In its last warmup games before Ivy play begins this weekend, the Harvard softball team blew away Holy Cross in a midday doubleheader at windswept Soldiers Field.

The Crimson (9-13) held Holy Cross (8-8) to two hits on the day, winning the first game, 2-0, and mercying the Crusaders in the second game, 10-1.

Harvard 10, Holy Cross 1

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After winning a tight match against Holy Cross in the first contest, the Crimson exploded for 10 runs and 13 hits in the second. Harvard needed only four and a half innings to vanquish the Crusaders.

Senior hurler Chelsea Thoke continued her sparkling pitching, fanning nine in five innings and allowing only two hits and one run. She improved to 6-3 on the year, after being named Ivy League Pitcher of the Week for her performance at last week's Buzz Classic.

While Thoke shut down the Crusaders, Harvard's offense provided all the scoring. The Crimson rocked sophomore Kaitlyn Hannan for six runs in the third inning.

Harvard had trailed, 1-0, going into the breakout frame, as the Crusaders crossed the plate on a wild pitch.

The lead was fleeting, however, as Harvard plated six in its half of the inning.

Junior Sarah Koppel opened the floodgates, doubling in a run to tie the game for the Crimson. Tri-captain Mairead McKendry cleared the bases with a two-run homer, and the Crimson had its winning runs.

Harvard would add three more runs againt Hannan to go up, 6-1.

The defending Ivy League champs did not let up, and scored four runs the next inning. This time the big hit came from senior right fielder Jennifer Crusius.

With the bases full, Crusius blasted a grand slam out of the park, putting the nail in the coffin.

Thoke finished out the top of the fifth, allowing the mercy rule to be applied.

Harvard 2, Holy Cross 0

The Crusaders--winners of four in a row in the Patriot League--were able to keep up with the Crimson through three innings.

Junior Caitlyn McCarthy held Harvard at bay, despite scattering baserunners on walks and hits.

In the third inning, the Crimson offense caught up with McCarthy, without the benefit of the long ball.

Harvard played solid fundamental softball, and plated the only runs of the game.

Freshman shortstop Rachel Goldberg reached base on a line drive single through the middle, and was promptly bunted over to second by Crusius.

With a runner in scoring position and McKendry coming up, Harvard was in position to get a run.

McKendry came through, ripping a low liner to the fence in left-center field and scoring Goldberg. McKendry was 4-for-6 on the day, with a home run and three RBI.

Up 1-0, the Crimson secured an insurance run off the bat of freshman first baseman Breanne Cooley. She scorched a double off the center field fence, giving freshman hurler Kara Brotemarkle all the protection she would need.

Brotemarkle continued her maturity as a college pitcher, turning in another fine performance. She pitched four hitless innings, striking out seven.

"I'm not so much pleased with my own performance," Brotemarkle said. "We're playing better as a team, communicating better, solving problems as they arise."

Brotemarkle pitched out of several small jams due to walks. She went to her riseball to get strikeouts and leave the baserunners stranded.

"My riser is probably as strong as it's been," Brotemarkle said. "It was my strikeout pitch today."

Brotemarkle was spelled by sophomore Tiffany Whitton in the fifth. Whitton finished out the game, striking out five in three innings for the save.

The Crimson next heads to Princeton to open Ivy play.

"There's confidence as a team going into the weekend," Brotemarkle said. "But we know we'll have to play as well as we can to get wins."