Varsity Nine Topples B.C., 10-5

Harvard's up-and-down baseball team was up yesterday, and Boston College was way, way down. The Crimson parlayed 14 hits, four B.C. errors, a few passed balls and several wild pitches into a 10-5 win, at B.C. yesterday.

The win sent Harvard into a thin lead in the Greater Boston League after lowly Brandies put Northeastern down to its first league defeat, 15-5, Monday. The Crimson is now 2-1 in league play.

Righthander John Scott settled down after an ultra-shaky start and pitched a complete game, winning his fifth of the year against four losses.

Scott's batterymate, Gary Miller, was a principal thorn in the side of four Boston College pitchers. Miller stroked a 350-foot home run in the fourth to bring the Crimson back from a 2-0 deficit. Miller had two hits and two walks on the day, and scored twice.

B.C. had jumped ahead in the third on three Harvard errors and a single, before miller's homer gave Scott a cushion. The 6-4 righthander kept the Eagles in order after that, holding B.C. without a hit until the eight.

Meanwhile the Crimson, aided by a remarkable number of B.C. misplays, gave him a big lead. Dan Hootstein opened the seventh with a single to left. B.C.'s third baseman muffed Skip Falcone's attempted sacrifice, and a single by George Neville brought in one run.

That drove out B.C. started Jack Kerivan and brought is Tom Hutchinson. But it wasn't a day for B.C. pitchers. Hutchinson walked Miller, and Scott's double-play grounder to third went for an error that scored Falcone and left the bases loaded. Mike Patrick, making his debut as a third baseman, grounded into a double play as Neville scored. Hutchinson's frustration was completed by a passed ball that scored Miller.

John Finnell brought B.C. within four runs when he opened the eighth with a long home run. But a three-run Crimson outburst in the top of the ninth put the game on ice.

Miller opened with a walk and was forced by Scott. Patrick whacked a 370-foot double that brought in Scott. Tom Bilodeau slapped a sharp liner to short; the B.C. infield's fourth error brought Patrick across and sent Bilodeau to second. He moved to third when the Eagle's second baseman hesitated after catching John Dockery's pop-up in short right, and scored on a wild pitch.

Scott had several shaky innings; he retired the side in order only once, gave up eight hits, and walked three. The defense helped out with four errors. But the big righthander was tough when it counted, striking out nine Eagle hitters.

The Crimson should stay ahead in the Greater Boston League at least a day; this afternoon at 3 p.m. Tufts drops by Splinter Stadium for a league game that the resurgent Harvard nine should win.