Crimson Nine Takes EIBL, GBL Championships

A tired Harvard baseball squad, playing its fifth game in four days and coming off an emotional twin killing of Penn in Philly, had enough left Friday to take its fourth straight Greater Boston League title.

The Crimson overruled the Judges of Brandeis in a 7-2 decision on Soldiers Field to become the first team in the history of the league to possess the mythical Bike Cup (awarded for excellence among Beantown's collegiate baseballers) four seasons in a row. The win gave Harvard a 6-1-0 GBL slate, while Brandeis finished with two losses in the circuit. The rest of the competition was hopelessly out of it a week ago.

The backyard champions quashed the judges with a sixth inning uprising that broke a 1-1 deadlock and produced six Harvard runs. Dan Williams started the proceedings with a single and advanced to second on a controversial ruling by the field umpire, who called the Crimson catcher safe on a fielder's choice grounder by Ed Durso.

Chief Justice Tom O'Connell came from the Brandeis bench to object, but was overruled and Williams later moved to third after a walk to Ric LaCivita loaded up the bases.

Hot-hitting Leigh Hogan, who now owns the Harvard record for most hits in a season, breaking the mark set by Tony Lupien in 1937 when he lashed out 45, smashed his 49th to drive Williams home. Hogan has been pacing the Harvard hitting attack, going 49 for 132 for a .371 average.

Designated hitter Joe Mackey worked Brandeis starter Mike Fahey for a no-out, bases-loaded walk to bring Durso across the plate with the decisive run. Dave St. Pierre then lobbed one high into the gale wind behind second base that dropped in to score another. The play brought about more objections from the Brandeis bench, which felt the umpire should have invoked the infield fly rule on the play. As usual, however, the objections were to no avail.

Third baseman Jim Thomas was the last batter Fahey threw at, as O'Connell sent the Brandeis ace to the showers after Thomas's single brought in another two markers. On came Steve Riley to try to salvage the case, with the Crimson still sporting a pair of runners and no outs.

Riley pitched well, getting the first batter he faced to pop up and the second to ground to third. Only the Brandeis third baseman John Bianchi was unable to make the play on Leon Goetz's grounder and the resulting error made it 7-1.

Harvard's Jim Harrell pitched well for seven full innings, allowing a mere three hits and one run while striking out six. But after giving up three straight singles and a run in the eighth, coach Loyal Park called Norm Walsh in from the bullpen to pick up the save.

Walsh, who was a little shaky in the final inning of the Penn contest, was back to form Friday as he retired the next three batters and after allowing a leadoff walk in the ninth, took care of the last three Judges to preserve the decision for Harrell, who has lost only one game while winning five.

The diamondmen, who had been over the coals in Philadelphia the day before and kept alive their Eastern League hopes with a pair of wins, managed to supress their jubilation at winning the Bike Cup once again, saving all their energy and the celebration for yesterday's playoff victory.