Batsmen Ground Jumbos, 4-0 As Two Combine for Shutout

In a tune-up for Friday's big encounter against Eastern League power Pennsylvania, Larry Brown fired hitless ball at the Tufts Jumbos for five innings en route to a 4-0 Crimson victory in Medford yesterday. Brown was picked up by Jim Keyte, who worked the last four shutout frames, and was helped by Jim Peccerillo's two hits and two RBI's.

"I didn't throw the curve today," Brown said afterwards. He mixed an over-powering fastball with a slider, a pitch he hasn't used much in the past. A straight change-up also helped keep the Jumbos off balance and brought him some early outs.

"(Coach Alex) Nahigian is a big believer in the slider," Brown noted, a factor that has also changed the pitching of Junior Rob Alevizos with a great deal of early-season success.

The Captain expressed no dismay at having been removed with a no-hitter going. This was the plan before the game since he has not worked since last Wednesday's contest at Boston College and has to be sharp for the Quakers' heavy hitters. "I'm really looking forward to that game," he said with a smile.

Tufts was held without a hit until there were two outs in the eighth. The Jumbos' only threat against Brown came in the fourth when two walks put men on first and second with no outs. But Brownie bore down and struck out two of the next three hitters to retire the side.

The Crimson waited until the fourth to crack the scoreboard against the varied offerings of righthander Denny Works. Mike Stenhouse led off the inning with a drive to deep center that on any normal baseball day would have cleared the snow fence in center but was only a long out. "I thought that one was out for sure," Nahigian said. "The air was just dead out there and nothing carries."

Mark Bingham followed with a soft double into the left center field gap. After a ground out, Peccerillo lofted a fly to deep right. The Jumbo right fielder turned over the wrong shoulder in pursuit down the field's gentle downslope toward the distant lacrosse goals and had it bounce off his glove for a double and a run batted in. Pec then came around on a quail to right by freshman center fielder Dan Skaff.

Works settled down to retire ten Crimson batsmen in a row with sliders, changups, curveballs and fastballs from deliveries that ranged from double-pumping-straight-overhands to no-windup-sidearms.

Rick Pearce broke the string to open the eighth with a solid single to left. Bobby Kelley and Steve Tilles then advanced him to third with a perfect sacrifice and a sliced single to left respectively. Mike Stenhouse brought Pearce home with a fly to short center which Jumbo Dan O'Brien caught and made a strong peg toward the plate with. Yet first baseman and brother Kevin O'Brien mysteriously cut the throw off at the mound and still made a relay that almost nabbed Pearce.

Harvard finished its scoring in the ninth on a double by Chuck Marshall and a single by Peccerillo. Keyte finished off Tufts with a strong two-hit, two-walk four innings, displaying good poise and control. "That's the way Jimmy's been pitching most of the year," Nahigian said later.

"We played a solid game both offensively and defensively," Brown said.

Nahigian was particularly pleased with the balance of the attack as all but Burke St. John had at least one hit. "It was good to see the hitting coming from the bottom of the order. Burke hit the ball particularly well, but had nothing to show for it," Nahigian said.

Yesterday's win gives the Crimson a 2-0 record in Greater Boston League play. at Tufts HARVARD  AB  R  H  BI Kelley, 2b  3  0  1  0 Tilles, dh  4  0  1  0 Stenhouse, rf  3  0  1  1 Bingham, 1b  4  1  1  0 Marshall, c  4  1  1  0 Peccerillo, if  4  1  2  2 Skaff, cf  4  0  1  1 St. John, ss  4  0  0  0 Pearce, 3b  4  1  1  0 Totals  34  4  9  4 TUFTS Sogard, ss  4  0  1  0 Georgen, if  3  0  0  0 O'Brien, 1b  3  0  0  0 Leach, 3b  3  0  0  0 Bard, c  4  0  1  0 Lindquist, 2b  3  0  0  0 Connors, rf  3  0  0  0 O'Brien, cf  3  0  0  0 Brown, dh  3  0  0  0 Totals  29  0  2  0 Harvard  0  0  0  2  0  0  0  1  1  --4 Tufts  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  --0

E--St. John, Works. DP--Harvard, 1. LOB--Harvard 5, Tufts7. 2B--Bingham, Peccerillo, Marshall. S--Kelley. SF--Stenhouse. Harvard  IP  H  R  ER  BB  SO Brown (W,5-0)  5  0  0  0  3  6 Keyte  4  2  0  0  2  2 Tufts Works (L)  9  9  4  4  0  2

PB--Marshall. A--50.

