For the first time since 2009, the Brown baseball team (7-15, 2-4 Ivy) took a series victory over Harvard (4-17, 2-4 Ivy) in Cambridge. The Bears and Crimson split a doubleheader on Saturday before Brown won a 20-12 offensive slugfest on Sunday afternoon.
鈥淓very conference series that you can win is huge, to gain in the standings and have the tiebreaker head-to-head,鈥� Bears Head Coach Grant Achilles wrote in an email to The Herald. 鈥淥ur team played great defense and we got enough out of our pitching all weekend.鈥�
In the series opener, Bruno jumped ahead with three runs in the fourth inning on RBIs from Brady Dever 鈥�27, Nathan Brasher 鈥�25 and Andrew Hanlon 鈥�27.
Reliever-turned-starter Jack Seppings 鈥�25 put on a gutsy pitching performance for the Bears. The former World Baseball Classic taxi squad member held the Crimson to five scoreless innings, stranding eight men on base before surrendering a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth. After the homer, with runners on first and second, Seppings got a critical strikeout to escape the jam with the lead intact.
鈥淎s a team, we talk a lot about using routines to ground us in any situation, so it helped a lot (in) feeling confident and prepared in higher stress situations,鈥� Seppings wrote. 鈥淢y defense has made plays for me all year so just trusting that they have my back is an extremely comforting feeling as well.鈥�
Dever tacked on an insurance run for Brown with a sacrifice fly in the eighth, and rookie Ryan Oshinskie 鈥�27 fired three scintillating innings of relief 鈥� allowing no hits and two walks 鈥� to secure the save.
In the afternoon portion of the twin bill, Harvard starter Callan Fang gave the Bears鈥� lineup fits 鈥� allowing two runs across seven innings and racking up 12 strikeouts 鈥� while three RBI hits along with a pair of two-run homers gave the Crimson a commanding 7-2 lead. Brown fought back with a three-run eighth to cut the deficit to two, but could not complete the comeback, falling by a final of 7-5.
Sunday鈥檚 series finale was an offensive outburst from the outset. The two teams combined for 18 runs in the first three innings, as the Bears clobbered Harvard鈥檚 pitching by scoring 12 runs on 10 hits and eight walks. But after putting up with a nine-run top of the third, the Crimson answered back with a crooked frame of their own, scoring six runs off Brown starter Santhosh Gottam 鈥�25.
The Crimson continued to creep back throughout the middle innings, eventually striking for four runs in the bottom of the seventh to bring the score to 13-12 Brown. Just when a potentially dominant Brunonian victory seemed to be slipping away, the Brown offense took charge, mounting a three-run, two-out rally in the eighth followed by a four-run effort in the ninth.
Achilles highlighted the importance of the Bears鈥� continued offensive focus in the face of the Crimson comeback attempt. 鈥淒espite letting Harvard back into it on Sunday, we extended the lead to put the game away late,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淲e want to keep that unwavering calm that we showed despite their momentum for the rest of the season.
鈥淭his team is never out of a game,鈥� wrote second baseman Gunner Boree 鈥�25. 鈥淲e are going to fight 鈥榯il the last out and do anything to win.鈥�
By the game鈥檚 end, the Bears鈥� box score featured some truly dizzying numbers 鈥� the most significant of which may be their lineup鈥檚 17 walks. Last season, Brown ranked seventh in the Ivy League in walks, with an average of 4.08 per game. So far this season, the team ranks second, boosting that number to 4.86. As a result, Bruno has also gone from sixth to second in on-base percentage.
鈥淲e've shown not only better strike zone awareness and discipline, but also a more aggressive attack to our approach throughout the season,鈥� Achilles said. 鈥淲e have faced some experienced and challenging pitchers in preparation for the Ivy season. Our hitters are leaning into their individual strengths, which allows them to yield more consistently productive results.鈥�
The game also featured four-hit performances from Boree and designated hitter Reece Rappoli 鈥�24, as well as a two-hit, four-walk display from rookie catcher Andrew Hanlon 鈥�27. Boree, who reached base in all seven of his plate appearances, currently sits third in the Ivy League with a .479 OBP and fifth in the league with a .611 SLG.
鈥淚鈥檇 attribute my success lately to sticking to my approach at the plate and trusting the scouting report our coaches put together so well for our team,鈥� Boree wrote.
鈥淥ur team has been putting in an incredible amount of work and I believe we proved that this past weekend with the series dub,鈥� he added.
Despite suffering a 14-2 non-conference beating from Bryant on Tuesday, the Bears now enter this weekend鈥檚 match-up against Princeton 鈥� their first home Ivy series of the season 鈥� riding a wave of positive momentum.
鈥淲e are taking a high level of confidence into this weekend at home,鈥� Seppings wrote, 鈥渒nowing that if we play to our standard we will be an extremely hard team to beat.鈥�
鈥淚 can鈥檛 wait for the weekend,鈥� Boree wrote. 鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to a series win and enjoying the win on our own field.鈥�
The series will feature a double-header beginning at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday followed by a noon finale on Sunday. All games will be available to stream on ESPN+.
Linus is a sports editor from New York City. He is a junior concentrating in English, and when he's out of The Herald office you can find him rooting for the Mets, watching Star Wars or listening to The Beach Boys.
