Harvard University’s baseball team lost 11-7 to Rice University in the opening game of their series on Friday night at Reckling Park in Houston, Texas.
Rice scored early, building a 7-0 lead by the end of the second inning. Harvard responded by scoring seven of the next ten runs, narrowing the gap to 10-7 in the top of the eighth inning. However, Rice maintained its lead and secured the win.
Senior Gio Colasante hit his second home run of the season and finished with two RBIs. He also pitched three innings as Harvard’s starting pitcher, striking out two batters. Sophomore Gavin Smith hit his first home run of the year and walked twice. Junior Jack Rickheim contributed two RBIs and a double. First-year player Matthew Witkow added an RBI, a run scored, and drew three walks.
Owen Tahnk, a sophomore right-handed pitcher for Harvard, threw two innings in relief without allowing any hits or runs and recorded two strikeouts.
The game began with Rice scoring three runs in the first inning and four more in the second. Harvard scored three times in the third inning—highlighted by Smith’s solo home run—before Rice extended its lead again. In the eighth inning, Colasante led off with a solo homer as part of a four-run rally that brought Harvard within three runs.
Rice added another run in its half of the eighth inning to set the final score at 11-7.
Harvard will play Rice again on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. CT) with coverage available on ESPN+, followed by another matchup on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET (12:00 p.m. CT), also streaming on ESPN+.
