PRINCETON, N.J. -- In the first weekend of Ivy League softball divisional play, Harvard and Penn recorded series sweeps, Dartmouth took three-of-four from Yale and Cornell and Columbia split their series in New York.
With its four-game sweep over Brown, Harvard moved to a three-game lead in the North Division standings. Dartmouth’s three wins at Yale kept the Big Green in second place in the North. Penn’s sweep of Princeton vaulted the Quakers into second place in the South and they now trail division leaders Cornell by just one game, thanks in part to Columbia’s split with the Big Red.
PLAYER & ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Freshman third baseman/designated player Kasey Lange (Ladera Ranch, Calif.) paced the Crimson offensive attack last week as she batted .591 over the course of seven games in which Harvard posted a 6-1 record. She totaled 18 RBI and slugged 1.182 for the week with a .593 on base percentage. Lange also played error-free softball in seven games started at third base en route to claiming both the Ivy League Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors. It is her first career Player of the Week honor and her second Rookie of the Year award (April 5).
Lange opened the week with three home runs in a doubleheader sweep of Holy Cross. Also in mid-week non-conference action, Lange drove in Harvard’s lone run in its 4-1 loss to ACC rival Boston College.
Lange’s offensive momentum continued into the Crimson’s four-game sweep of North Division rival Brown over the weekend. She batted .538 versus the Bears, added eight RBI, scored three runs and recorded two doubles. With the two doubles to close out her weekend, Lange reached 17 on the year to lead the League and set the single-season record at Harvard. Lange also has an active seven-game RBI streak.
Lange’s Weekly Stats
7 GP, 22 AB, 6 R, 13 H, 18 RBI, 4 2B, 3 HR, 3 BB, 2 SAC, .591 Avg., 1.182 Slg.%, .593 OBP, 1.000 Fldg.%
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Freshman Prophet Gaspard (Abbeville, La.) posted a 2-1 record for Columbia last week, with all three of her appearances coming against South Division leader Cornell. Gaspard went the distance in both of her starts and also pitched 3.2 innings of relief in her final appearance of the weekend. Gaspard retired the final 19 batters she faced over the weekend, closing with a stingy 0.40 ERA and a .119 batting-average against.
Gaspard allowed just one earned run over 17.2 innings pitched. The first-year allowed just three hits in the first game of the series, and entered the seventh inning with a 1-0 lead but Ali Tomlinson connected on a two-run homer to give Cornell the come-from-behind 2-1 win in the series opening pitcher’s duel.
After Tomlinson’s home run, Gaspard scattered four hits over 10.2 innings pitched, including a four-hit, complete-game shutout on Sunday as the Big Red downed Cornell 6-0. It marks Gaspard’s second Weekly Ivy award, as she was named the League’s Rookie of the Year on March 22.
Gaspard’s Weekly Stats
0.40 ERA, 2-1, 3 App., 2 GS, 2 CG, 1 SHO, 17.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 13 SO, 3 BB
HONOR ROLL
Marissa Amiraian, Cornell, Sr., OF (Latham, N.Y.)
6 GP, 18 AB, 2 R, 8 H, 1 RBI, 1 3B, 3 BB, 1 SB, .444 Avg., .524 OBP, 1.000 Fldg.%
Chelsey Dunham, Yale, Fr., P (Fairfax Station, Va.)
1.83 ERA, 1-1, 3 App., 2 GS, 2 CG, 15.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 7 BB, 17 SO
Evan Gray, Dartmouth, So., P (Edmond, Okla.)
1.14 ERA, 1-0, 2 App., 2 GS, 1 CG, 12.1 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 6 SO, 1 BB
Cailyn Hennessy, Penn, Jr., P (Freehold, N.J.)
1.00 ERA, 2-0, 2 App., 2 GS, 2 CG, 14 IP, 14 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 6 SO, 1 BB
Maggie Johnson, Columbia, Sr., P (Danville, Calif.)
1.35 ERA, 0-1, 2 App., 2 GS, 1 CG, 10.1 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 2 ER, 7 SO, 2 BB
Batting: 4 GP, 8 AB, 3 R, 5 H, 5 RBI, 3 HR, .625 Avg., 1.000 Fldg.%
Laura Ricciardone, Harvard, Fr., P (Slidell, La.)
0.50 ERA, 2-0, 3 App., 2 GS, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 14 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 7 SO, 0 BB
Allison Scott, Harvard, Fr., C (Alpine, Calif.)
7 GP, 24 AB, 5 R, 13 H, 8 RBI, 4 2B, 3 HR, .542 Avg., 1.083 Slg.%,
Molly Khalil, Dartmouth, Jr., C/DP (Seal Beach, Ontario)
4 GP, 9 AB, 2 R, 4 H, 3 RBI, 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 BB, .444 Avg., 1.000 Slg.%, .643 OBP, 1.000 Fldg.%
McKynlee Westman, Yale, Sr., C (Smithville, Mo.)
4 GP, 10 AB, 4 H, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB, 1 SAC, .400 Avg., .958 Fldg.%
Kelsey VandeBergh, Princeton, Jr., IF (Beaverton, Ore.)
4 GP, 9 AB, 5 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, .556 Avg., .556 Slg.%, .692 OBP
Mikenzie Voves, Penn, Fr., P (Maple Valley, Wash.)
2.00 ERA, 2-0, 2 App., 2 GS, 2 CG, 14 IP, 13 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 11 SO