Baseball Statistics Hitting   AB  H  R  RBI  HR  2B  3B  SB  AVG Bingham  57  26  12  13  1  5  1  3  .457 Tilles  10  4  2  0  0  1  0  0  .400 Stenhouse  60  22  17  10  0  6  4  3  .367 Marshall  46  16  8  11  1  6  0  0  .348 Peccerillo  56  15  4  11  0  3  0  0  .268 Kelley  64  15  9  6  1  3  0  2  .234 Pearce  61  10  8  3  0  1  0  4  .164 Wark  33  5  3  1  0  1  0  0  .152 Blood  15  2  2  2  0  0  0  0  .133 Santos-Buch  31  4  1  2  1  0  0  1  .129 Bowles  9  1  2  0  0  0  0  0  .111

Baseball Statistics Pitching   W-L  IP  H  R  ER  BB  SO  ERA Keyte  1-2  27.1  17  10  2  14  20  0.66 Brown  5-0  32  22  9  7  11  25  1.97 Stewart  1-2  16  14  6  5  7  6  2.81 Alevizos  2-0  18.1  16  6  6  9  12  2.96 Clifford  2-2  25.2  26  13  12  14  21  4.21 McOsker  0-1  10.2  15  14  14  15  6  11.82

E--St. John, Works. DP--Harvard, 1. LOB--Harvard 5, Tufts7. 2B--Bingham, Peccerillo, Marshall. S--Kelley. SF--Stenhouse. Harvard  IP  H  R  ER  BB  SO Brown (W,5-0)  5  0  0  0  3  6 Keyte  4  2  0  0  2  2 Tufts Works (L)  9  9  4  4  0  2

PB--Marshall. A--50.

Baseball Statistics Hitting   AB  H  R  RBI  HR  2B  3B  SB  AVG Bingham  57  26  12  13  1  5  1  3  .457 Tilles  10  4  2  0  0  1  0  0  .400 Stenhouse  60  22  17  10  0  6  4  3  .367 Marshall  46  16  8  11  1  6  0  0  .348 Peccerillo  56  15  4  11  0  3  0  0  .268 Kelley  64  15  9  6  1  3  0  2  .234 Pearce  61  10  8  3  0  1  0  4  .164 Wark  33  5  3  1  0  1  0  0  .152 Blood  15  2  2  2  0  0  0  0  .133 Santos-Buch  31  4  1  2  1  0  0  1  .129 Bowles  9  1  2  0  0  0  0  0  .111

Baseball Statistics Pitching   W-L  IP  H  R  ER  BB  SO  ERA Keyte  1-2  27.1  17  10  2  14  20  0.66 Brown  5-0  32  22  9  7  11  25  1.97 Stewart  1-2  16  14  6  5  7  6  2.81 Alevizos  2-0  18.1  16  6  6  9  12  2.96 Clifford  2-2  25.2  26  13  12  14  21  4.21 McOsker  0-1  10.2  15  14  14  15  6  11.82

Baseball Statistics Pitching   W-L  IP  H  R  ER  BB  SO  ERA Keyte  1-2  27.1  17  10  2  14  20  0.66 Brown  5-0  32  22  9  7  11  25  1.97 Stewart  1-2  16  14  6  5  7  6  2.81 Alevizos  2-0  18.1  16  6  6  9  12  2.96 Clifford  2-2  25.2  26  13  12  14  21  4.21 McOsker  0-1  10.2  15  14  14  15  6  11.82