Crimson Softball Wins First-Ever Ivy Title

The Harvard softball team clinched its first-ever Ivy League softball championship Monday with a sweep of Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y.

The Crimson (27-20; 10-0 Ivy League) defeated the Big Red (29-8; 8-4 Ivy League) 2-1 and 10-0 to win the title, and will host the champion of the Patriot League in the NCAA Play-In Series starting on Thursday, May 7, in Cambridge.

In game one, sophomore shortstop Deborah Abeles (Glendale, Calif.) hit a solo home run in the top of the third to give the Crimson a 2-0 lead. It was the ninth round-tripper of the year for Abeles, who leads the Ivy League, and already owns the Harvard single-season and career home run records. Freshman pitcher Chelsea Thoke (San Marino, Calif.) held on to the lead by allowing only two hits and three walks while striking out 11 Cornell batters to earn her 12th victory of the season. Junior co-captain Tara LaSovage (Ann Arbor, Mich.) finished off a great weekend at the plate with a 2-for-3 performance, which included a double and a triple.

In the nightcap, senior southpaw Tasha Cupp (Antioch, Calif.) hurled a three-hitter to earn her 13th victory of the season. Cupp struck out 11 batters while allowing only one walk to lead Harvard. Abeles was once again impressive at the plate for Harvard as she went 2-for-2 with two runs batted in.

The Crimson finishes off its regular season this week with a pair of double-headers. Harvard will host the University of Rhode Island on Tuesday at Soldiers field and will travel to Hanover, N.H., on Saturday to close out its regular season schedule.

Harvard has seen a rapid improvement of its softball program under the guidance of fourth-year head coach Jenny Allard. Allard has notched a career record of 108-70-1 while at the helm, and has led Harvard to two ECAC Tournament appearances. Last season, the Crimson finished with a record of 32-19-1, the most wins in the history of the program.