Baseball Defeats Princeton in Regular Season Finale, 5-3, Remains in Contention for Ivy Tournament Berth
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Senior George Cooper posted two hits and two RBIs, junior right-hander Callan Fang and sophomore right-hander Truman Pauley combined to allow just three runs, and Harvard University baseball topped Princeton University, 5-3, in its regular season finale on Wednesday afternoon at O’Donnell Field.
Completing a three-game series with a rescheduled contest from April 13, the Crimson (12-26, 9-12 Ivy) took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth and maintained its advantage the rest of the way, taking the series from the Tigers (12-31, 8-13 Ivy) after the two teams split a doubleheader on April 11.
With the win, Harvard took sole possession of fifth place in the Ivy League standings and remains in contention for a berth in the four-team Ivy League Tournament. The Crimson sits just behind fourth-place Dartmouth (8-10 Ivy) who meets Yale in a three-game series in New Haven from May 10-11. If the Bulldogs sweep the three-game set from the Big Green, Harvard will earn the fourth seed in the Ivy Tournament. In that scenario, the Crimson would meet Yale in its opening game as the Bulldogs would gain the tournament’s top seed.
Cooper went 2-for-5 on the day with two RBIs and a run scored, notching his 49th and 50th hits of the season. Sophomores Tyler Shulman (hit, two RBIs) and Jack Rickheim (hit, RBI) brought in the Crimson’s other runs while senior Sawyer Feller went 2-for-3 with a double and senior Matt Giberti contributed a double and two stolen bases.
On the mound, Fang threw 5.0 innings in the start, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk with five strikeouts while Pauley tossed 4.0 innings in relief in the win, permitting one run on one hit and four walks with two strikeouts.
Harvard Highlights
- Senior George Cooper went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored. He notched his 49th and 50th hits of the season.
- Sophomore Tyler Shulman posted a two-run single alongside two walks.
- Sophomore Jack Rickheim tallied a hit, an RBI, a run, and a walk. He registered the go-ahead RBI in the bottom of the sixth.
- Senior Sawyer Feller finished 2-for-3 with a double, a run, and a walk.
- Senior Matt Giberti contributed a double, a walk, and two stolen bases. He improved to 19-for-22 on stolen base attempts on the season.
- Junior Gio Colasante added a hit, a run, a walk, and a stolen base.
- Sophomore Ryan Mooney tacked on a run scored and a walk.
- Junior right-hander Callan Fang threw 5.0 innings in the start, allowing two runs – both earned – on four hits and one walk with five strikeouts.
- Sophomore right-hander Truman Pauley tossed 4.0 innings in relief in the win, permitting one run on one hit and four walks with two strikeouts.
- Over the three-game Princeton series, Harvard’s pitching staff posted a 1.33 ERA.
How It Happened
- Princeton opened the game’s scoring, bringing home a run on a groundball in the top of the first.
- Harvard answered in the bottom of the first as Shulman sent a two-run single into right field to place Colasante and Cooper as the hosts went ahead 2-1.
- The Tigers knotted the score at 2-2 with an RBI single in the top of the third.
- The Crimson took a lead that it would not relinquish in the last of the sixth behind an RBI single up the middle from Rickheim to bring home Feller and give Harvard a 3-2 edge.
- Harvard added to its advantage in the bottom of the eighth as Cooper placed a two-run single through the left side to bring home Rickheim and Mooney and stake the hosts to a 5-2 lead.
- The visitors scored one run following a wild pitch in the top of the ninth before Pauley secured the victory.
?? Tyler Shulman’s 2-run single gives us the early lead!
End 1 | Harvard 2 Princeton 1
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?? https://t.co/9Mf5e8pWYL#GoCrimson #OneCrimson pic.twitter.com/QxvlgkzaMj
— Harvard Baseball (@HarvardBaseball) May 7, 2025
?? Jack Rickheim’s RBI single puts us back in front!
End 6 | Harvard 3 Princeton 2
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?? https://t.co/9Mf5e8pWYL#GoCrimson #OneCrimson pic.twitter.com/wX4XyK292O
— Harvard Baseball (@HarvardBaseball) May 7, 2025
?? George Cooper’s 2-run single extends our lead as we head to the 9th!
End 8 | Harvard 5 Princeton 2
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?? https://t.co/9Mf5e8pWYL#GoCrimson #OneCrimson pic.twitter.com/PfKDuQY3R9
— Harvard Baseball (@HarvardBaseball) May 7, 2025
?? Truman Pauley gets the K for the final out as we take the victory in our regular season finale!
Final | Harvard 5 Princeton 3
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?? https://t.co/9Mf5e8pWYL#GoCrimson #OneCrimson pic.twitter.com/ff8PDxtjA9
— Harvard Baseball (@HarvardBaseball) May 7, 2025
Next Up
Harvard will look for a hopeful berth in the four-team Ivy League Tournament (May 16-19) pending qualification. The Crimson will clinch a spot in the tournament if Yale sweeps its three-game series with Dartmouth from May 10-11.
