Baseball Team Blasts Weak Penn, 8-4

Facing another embarrassment in an already embarrassing season, the Harvard baseball team came from behind to blast lowly Penn 8 to 4 in an EIBL game Saturday at Splinter Stadium.

Trailing 3 to 2 against high-kicking Quaker righthander Jeff Neuman, the Crimson staged a four-run rally in the bottom of the fourth that blasted Neuman from the mound.

In that inning, Harvard sent ten men to the plate, blending five hits, including doubles by George Neville and John Scott, with three Penn errors and a base on balls to produce the scores. When the dust cleared, the Quakers had been left for dead.

Scott had relieved Harvard starter Jim McCandlish in the top of the fourth. McCandlish, wild from the start, gave up a run in the first and two more in the third on a home run by Penn's John Murray.

Harvard stayed in the game, but just barely, as Joe O'Donnell led off the second with a long fly to right. Penn's Dave Felser skittered around desperately under the ball while the Harvard bench cawed "Sun! Sun!" When Felser obligingly let the fly drop behind him, O'Donnell plowed into third and scored moments later on Dan Hootstein's single. The Crimson scored another run in the third without a hit to set up the decisive rally.

Hootstein Homers

Hootstein sewed up the game in the eighth when he ripped a awesome home run far over the left fielder's head to score Tom Bilodean ahead of him. Hootstein crossed the plate standing up, grinning expansively. It was his first varsity homer.

Scott was credited with the win, his third against four defeats. He and McCandlish have accounted for all five of Harvard's victories this season. The Crimson has lost eight times, and now owns a 2-2 record in the EIBL.

Hootstein, O'Donnell, and Neville each had a pair of hits to pace the Crimson attack, while Murray went four for five and drove in all but one of Penn's runs.