Crimson Nine Trounce Bulldogs, 14-4

"The story of this game was written in the first inning," senior righthander Tim Clifford said after pitching Harvard to a 14-4, make-up game victory over Yale Sunday afternoon at Soldiers Field.

And indeed it was, as Clifford got all the help he needed in the game when Harvard batted around in the first inning, cracking out seven hits, good for nine runs, and sending Eli starter Mark Michalowski to the showers after completing only two-thirds of an inning.

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An easy victory was just what the doctor ordered for Harvard after both games of Saturday's doubleheader against Brown came down to the wire. "I guess the first inning really loosened everybody up," rightfielder Mike Stenhouse said after the game. "You knew it was a blow out when the Yale coach told the ump to keep the game under control 'even though my team can't.'"

In that first inning, freshman Paul Scheper led the attack with two hits from his leadoff spot. Singles by Bobby Kelley, Charlie Santos-Buch and Burke St. John, along with bases-loaded doubles by Mike Stenhouse and Mark Bingham effectively put the game out of reach.

With Stenhouse and Bingham leading the hit parade once again, the Crimson added runs in the second and third innings, upping the lead to 11-0. Harvard took advantage of an Eli error and the wild pitching of Bulldog reliever Arnie Pinkston to humiliate the visitors even further.

Only when Harvard coach Alex Nahigian began substituting liberally in the fifth inning was Yale able to stem the Harvard tide. An Eli with the improbable name of Ronnie "not so" Darling was the only Yale pitcher not tagged for a run during the afternoon, as he held Harvard scoreless for four innings before being relieved in the eighth.

For Harvard, Clifford was impressive on the mound, allowing only three hits in the first six innings and only six in the game. The big right-hander gave up only one earned run in the contest, as fielding errors in the sixth and ninth innings allowed Yale to spoil Clifford's shutout bid and give the hapless Elis something to show for their futile trip to Cambridge.

Overdue

"It's about time I started pitching," Clifford said following the game. "It's just too bad it took all season to get here." The win gives him a 3-3 record for the season.

The win gives Harvard a 16-12 overall record and a 5-4 record in the crucial Eastern League standings. "We're not mathematically out of it yet." Stenhouse said yesterday, surveying his team's chances for a playoff berth. "It's going to be tough, but if we win the rest of our games and with a little help from the other teams in the league we may still get an invitation."