Bulldogs Blank Harvard 1-0 In Opener; Crimson Win Game 2 6-0

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Lindsay Efflandt continued her mastery over a potent Harvard offense Sunday at Dewitt Family Field. Her seven shutout innings in the first game led Yale to a 1-0 victory over the Crimson. She then tossed 6.2 more scoreless innings in relief in the second game, but Harvard scored six early runs en route to a 6-0 victory and a split of the Ivy League doubleheader.

Allison Skinner's RBI double in the bottom of the sixth inning accounted for only run of the opener.

Efflandt had limited the Crimson to only two runs in Saturday's 2-0, eight-inning loss. She was even better one day later, yielding just six hits, striking out two and not issuing a walk in posting her fifth win of the season.

"Lindsay was our horse this weekend," said Yale head coach Jen Goodwin. "To be able to face the number of batter she faced, the number of times she faced them and still be effective shows how focused she is this year. I'm amazed how she was able to continue to shut them down."

Harvard's only serious scoring threat came in the sixth. The Crimson had runners on second and third with one out, but Efflandt got the Crimson's No. 3 hitter Meagan Lantz and No. 4 hitter Catherine Callaway to ground harmlessly back to the circle.

Harvard's Morgan Groom matched Efflandt for five innings. In fact, the Bulldogs were still looking for their first hit when they came to bat in the sixth. With one out, Sydney Ginsberg broke up the no-hitter with a single to left field. After the second out, Skinner put together a great at bat, fouling off a number of pitches with two strikes, before ripping a ball into the right-centerfield gap. Ginsberg raced around the bases and scored without a throw.

"That's when we seem to do most of our damage, with two outs," Goodwin said. "Allison really battled. It was good to see her stay focused until she got a pitch she could drive. I'm very proud of her."

Savannah Bradley's two-out single in the top of the seventh put the tying run on base, but Rachel Paris made a fine catch deep in right field to end the game and preserve the win.

The Crimson (20-14, 9-3 Ivy) used seven singles, many of them not terribly well hit, a walk and a hit batter to score six times in the first inning of the second game.

Efflandt then kept Harvard off the board the rest of the way.

Kathleen Duncan, though, was in control in the circle for Harvard. She didn't allow a hit until Cristina Teems' infield single in the hole at shortstop leading off the bottom of the sixth.

Duncan left after six innings, and Lauren Delgadillo and Laina Do drew back-to-back walks leading off the seventh but were left stranded.

Duncan struck out one and walked three in her six innings of work.

The Bulldogs (12-26, 5-7 Ivy) take a break from Ivy League play with a doubleheader at Sacred Heart on Wednesday. The first pitch of the first game is slated for 3 p.m.

Report filed by Tim Bennett (timothy.bennett@yale.edu), Yale Sports Publicity