Yale softball overcame a five-run deficit on March 29 to defeat Brown University in the second game of a doubleheader, securing a 9-8 victory in nine innings after losing the first game 3-2.
The results leave Yale with an overall record of 9-19 and a conference record of 3-6 in the Ivy League. Brown now stands at 10-14 overall and holds a 3-3 mark in league play.
In the opening game, Brown took an early lead with runs scored in the second and fourth innings. Yale responded with two runs in the bottom of the fourth, highlighted by Jane Littleton’s double and Ella Gandolfo’s single, but could not overcome Brown’s advantage.
The second contest saw Brown build an early four-run lead before Yale began its comeback. Grace Westmoreland led off the sixth inning with a double, igniting a rally that included multiple walks and timely hitting. A sacrifice fly from Ella Cross and Littleton’s two-run single put Yale ahead for the first time. After several late-inning lead changes, Yale clinched victory by drawing five consecutive walks in the ninth inning to score both tying and winning runs.
Yale drew nineteen walks during game two—the most by any team this season in NCAA Division I softball. Libby Peoples recorded six walks herself, tying an NCAA Division I record for most walks by an individual player in one game; she also hit her fifth triple of the season earlier that day. Peoples’ nine career triples tie her for third all-time at Yale.
Other notable performances included Gandolfo’s three consecutive games earning walks and seven stolen bases this season, as well as Cross recording hits throughout every game of the series. The Bulldogs’ four stolen bases during game two marked their highest total for a single contest this year.
Looking ahead, Yale is scheduled to host Rhode Island on April 1 at home for another doubleheader.
