Walsh then brought in Wilson, who walked Paul Christian to load the bases and set up another controversial play.
Hughes lofted a high fly to short right field. Salsgiver camped under it and fired a strike to home plate, forcing Kutler to hastily retreat back to third. Mann fired to Zak Farkes, who slapped the tag down on a diving Kutler. The runner was called safe, though, much to the surprise of an incensed Farkes, who immediately argued the call.
“We had some big calls today that didn’t go our way,” Walsh said. “That double that was a foul ball, that double play ball that hit the umpire, and that play at third. Then every time we made a mistake or walked a guy, they took advantage of it.”
The inning finally ended when Nichols flied out to Byrne, who made a nice play running back towards right.
After the Bears tacked on two more runs in the eighth to go ahead 10-7, the Crimson made one final run in the top of the ninth.
With two outs, Wallace reached on an error by the shortstop Nichols and moved to second on a single by Brown.
Rob Wheeler—pinch hitting for Byrne—then lined a single to left to score Wallace and pull Harvard within two. But Brown starter Jeff Dietz got Matt Vance to line out to right field to end the game.
The Crimson took the lead with a six-run sixth inning, highlighted by an RBI single by Farkes and a two-RBI single by Salsgiver that put Harvard ahead 6-2. Schuyler Mann homered for Harvard’s other run.
Castellanos got a no decision in his first Ivy start of the season, allowing six earned runs on seven hits while striking out five and walking three in six innings. Brown (1-1) took the loss for the Crimson.
HARVARD 10, BROWN 3
The Crimson broke open a 3-3 tie with a four-run sixth inning in Game 3 to guarantee that Harvard would leave Providence with the division lead.
Mann walked to open the frame and advanced to second on a single by Wilson. Wallace then pushed both runners over with a sacrifice bunt. After Byrne reached on a fielder’s choice, Morgan Brown legged out an infield single—diving into the first base bag head-first to beat a throw from Nichols—to score Wilson and put the Crimson ahead 4-3.
Vance walked to load the bases, but Farkes followed with a three-RBI double that fell in no man’s land in left-center field.
Farkes—who homered in his first at-bat—finished the game 2-for-3 with five RBI. He had four hits on the afternoon. Freshman Shawn Haviland (5-1) earned the complete game win for Harvard. In seven innings, he allowed two earned runs on eight hits while striking out five and walking two.
Haviland outlasted Bears ace Brian Tews, who fell to 2-3 with the loss.
Harvard took a 1-0 lead on the first pitch of the game, when Farkes deposited a fastball over the fence in left field. In the second, a two-out single by Brown, followed by a Vance double, increased the lead.
The Bears tied it up in the bottom of the third on a string of hits capped by an RBI single from Kutler—one of six hits on the day for the lefthander—but a Farkes sacrifice fly put Harvard back ahead in the fifth.
Brown went 4-for-4, scored three runs, and stole his team-leading 10th base of the season to pace the Harvard offense.
—Staff writer Lande A. Spottswood can be reached at spottsw@fas.harvard.edu.