Harvard Tops Lions, 3-0

The Harvard baseball team combined the two-hit pitching of junior Roe Brayton and a stingy defense to shutout a strong Columbia squad. 3-0, and run its record to 12-4. Brayton has now hurled 25 consecutive scoreless innings in his three wins.

The Crimson bunched together three hits and a walk in the second inning to score all their runs off Columbia starter and finisher Ray Nawrocki. First baseman Hal Smith led off with a single, the first of his two hits, and then Art Serrano followed with a walk. With two outs. Vince McGugan lined a clutch triple to score two runs, and Kevin Hampe followed with a run-scoring single so complete the scoring.

From the second inning on it was a tight pitching duel, spotlighted by sparkling Fielding for both sides. Coach Royal Park implied that this is the kind of game Harvard will have to play to repeat as Eastern League champions. He said, "This game was a trademark of our ball club this year. We've gotta get the bat on the ball and make the plays defensively."

Second baseman McGugan came up with a fielding gem in the fifth inning that stayed off a potential rally. With a man or first, he chased down a grounder headed into center field and flipped to shortstop Serrano for the force.

Brayton showed a streak of wildness in this fourth that almost cost him, walking, and wild pitching a runner to second. He then bore down to retire the side on three groundouts, stranding the runner on third.

Coach Park said that "Brayton didn't have very good stuff today, and Roz will be the first to admit it, but he was really gritty." Columbia left six men on base, but only one advanced to third.

Six different players hit safely for Harvard, with Hal Smith getting two. They stranded eight men on base, and never mounted a serious threat after the second inning.

Today Harvard faces a tough Princeton team in a twin-bill, starting at one p.m. Mike O'Malley and sandy Weissent, both 2-0, will be the starters. Princeton has won three in a row over Harvard in the last two years, and again is considered one of the major stumbling blocks in the way of and Eastern League crown.