Baseball Sweeps Saturday Doubleheader from Princeton, 10-3, 7-5

PRINCETON, N.J. – Senior

Jordan Kang went 7-for-10 with a home run across the two games, senior

Gio Colasante hit two home runs in game two, and the Crimson's pitching staff excelled over both contests as Harvard University baseball swept a doubleheader from Princeton University, 10-3 and 7-5, on Saturday afternoon at Clarke Field.

Securing a win in its final Ivy League series of the season, the Crimson (10-26, 8-12 Ivy) scored 10 straight runs to rally from a 3-0 deficit in game one before jumping out to a 5-0 lead on the way to the win in game two over the host Tigers (15-26, 8-12 Ivy).

With the game one win over the Tigers,

Bill Decker, The Joseph J. O'Donnell '67 Head Coach for Harvard Baseball, earned his 200th win at Harvard.

At the plate in game one, Kang went 4-for-5 with a home run, three RBIs, and two runs, first-year

Matthew Witkow finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs, a triple, and a run, and sophomore catcher

Liam Wilson posted a 2-for-5 effort with an RBI, a double, and a run.

On the mound in game one, sophomore left-hander

Luca Alagheband threw 5.0 innings in the start and win, allowing three runs – two earned – on four hits and three walks with seven strikeouts while senior right-hander

Jack Smith tossed 4.0 innings of scoreless relief, permitting no runs on two hits and one walk with three strikeouts in the save.

At the plate in game two, Colasante 2-for-3 with two home runs, four RBIs, and two runs while Kang finished 3-for-5 with two runs, a triple, and an RBI. Colasante hit his eighth and ninth homers of the year and the 18

th and 19

th homers of his career. Sophomore

Gavin Smith contributed a 3-for-5 effort with two doubles.

On the mound in game two, junior right-hander

Andrew Abler threw 6.0 innings in the start and win, allowing three runs on four hits and no walks with four strikeouts while first-year left-hander

Brett Gable tossed 1.1 innings in the save, permitting no runs on one hit and no walks with one strikeout. Gable notched his team-high third save of the year.

Game 1: Harvard 10, Princeton 3

Senior

Jordan Kang totaled four hits, three RBIs, and a home run, and sophomore left-hander

Luca Alagheband and senior right-hander

Jack Smith combined to permit just two earned runs as Harvard beat Princeton, 10-3, in the series opener.

Facing a 3-0 deficit entering the fifth inning, the Crimson scored the game's final 10 runs, plating six runs in the fifth and four runs in the sixth to gain separation from the host Tigers.

At the plate, Kang went 4-for-5 with a home run, three RBIs, and two runs, first-year

Matthew Witkow finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs, a triple, and a run, and sophomore catcher

Liam Wilson posted a 2-for-5 effort with an RBI, a double, and a run. The Crimson scored double-figure runs for the fourth time on the year and totaled 13 hits, marking its 10

th game this year with double-digit hits.

On the mound, Alagheband threw 5.0 innings in the start and win, allowing three runs – two earned – on four hits and three walks with seven strikeouts while Smith tossed 4.0 innings of scoreless relief, permitting no runs on two hits and one walk with three strikeouts in the save.

Harvard Highlights

• Senior third baseman Jordan Kang went 4-for-5 with a home run, three RBIs, and two runs. He hit his fifth homer of the year and the 12th homer of his career. Kang posted four hits in back-to-back games.

• First-year first baseman Matthew Witkow finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs, a triple, a run, and two walks. He hit his first collegiate triple.

• Sophomore catcher Liam Wilson notched a 2-for-5 effort with an RBI, a double, and a run. He registered his team-high eighth double of the year.

• Junior shortstop Jack Rickheim tallied two RBIs, a hit, and a run.

• Senior designated hitter Gio Colasante posted two hits, including a double – his seventh double of the year.

• Senior center fielder Max Lane added a hit, an RBI, and a run, junior second baseman Tyler Shulman chipped in an RBI, a hit, and a run, and first-year right fielder Zach Khozozian scored a pair of runs.

• Sophomore left-hander Luca Alagheband threw 5.0 innings in the start and win, allowing three runs – just two earned – on four hits and three walks with seven strikeouts.

