The Crimson (14-14-1, 6-3 Ivy) struck first, with junior captain Audrey Szollosi opening the game with a walk to get on base. Two batters later, Harvard stood with bases loaded. A walk for junior second baseman Finley Payne brought home Szollosi for the first run of the series. A sacrifice fly from sophomore catcher Quinn Salazar-Stewart sent a second runner home, giving the Crimson a 2-0 lead.

Cornell (12-6, 4-8) responded quickly, hammering a home run to center field in its first at-bat of the day. Captain Ryan Grace nearly escaped the inning otherwise unscathed, securing two more outs with a pop fly and a strikeout. However, the Big Red seemed to have her number, scoring a three-run homer to take a 4-2 lead.

The next four innings were dominated by stellar pitching from both sides as Harvard only managed to close up the score by one run. Junior pitcher Nicolette Hunter was subbed onto the mound, doing her best to limit Cornell’s offense, but the Big Red still managed to score an RBI single and a two-run homer off the drop-baller to extend their lead 7-3.

Junior shortstop Sophie Sun drove a home run to center field to open the fifth inning to close up the score by one. However, the Big Red was able to shut down Harvard’s offense in the sixth. With one inning left to make up a three-run deficit, Salazar-Stewart got the bats swinging with a double to center field. From there, the Crimson continued to get consistent hits, putting runners in scoring position and steadily scoring four runs to retake the lead. With Cornell up to bat in the closing inning of the game, Hunter remained faultless at the plate, closing out the game cleanly to secure the 8-7 win for Harvard.

Szollosi again continued to lead off strong for the Crimson, making it to first base on a single before advancing to second on a bunt from freshman Sheila Forbes. An RBI single from Payne brought Szollosi home, giving Harvard the early 1-0 lead. However, Cornell fought back, battling through two strikeouts to score a home run off of freshman pitcher Seren Gillen to tie up the game.

Competition remained tight between both teams through the third inning as Szollosi capitalized on the Big Red’s defensive mistakes to round the bases again. However, Cornell responded just as fast, scoring on an RBI triple to keep things tied up.

Sun came close to scoring in the fourth, getting on base with a single before capitalizing on a fielding error and wild pitch to make her way to third. However, Hunter couldn’t bring her home, sending a fly ball to left field for an easy out. Nevertheless, Harvard’s relentless offensive pressure eventually paid off in the fifth inning. A series of wild pitches from Cornell allowed Szollosi and junior captain Megan Davies to sprint around the diamond and score two runs, restoring the Crimson’s lead.

Gillen and later sophomore pitcher Linden McCarl continued to perform on the mound, keeping the Big Red scoreless going into the seventh. An outfield error from Cornell then allowed the Crimson to bring home two more runs before closing out the game with three clean outs.

One game away from securing its first sweep of the season, Harvard came into Saturday’s game with momentum. The Crimson’s aggressive offense quickly put runners in scoring position as Forbes and sophomore first baseman Alexa Muller made it home off a fielding error. Payne and Sun soon followed, scoring off RBI doubles to establish an early 4-0 lead.

Just one inning later, the Crimson extended its advantage further, chipping away at Cornell’s defense to get bases loaded. A single from Payne brought home one runner, before a four-RBI home run from Sun cleared out the bases. Not to be outdone, Hunter followed suit, driving her own home run to center field to bring home two more runs for an 11-0 lead.

While the Big Red made up two runs in the bottom of the second, the Crimson bounced back just as fast, restoring its 11-run lead just one inning later. Cornell again tried to respond, making hits and forcing defensive errors to score four more runs in the fourth inning. However, Harvard didn’t let up, with Sun and Salazar-Stewart bringing home runners to extend the score to 15-6.

Down by nine, the Big Red couldn’t get the ball past the Crimson’s defense. Hunter closed out the game with two strikeouts, keeping Cornell scoreless again, and ending the game in a rapid five innings.

Harvard softball has built momentum with every series that passes, for the Crimson now stands in second place in the Ivy League. The team will continue its quest towards Ivy League Championships this weekend, facing off against Brown on the road.