Batsmen Blow Away MIT, 9-0 in GBL Opener

The most exciting thing about watching the Harvard varsity baseball squad stomp MIT yesterday was betting on whether the errant fly balls would smash the wind-shields of cars passing along the first base line.

Undoubtedly the single most thrilling moment in yesterday's 9-0 Crimson victory came when an Engineer dishman sliced the horsehide into the window of the Heinz building over the street behind the backstop. Really. And the window didn't even break.

That window proved sturdier than the Engineer pitching staff, however, which served up 12 hits to a line-up of Crimson batsmen led by first-baseman Mark Bingham, with three hits and six RBIs, and outfielder Mike Stenhouse, with four hits and four runs tallied.

The Harvard offense was not without help from the elements as strong winds induced dancing acts by the MIT out-fielders on several Crimson drives. Yet the biggest story of this game has to be the continued impressiveness of lefthanded Crimson fireballer Jim "Dazey" Keyte, who struggled through a three-hit shutout, giving up eight walks and never retiring the Engineers in order.

Keyte has a history of wildness, but has seemed to improve this year, giving up only four walks in 14 innings of pitching before yesterday. "Conditions were very difficult out there today as far as control was concerned," coach Alex Nahigian said esterday after the game.

The Engineers could not catch up to Keyte's heater when it did cross the plate, as only one of MIT's three safeties was hit hard. The only other shot was a windblown foul home run by massive Carl Nowiszewski.

From the start it was obvious that Engineer starter George Noll was in for a long, cold afternoon. Noll has a curve that's even money to bounce before it gets to the plate and a fastball that could charitably be called slightly sneaky.

Bobby Kelley led off the Harvard first with a sharp single to left. Following a walk to Rick Pearce, the MIT outfield--a group listed on the roster as Kracunas, Holland and Garverick, certainly pseudonyms for Mo, Shemp and Larry (Curly was the DH)--began its problems with aerodynamics.

Mike Stenhouse launched a drive toward Shemp in center, who did his best rendition of the Latin Hustle only to have the ball fall near his right shoulder for a double and a run batted in. Two more runs scored as Bingham lofted a sand wedge to short left (a nice over-the-shoulder catch by shortstop Tim Garverick) for a sacrifice fly and Chuck Marshall ripped a single to left.

In the third, the wind spared left-fielder Mo some disgrace by carrying a drive by Bingham over the snow fence in left-center for a two-run home run, his first of the season. "That's my power," Bingham said later. "I keep my eye on the ball longer on an outside pitch. When it's inside, I have a tendency to yank my head."

Bingham missed a second roundtripper in the three-run eighth when he drove one to the base of the fence in center for a triple. This one scored Pearce, who had singled, and Stenhouse, who hit one that Shemp tried to tango with, only to miss connections with his intended partner.

Nahigian had praise for his defense, which played errorless ball for the second straight game. "We're getting more consistent," he said. "It will be a big plus if they can continue to do this." Nahigian's teams were traditionally near the top in the nation in this category when he coached at Providence, and it appears that his method will be successful at Harvard as well.

THE NOTEBOOK: Yesterday's contest was the opening of the Greater Boston League season for both squads. The season continues today as captain Larry Brown takes the mound at Boston College...Regular center-fielder Charlie Santos-Buch missed yesterday's game with a pulled muscle in his thigh...Bingham raised his average to .467 with yesterday's fireworks and doubled his season's RBI total...Stenhouse hiked his average from .356 to .408...Bobby Kelley has been stinging the ball of late with very little to show for it. MIT  AB  R  H  BI Souter, 2b  2  0  0  0 Niven, rf  1  0  0  0 T. Garverick, ss  3  0  1  0 Steinhagen, 1b  0  0  0  0 Shapiro, 1b  0  0  0  0 Kracunas, lf-c  4  0  0  0 Nowiszewski, dh-p  4  0  0  0 Fordiani, 3b  1  0  0  0 Griffin, rf-2b  2  0  0  0 Holland, cf  3  0  1  0 S. Garverick, rf-lf  3  0  1  0 Wilcox, c  2  0  0  0 Lavoie, ph  1  0  0  0 Noll, p-3b  0  0  0  0 TOTALS:   26  0  3  0 HARVARD  AB  R  H  B Kelley, 2b  5  2  1  0 Pearce, 3b  4  2  1  0 Stenhouse, rf  4  4  4  2 Bingham, 1b  3  1  3  6 Marshall, lf  5  0  2  1 Peccerillo, dh  3  0  0  0 Blood, cf  2  0  0  0 St. John, ss  2  0  0  0 Wark, c  3  0  1  0 TOTALS:   31  9  12  9 MIT  000  000  000  --0 Harvard  302  000  13  --9

DP--MIT 2, Harvard 2. LOB--MIT 8, Harvard 8. 2B--Stenhouse 2, Marshall. 3B--Stenhouse, Bingham HR--Bingham (1). SF--Bingham 2, T. Garverick. PITCHING  IP  H  R  ER  BB  SO MIT--Noll(L)  6  8  5  5  5  4 Nowiczewskl  2  4  4  4  2  3 H--Keyte (W 1-2)  9  3  0  0  8  7 HBP--Wark (by Noll).

DP--MIT 2, Harvard 2. LOB--MIT 8, Harvard 8. 2B--Stenhouse 2, Marshall. 3B--Stenhouse, Bingham HR--Bingham (1). SF--Bingham 2, T. Garverick. PITCHING  IP  H  R  ER  BB  SO MIT--Noll(L)  6  8  5  5  5  4 Nowiczewskl  2  4  4  4  2  3 H--Keyte (W 1-2)  9  3  0  0  8  7 HBP--Wark (by Noll).