Over the weekend, the softball team (10-14, 3-3 Ivy) took down Yale (9-19, 3-6) 2-1 in a tight three-game series, fending off chilly temperatures in New Haven throughout the weekend to secure their first series win this season. Despite a disappointing 9-8 extra-innings defeat in the weekend’s final match, Bruno clinched the series with a 4-1 triumph on Saturday and a 3-2 win in the first game of Sunday’s double-header.
Following last year’s Ivy League Championship title win, the Bears got off to a rocky division start this season after losing a weekend series 2-1 to Columbia (10-16, 2-4) in March. But this weekend, the Bears broke through.
“It’s all about bouncing back and moving on to the next series. That’s our mindset,” catcher Lilly Burns ’27, who brought in four RBIs for Brown across the three matches, told The Herald.
The Bears came out swinging on Saturday with a four-run win against the Bulldogs. After a first-at-bat leadoff double from infielder Maya Choksi ’27, the Bears brought the heat, locking up two runs in the top of the first inning to secure a solid 2-0 lead over Yale.
The Bears’ defense held the line through slow second and third innings, only allowing one hit in the third and making up for the Bears’ lack of offensive strength — Bruno earned zero runs during both innings.
But in the top of the fourth with one out on the board, spectators experienced deja vu when Choksi slammed the ball down the right field line, sending Alyssa Villarde ’27 home for Brown’s third run of the game.
Bruno didn’t stop there: the Bears’ lineup recorded eight total hits and earned four RBIs over the game, featuring a Maggie Foxx ’28 home run slugged deep to center field in the seventh inning. The homer –– Foxx’s team-leading fourth of the season –– was well out of the reach of Yale’s scrambling outfield.
Throughout the match, Bruno adjusted well defensively to a left-handed heavy Yale batting rotation, keeping the Bulldogs to only three hits in the series opener.
Choksi wrote in an email to The Herald that the weekend’s games were “super competitive” and “intense.” The Bears, evidently, performed well under the pressure of fierce play: a collective effort on offense complemented stunning defensive play, providing Bruno momentum and consistency over the weekend.
Sunday’s first match started slower offensively for Bruno, but steady play throughout the afternoon led the team to a 3-2 win. Brown’s scoring strategy was defined by positioning players on base and drawing on teamwork.
In the second inning, a far-hit sacrifice fly ball to the outfield by Burns gave Abby Bettencourt ’28 plenty of time to run before the ball reached home plate, securing Brown’s first score of the game in the second inning. Yale answered with an RBI by Demi Donahoe that tied the scoreboard in the third inning.
But the Bears roared back: Brown scored two other runs in the fourth inning, all with team assists. Despite Yale rallying back in the bottom of the fourth, Bruno held onto a 3-2 lead.
The game remained a stalemate for the last three innings. In the final inning, pitcher Macy Borowski ’27 struck out Grace Westmoreland of the Bulldogs to clinch a series win going into the weekend’s final match.
Team members ran to join in a celebratory huddle around the circle after the victory. Burns later cited the strikeout as one of her favorite moments of the weekend.
The third game featured another impressive offensive showout with six runs scored for Brown in the first four innings. The Bears took a 4-0 lead in the first inning following errors by Yale’s defensive lineup and back-to-back Bruno singles.
But after a six-run comeback by Yale’s offense, hopes for a series sweep for the Bears grew bleak. Despite narrowly missing the sweep, head coach Mary Holt-Kelsch wrote in an email to the Herald that the team “saw pieces of championship-level play” over the weekend.
“There’s a lot to build on from this series, and we’re excited about the direction we’re heading,” she wrote.
Individual player accolades added to positive takeaways from the three-game stretch. Borowski — who threw a total 314 pitches — earned her second Ivy League Pitcher of the Week. For Borowski, the nomination “speaks to the team” that she has behind her, “because without them making plays … I can’t be the pitcher that I am.”
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“I just want the team to always know I have their back, just like they have mine,” she added.
Borowski has “just been a rock for us, both on the mound and at the plate … her confidence and leadership has been just phenomenal this year,” shared utility player Jasmine Hsiao ’26, another major series’ contributor on offense.
The Bears will take on Princeton — who the team defeated last year in the 2025-2026 Ivy League championship game — for their third Ivy League series of the season starting April 3.