Crimson Dismantles Error-Prone Engineers, 5-3

George Noll's anguish began in the seventh inning.

With the score of yesterday's Harvard-MIT baseball game tied, 1-1, two men out and nobody on base. MIT's Noll blew a slider past Crimson second baseman Gaylord Lyman to retire the side.

Only it didn't retire the side. The pitch sailed halfway to the backstop, and Lyman beat catcher Tom Wolfe's errant throw to first.

The anguish grew when Bruce Weller lofted a lazy fly to left that MIT gardener Ron Bujarski hatcheted into a two-base error and when Engineer first baseman Carl Nowiszewski dropped Bujarski's relay, allowing Weller to get to third, and Lyman to score. And when shortstop Chuck Souter deposited Brad Bauer's tapper somewhere beind first base coach Danny Skaff to bring home Weller. Noll began feeling downright sorry for himself. So sorry that after Bauer stole second, he threw a wild pitch.

Two more runs without the help of a hit the following inning sealed things, and Crimson reliever Mike Smerczynski held on to whip the surprisingly tough Engineers, 5-3, at MIT.

And so George Noll, the author of a splendid four-hitter, allowing just one earned run in nine innings and not permitting a safety for 25 straight batters at one point, left the field a 5-3 loser. That has to hurt.

"Yeah, it gets you down," the senior hurler said after the game. "We have to play as good as we can just to stay in the game with these guys, and the problem is when you make one error you start pressing, and pretty soon you make another."

And another. In fact, the Crimson scored its final four runs during that hitless stretch, thanks to a handful of Engineer mess-ups. And although Noll did walk six in his complete-game outing, only two of those scored. None of the four hits became runs.

Instead, plays like Paul Chicarello's eighth-inning grounder to first sent the runners around. With Martelli (who had walked and stolen second) on base. Chicarello slapped a three-hopper to Nowiszewski that moved Martelli to third. It also moved him back onto the visitor's bench (no dugouts at MIT), because Nowiszewski spied a friend standing across the street and gave him a wave of the hand while he was making the putout. At least, it looked that way--the ball careened away: Chicarello scampered to third.

Chico came around with Harvard's final tally a moment later when Souter rocketed Chuck Marshall's grounder past third base. Noll could only shake his head.

That the Engineers were still close by the eighth is a tribute to Noll's hurling and (believe it or not) improved fielding--last year's 12-3 loss at MIT featured nine Engineer errors.

The home squad touched Crimson starter and winner Billy Doyle for a run in the second, putting together a walk, single, stolen base and an error to even the score, 1-1.

Doyle turned in seven strong if erratic innings, scattering four singles, fanning ten, and awarding seven walks. In trouble all day long (mostly because he walked the leadoff batter in five of his seven frames). Doyle mixed his curveball and fastball to whiff his way out of his jams.

When Doyle faltered in the seventh. Smerczynski came on to fan Nowiszewski with the bases loaded to retire the side, and gave up an eighth-inning triple to Souter and nothing else the rest of the way.

Smerczynski--who entered the game with a hefty 7.84 ERA--picked up his second save, and Doyle improved his record to 2-1.

The Crimson, now 5-6 overall and 1-0 in the Greater Boston League, travels to Boston College this afternoon for another GBI, contest, Friday. Harvard hosts Tufts in its home opener.

THE NOTEBOOK: Rob Alevizos, last year's star hurler who moved on to a short but distinguished career in the Chicago Cubs organization last summer, was on hand to watch his old mates. "I miss it like anything." Alevizos said of throwing his legendary sailing fastball, "but I'm learning the real-estate business now." Despite a 4-1 record with the Cubs' Geneva outlet in the single-A New york-Pennsylvania League and the promise of a raise. 'Zos decided to hand up the cleats because he "saw the extent" of his abilities. Good luck and see you around, Rob. Harvard 5, MIT 3 at MIT HARVARD (5)  AB  H  R  BI Weller, cf  5  1  1  0 Scheper, dh  5  0  0  0 Bauer, ss  5  0  1  0 Martelli, rf  3  1  1  0 Skaff, rf  1  0  0  0 Allard, If  5  0  0  0 Cirello, 3b  2  2  0  0 Marshall, lb  3  0  0  0 Wark, c  4  0  1  1 Lyman, 2b  2  1  0  0   35  5  4  1 MIT (3)  AB  H  R  BI Bujarski, If  0  0  0  0 Preston, If  1  0  0  0 Noll, p  4  0  0  1 N'zewski, lb  4  0  0  0 Souter, ss  2  1  1  0 Williams, rf  4  0  0  0 Lubiak, 3b  3  2  2  0 Rothman, 3b  0  0  0  0 Wilcox, c  1  0  0  0 Wolfe, c  3  0  1  0 Warren, cf  2  0  0  0 Hoffman, If  2  0  0  0   31  3  6  1

H  010000220--5 M  010000110--3

Doyle (W)  6.2  2  0  4  7  10 S'zynski (S)  2.1  1  0  1  0  4 Noll (L)  9  5  1  4  6  4

E--Chicarello, Marshall, Bujarski, Nowiszewski 2, Souter 2. Lubiak, Wolfe, WP--Noll, 2B--Martelli, 3B--Souter, A-45

H  010000220--5 M  010000110--3

Doyle (W)  6.2  2  0  4  7  10 S'zynski (S)  2.1  1  0  1  0  4 Noll (L)  9  5  1  4  6  4

E--Chicarello, Marshall, Bujarski, Nowiszewski 2, Souter 2. Lubiak, Wolfe, WP--Noll, 2B--Martelli, 3B--Souter, A-45

Doyle (W)  6.2  2  0  4  7  10 S'zynski (S)  2.1  1  0  1  0  4 Noll (L)  9  5  1  4  6  4

E--Chicarello, Marshall, Bujarski, Nowiszewski 2, Souter 2. Lubiak, Wolfe, WP--Noll, 2B--Martelli, 3B--Souter, A-45

E--Chicarello, Marshall, Bujarski, Nowiszewski 2, Souter 2. Lubiak, Wolfe, WP--Noll, 2B--Martelli, 3B--Souter, A-45