 gave Brown a glimmer of hope as she hit her second home run of the season to tie the game. While this sequence showed promise, Brown’s offense stalled after that.
Harvard took control in the third inning, securing a whopping six runs and bringing the scoreboard to 8-2. The Crimson maintained momentum from this explosive inning, and they struck down any threat that the Bears offered from then on.
Despite a strong fight — which included a runner advancing to third base in the fourth inning and loading the bases in the fifth — Brown was unable to secure the runs necessary to close the gap.
Harvard scored two more in the seventh inning and pushed the score to 10-2. No more runs were scored, and the Crimson ultimately secured the series win.
Despite the loss, Berlinger emphasized that the Bears’ season is far from over. “We’re not taking any of it for granted,” Berlinger said of the team’s senior class. “We know we’re going to miss the people, the lessons, and the family we’ve built.”
Brown will look to get back on track in their next Ivy series game when the team travels to New Hampshire to face Dartmouth (6-18, 4-8) beginning April 18.
Berlinger trusts the team can “step onto the field with confidence, knowing (they’re) capable of handling anything that comes (their) way.”
