The softball team will travel to Cambridge, Mass., this weekend to kick off a four-game series with archrival Harvard.
Yale (15–19, 6–6 Ivy) will look to dethrone the Crimson (26–13, 10–2), who are currently in first place in the North Division and have the best record in the Ancient Eight. The Elis sit in third place and trail Harvard by four games.
“They’re definitely the powerhouse this season, so we’re looking forward to give them a go,” third baseman Christy Nelson ’13 said Wednesday. “I think we can definitely do it if we all just pull together, get the right hits at the right time and play solid defense. It’s going to be an exciting weekend for us.”
Yale will look to avenge the four-game sweep they suffered at the hands of the Crimson last season in New Haven. Harvard defeated the Bulldogs 6–0 and 10–3 in the first doubleheader and 6–4 and 5–0 in the second twinbill.
In their final tune-up before the series, the Bulldogs split a doubleheader at Wagner on Wednesday. The Elis took the opener, 9–1, but fell to the Seahawks, 7–4, in the nightcap.
The Bulldogs are second in the league in hitting with a .298 team batting average. Yale has six players that are hitting above .300 in its lineup, led by shortstop Meg Johnson ’11, who currently has a .346 batting average.
Harvard enters the matchup after coming off a weekend sweep of Brown. The Crimson blanked the Bears in both games of the first doubleheader, 8–0 and 9–0, and completed the sweep by defeating Brown, 7–3 and 11–1, the next day.
Harvard currently has a .314 team batting average, which ranks first in the Ivy League. Ellen Macadam and Kasey Lange lead the team and are batting .420 and .407, respectively.
Harvard’s 2.47 team earned run average (ERA) is also the best in the Ancient Eight. Pitchers Laura Ricciardone (1.96 ERA) and Rachel Brown (1.98) have both anchored the Crimson’s pitching staff this season.
The first doubleheader is slated for Sunday at 12:30 p.m. The Bulldogs close out the series with another doubleheader on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m.