Crusaders Nip Crimson, 6-5, On Walks, Ninth Inning Error

WORCESTER, Mass.--You had to figure it would end some bizarre way. A game that saw a total of 21 walks by two pitching staffs, a hitting record for Holy Cross shortstop Ronnie Perry, snow flurries in the sixth inning, and more sacrifice attempts than a prehistoric religious sect couldn't end in a routing fashion.

And so with the score knotted at five (only one of the Crusader runs was earned) and the bases full of walked Crusaders in the bottom of the ninth, Crimson reliever Bill Larson appeared to have escaped the inning with a two-out grounder toward shortstop Brad Bauer. But Bauer couldn't come up with the ball, allowing the winning run to cross the plate in Holy Cross' 6-5 victory over the Crimson here yesterday.

In fact, for the first seven innings, this was a well-played ballgame as Harvard scratched for runs impressively (only one of the team's six hits came in an inning when it did not score) and sophomore lefty Jim Curtin wriggled his way out of trouble caused by six hits and seven walks.

The Crimson broke on top in the second without the benefit of a base hit. Mark Bingham opened the frame with a walk and was sacrificed to second by Ed (Piniella) Farrell. After a walk to Bobby Kelley, the only "hit" of the inning ensued. Billy Blood rapped a bouncer to first baseman Phil Johnson who stepped on first and relayed toward second for the tag. But the throw ricocheted off the helmet of the sliding Kelley, and rolled toward the third base line, where Perry picked it up too late to nail Bingham crossing the plate.

Holy Cross evened the score in the next stanza on two singles and a sacrifice fly. Only a bounceless strike to the plate from Crimson center fielder Charlie Santos-Buch for the third out kept the Crusaders from pulling ahead after two more hits.

The contest see sawed to a 2-2 score and then a 3-2 Harvard lead in the seventh. With Holy Cross' Ken LeBlanc giving out more free passes than the producers of Candlepins for Cash, the Crimson seemed headed for victory.

Indeed, the game looked clinched when Harvard scored two more in the top of the eighth. With one out, Bingham walked and went around to third on a single by Farrell (3 for 3 on the day with a stolen base). After another base on balls, Blood delivered a clutch rope to right to put the Crimson on top, 5-2.

The Crusaders caught the Crimson in the eighth as Perry smashed a bases-loaded single for two RBIs and an error plated another. Perry's hit gave him 161 for his career, breaking the old record for career hits by a New England college player. at Worcester HARVARD (5)  AB  R  H  BI Bauer, ss  3  0  0  0 Pearce, 3b  4  0  0  0 Santos-Buch, cf  4  1  0  0 Bingham, 1b  3  3  1  0 Farrell, dh  3  1  3  1 Kelley, 2b  2  0  0  1 Blood, rf  4  0  1  2 Bowles, If  4  0  1  1 Wark, c  3  0  0  0 TOTALS  30  5  6  4 HOLY CROSS (6) Daignault, cf  5  2  2  0 Irzyk, 2b  4  0  0  1 Perry, ss  5  0  3  2 Soloman, 3b  3  0  1  0 Stenhouse, c  3  1  0  1 Vest, If  3  0  1  0 Johnson, 1b  2  1  0  0 Rockwell, cf  3  1  0  0 LeBlanc, p  2  0  0  0 Scannell, dh  2  1  1  0 TOTALS  32  6  8  4

HARVARD  0  1  0  1  0  1  0  2  0--5 HOLY CROSS  0  0  1  0  1  0  0  3  1-6

F--Blood, Bauer (2), Wark; DP--Harvard 1, Holy Cross 2; LOB--Harvard 7, Holy Cross 13; SB--Farrell, Santos-Buch; S--Farrell; SF--Irzyk, Kelley, Stenhouse   IP  H  R  ER  B  B  SO Curtin    7  6  2  1  7  3 Larson  1  2/3  2  4  0  4  2 LeBlanc    8  6  5  5  9  2 Faherty    1  0  0  0  1  0

HARVARD  0  1  0  1  0  1  0  2  0--5 HOLY CROSS  0  0  1  0  1  0  0  3  1-6

F--Blood, Bauer (2), Wark; DP--Harvard 1, Holy Cross 2; LOB--Harvard 7, Holy Cross 13; SB--Farrell, Santos-Buch; S--Farrell; SF--Irzyk, Kelley, Stenhouse   IP  H  R  ER  B  B  SO Curtin    7  6  2  1  7  3 Larson  1  2/3  2  4  0  4  2 LeBlanc    8  6  5  5  9  2 Faherty    1  0  0  0  1  0

F--Blood, Bauer (2), Wark; DP--Harvard 1, Holy Cross 2; LOB--Harvard 7, Holy Cross 13; SB--Farrell, Santos-Buch; S--Farrell; SF--Irzyk, Kelley, Stenhouse   IP  H  R  ER  B  B  SO Curtin    7  6  2  1  7  3 Larson  1  2/3  2  4  0  4  2 LeBlanc    8  6  5  5  9  2 Faherty    1  0  0  0  1  0