• Senior right-hander Jack Smith earned his first save of the season, tossing 4.0 innings of scoreless relief and permitting no runs on two hits and one walk with three strikeouts.

• With 10 runs in the contest, Havard scored double-figure runs for the fourth time on the season.

• The Crimson posted 13 hits, marking its 10th game this season with double-figure hits.

How It Happened

• The Tigers opened the game's scoring with three runs in the bottom of the second to take a 3-0 lead.

• Harvard responded with six runs in the top of the fifth to move ahead 6-3. Wilson started the scoring with an RBI double down the left field line before Shulman brought in a run with a walk. Following a sacrifice fly from Rickheim, Kang launched a three-run home run to left center to cap the frame's scoring.

• The Crimson tallied another four runs in the top half of the sixth to extend the advantage to 10-3. After Rickheim and Lane each hit RBI singles, Witkow drove a two-run triple to right center for the game's final runs.

• Smith did not allow a run over his four innings of relief across the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth innings.

Game 2: Harvard 7, Princeton 5

Senior

Gio Colasante totaled two home runs and four RBIs, senior

Jordan Kang went 3-for-5 with a triple, junior right-hander

Andrew Abler threw six innings in the win, and first-year

Brett Gable earned the save as Harvard topped Princeton, 7-5, in game two to complete the doubleheader sweep.

The Crimson opened the game with a 5-0 lead through the top of the fifth and held off a rally from the Tigers to capture the series win ahead of tomorrow's finale for the three-game set.

At the plate, Colasante 2-for-3 with two home runs, four RBIs, and two runs while Kang finished 3-for-5 with two runs, a triple, and an RBI. Colasante hit his eighth and ninth homers of the year and the 18

th and 19

th homers of his career. Sophomore

Gavin Smith contributed a 3-for-5 effort with two doubles.

On the mound, Abler threw 6.0 innings in the start and win, allowing three runs on four hits and no walks with four strikeouts while Gable tossed 1.1 innings in the save, permitting no runs on one hit and no walks with one strikeout. Gable notched his team-high third save of the year.

Harvard Highlights

• Senior designated hitter Gio Colasante went 2-for-3 with two home runs, four RBIs, and two runs. He hit his eighth and ninth homers of the season and the 18th and 19th homers of his career. Colasante posted his second collegiate game with two home runs. He moved into a tie for eighth on Harvard's career home runs list with 19 career homers.

• Senior third baseman Jordan Kang finished 3-for-5 with two runs, a triple, and an RBI. He notched his first triple of the season. He has gone 11-for-15 at the plate over his last three games.

• Sophomore left fielder Gavin Smith registered a 3-for-5 effort with two doubles, an RBI, and a run.

• Sophomore right fielder Liam Wilson tallied two hits and a run.

• Junior shortstop Jack Rickehim added a double and a run, and junior second baseman Tyler Shulman tacked on a hit and an RBI.

• Junior right-hander Andrew Abler earned the win, throwing 6.0 innings in the start and allowing three runs on four hits and no walks with four strikeouts.

• First-year left-hander Brett Gable tossed 1.1 innings in the save, permitting no runs on one hit and no walks with one strikeout. He recorded his team-high third save of the season and maintained a 0.00 ERA in Ivy League play over 11.2 innings and nine appearances.

• The Crimson posted 13 hits, marking its 11th game this season with double-figure hits.

How It Happened

• Harvard jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first as Colasante launched a two-run home run to left field.

• The Crimson moved ahead 3-0 in the top of the second behind an RBI single up the middle from Shulman.

• In the top of the fifth, the Crimson extended the margin to 5-0 with another two runs. After Colasante lifted a solo home run to center field for his second homer of the game, Smith sent an RBI double to right center.

• Princeton pulled within 5-3 behind three runs in the last of the fifth.

• Harvard countered with two runs in the top of the sixth to gain a 7-3 edge behind an RBI triple to right center from Kang and a sacrifice fly from Colasante.

• The Tigers narrowed the difference to 7-5 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth.

• Gable tossed a one-two-three bottom of the ninth inning to secure the win.

Next Up

Harvard closes the series with Princeton tomorrow – Sunday, May 3 – with a single game at noon (ESPN+).