Pan Am Eliminates Harvard, 1-0

Pan American University, the second ranked team in the nation behind Southern California, backed a four-hit performance by Junior Andre Rabouin with a lone run in the sixth inning yesterday to eliminate the Harvard baseball team from the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

Sophomore Crimson pitcher Roswell Brayton matched Rabouin's effort and had a no-hitter going until the sixth, but Harvard could not produce the tying run despite ample opportunities in the bottom of the sixth and the ninth.

In the tightest pitching duel of the Series, Brayton had shut out the Broncos when Bo McNurlen-and old schoolmate of the Crimson's J. C. Nickens-doubled to lead off the sixth for Pan American.

Shortstop Jesse Banda followed with another double to score McNurlen, then Brayton pitched himself out of the jam.

In the bottom of the inning. David Ignacio walked to lead off and co-captain Dan DeMichele singled to advance him to second. The threat died, however, when Pete Varney and Pete Bernhard struck out and sophomore Hal Smith grounded out.

Smith more than redeemed himself in the eighth. With Banda on second and two out, Wayne Tyrone singled and Banda streaked for home. But Smith charged the ball in left field, fired hard to the plate in time to nab Banda, and kept the Crimson within striking distance.

The Crimson almost conjured up the tying run in the bottom of the ninth with two men out. Kevin Hampe walked on a 3 and 2 pitch as a pinch-hitter, then stole second. Tim Bilodeau followed with a high bounder over the pitcher's mound and miraculously beat the throw to first by diving at the bag from five feet away to put runners on first and third.

He Missed

Harvard's bid for its first World Series title died altogether, though, when Bill Kelly, pinch-hitting in an attempt to throw the game into extra innings, watched two strikes and then swung at a hard fastball from Rabouin. Needless to say, he missed.

The Crimson left nine men on base against the Broncos, while neither team committed an error. But as in Sunday night's 9-8 loss to Tulsa, the strong point for Harvard was its refusal to give up.

"We could play with any team in this tournament," Crimson coach Loyal Park said last night, "We just got a few bad breaks and missed some scoring chances. Maybe our pitching wasn't as deep as we would have liked, but we did all right anyway."

Pan American, now 44-8 on the season, is acknowledged as the best-pitching team in the World Series. Tulsa, Sunday night's 9-8 victor over the Crimson, is reputed to be the best hitting team along with USC.

Tulsa and Southern Illinois, the two surprise unbeaten teams in the Series met last night to decide who would have to play the winner of the Pan American-USC game scheduled for today.

Meanwhile, Harvard returned to Cambridge for a graduation most of the seniors on the team hoped they would have to miss.