WEST HAVEN, Conn. (Interstat) — Gio Colasante delivered a dominant pitching performance and Harvard capitalized on a decisive fifth inning to defeat Yale 5-3 on Saturday in the first game of an Ivy League doubleheader at Yale Field.

The victory marked a significant upset, as Harvard (6-17, 1-0 Ivy) entered with the worst record in the conference while Yale (17-10, 0-1) was projected as a heavy favorite. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a Yale win by a 7-4 score, and its ELO system gave the Bulldogs a 62.5% probability of victory.

The most important sequence of the game occurred in the top of the fifth inning, which broke open a tight contest. Harvard entered the frame clinging to a 2-0 lead, built on two unearned Yale runs in the third. Facing Yale starter Jack Ohman, who had struck out six through four innings, the Crimson offense erupted. Smith G. and Colasante A. singled, setting the stage for Rickheim J., who drove in the first run with a single to left center. Tyler Shulman followed with an RBI single to center, and after a walk loaded the bases, Max Lane was hit by a pitch to force in another run. Kang J. then drew another bases-loaded walk to cap the four-run outburst, extending Harvard’s lead to 5-2. All four runs were charged to Ohman, who finished with 11 strikeouts but allowed five hits and four earned runs over seven innings.

Harvard’s early lead and eventual win were anchored by Colasante, the team’s top star. The pitcher turned in a stellar outing, working six innings and allowing just two unearned runs on no hits. He walked three, hit three batters and struck out three. Yale’s only offense against him came in the third inning, fueled by a hit batter, a walk, a stolen base and a critical two-run error by the Harvard shortstop that allowed Garrett Larsen and Kaiden Dossa to score.

After Colasante exited, the Harvard bullpen sealed the victory. Ryan McHugh pitched three perfect innings of relief to earn the save, silencing the Bulldogs over the final three frames. Yale managed only one run after the third, which came in the sixth on an RBI double by Colin Sloan that scored Chris Diprima, who had doubled. Diprima led Yale with two of the team’s seven hits.

Yale reliever Tate Evans struck out four over two innings but allowed an unearned run in the ninth on a double play groundout by Colasante G. that scored Rickheim J., who had been hit by a pitch.

Harvard finished with six hits, two from Shulman, who also had an RBI. Yale’s Ohman took the loss.

The teams were scheduled to conclude the doubleheader later Saturday. Harvard will host Massachusetts on Tuesday, while Yale travels to Quinnipiac on Wednesday.