Bulldogs Finish With Best Ivy Mark Since 2009

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A highly successful season for the Yale softball team ended in disappointing fashion with the Bulldogs dropping a doubleheader at Brown. The 7-2 loss in the opener ended Yale's hope of a North Division title. The Bears won the second game 3-0.

Nevertheless, the Bulldogs ended the year with 17 wins and posted their best Ivy League mark (10-10) since 2009. Yale has now improved on its Ivy record from the previous season in each of the last four years.

The Bulldogs got off to a quick start in the opener. Shelby Kennedy walked, moved to second on Laina Do's sacrifice bunt and scored when Allison Skinner laced a single to left.

Brown, though, answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Yale got one back in the second when Annie Tarte's two-out single scored Rachel Paris, who had been hit by a pitch.

The Bears again had a response as they scored four times in the bottom of the second to seize control.

Yale had opportunities to get back in the game. In the third, Do led off with a double and Skinner followed with a single and then stole second. Brown pitcher Leah Nakashima, though, retired the next three hitters.

In the fourth, singles by Camille Weisenbach and Tarte and an error by Brown shortstop Kaitlin Okimoto loaded the bases with one out, but again Nakashima worked her way out of trouble, retiring the next two hitters. She got a big boost from second baseman Christina Andrews who made a terrific back-handed stop of a Skinner hard grounder and ran over to touch second for the force out that ended the inning.

Terra Jerpbak pitched 4.2 innings of scoreless relief to keep Yale in the game.

After a nearly 45-minute delay because lightning was detected in the area, the Bulldogs had only one baserunner over the final three innings. It happened when Kennedy led off the seventh with a bunt single.

The Bulldogs finished with seven hits in the game but left seven runners on base.

In the second game, pitcher Francesca Casalino held Brown without a hit for the first three innings. Andrews, though, ended the no-hit bid with a one-out double in the fourth and later scored on Meghan Wimmer's sacrifice fly to left field. Kennedy made a terrific catch on the play to help limit the damage.

Annie McGregor's two-run homer in the sixth capped the scoring.

The Bulldogs were limited to four hits, singles by Paris, Weisenbach Do and Madison Sack.

Seniors Do, Lindsay Efflandt, Sydney Glover, Paris and Weisenbach played their last games for the Bulldogs. The five helped Yale win more than 50 games over the last four years and were outstanding ambassadors for the softball program.

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