Senior outfielder Max Lane hit his first home run of the season, but Harvard University’s baseball team lost to Liberty University 9-3 in the series opener on Friday at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium.
Harvard, now 0-7 this season, was unable to recover after Liberty scored the game’s first nine runs. The Flames improved their record to 9-3 and extended their winning streak to seven games.
Lane’s two-run homer in the seventh inning marked his fourth career collegiate home run. Senior second baseman Jordan Kang went 3-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Junior third baseman Tyler Shulman contributed by going 2-for-4 with a run, while junior catcher Dominic Brancel added an RBI double in the eighth inning.
First-year right-hander Davis Kahn pitched 5.1 innings in relief for Harvard, allowing four earned runs on seven hits and two walks, and recorded a season-high five strikeouts.
Liberty started strong with five runs in the bottom of the first inning. They added two more runs in both the fourth and sixth innings to take a commanding lead before Harvard got on the scoreboard.
The Crimson responded late in the game: “Max Lane blasts the two-run shot for his first homer of the year!” read a post from Harvard Baseball on social media. Another update noted: “Dominic Brancel with the RBI double!”
Harvard will face Liberty again on Saturday at 2 p.m., followed by Sunday’s series finale at noon.
