LONG BEACH, Calif. – Timely hitting and a game-saving effort out of the bullpen from Kathleen Duncan gave red-hot Harvard just enough to steal a 3-2 win from Longwood Sunday afternoon on the final day of the Louisville Slugger Invitational at the Long Beach State Softball Field.
 
The Crimson (7-2), winners of five straight, did all of their scoring in the top of the third inning, getting on the board with an RBI infield single from leadoff batter Rhianna Rich and a two-out, two-run home run from three-hitter Erin Lockhart.
 
Harvard managed just one hit the rest of the way, but the go-ahead third inning was enough to spoil what was an otherwise dominant performance from Longwood's pitching duo of Sydney Gay (7-7) and Elizabeth McCarthy. Those two combined to hold Harvard to just four hits over the seven-inning effort with McCarthy firing 3.2 shutout innings out of the bullpen.
 
However, Duncan was able to match McCarthy's effectiveness out of the bullpen, stranding five Longwood runners over the Lancers' final three turns at the plate. She pulled Harvard starter Olivia Giaquinto (1-0) out of a jam in the bottom of the fifth, entering with two Lancers on base and one out in the fifth inning and inducing a pair of popups to keep the 3-1 Crimson lead intact.
 
Longwood (7-14) was on the verge of breaking through again in the top of the sixth after Jordan Clark followed Karleigh Donovan's leadoff double with an RBI single, but Duncan once again bounced back to shut down the Lancer rally. Clark ended up on second base after her base hit, and Kelsey Sweeney was hit by a pitch to move to first as the go-ahead run, but Duncan rolled two groundouts to preserve Harvard's lead.
 
"We had some opportunities to get a win today against a good Harvard team, but we couldn't get things done at critical times," said Longwood head coach Kathy Riley. "We understand the importance of getting things turned around soon and are working to make it happen as best we can. We start conference play this weekend coming, and we want to get off to a positive start."
 
Duncan's 2.2-inning save wrapped up 4.1 innings of one-run ball from Giaquinto, who worked around four walks and two hits to hold Longwood (7-14) to just one run.
 
The Lancers outhit Harvard 5-4, thanks to a 2-for-3 day from Clark, and put 10 runners on base, but left seven of those stranded against Duncan and Giaquinto and an error-free Harvard defense.
 
The loss was Longwood's second straight one-run defeat and precedes the start of Big South play where the Lancers will begin pursuit of their third straight Big South Championship. That journey begins this Saturday, March 18, when the Lancers travel to conference foe Campbell for a three-game series in Buies Creek, N.C.
 
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