Crimson Nine Overrules Judges, 8-2

When you think about it, there were lots of memorable things about the Harvard baseball team's 8-2 win over Brandeis yesterday at Soldiers Field.

Going from most to least important--or maybe vice versa--you could list them like this:

1) It wrapped up yet another Greater Boston League championship for the Crimson, which finishes the GBL season with a 7-1 record. Going into the season's final weekend. Harvard has a 16-12 mark overall. Yale has already wrapped up the Eastern League title.

2) Harvard hurler Bill Larson kept the judges on ice the entire game, scattering six hits and allowing just two runs. With two runs in the first and three more in the second, the Crimson never trailed. Larson struck out nine Judges for a fine afternoon's work.

3) For the first five innings, it was genuine tanning weather in the stands at Soldiers Field, with the sun shining and the temperature climbing throughout the afternoon. Quite a change, say the regular spectators, from the rain and gloom which usually plagues Harvard baseball. (Seriously, Mr. Reardon, if you can give the basketball, hockey and track teams new homes, the least the Athletic Department could do is dome over the baseball field.)

4) The Crimson turned a pair of nifty double plays, including a stellar Donny Allard to Vinnie Martelli job in the sixth.

Brandeis' Dwayne Follette lofted a looping liner to right which looked like it would drop in for a hit, sending Mike Fiala all the way to third. But Allard--the Crimson' rightfielder--lunged for and came up with the ball, and then threw to first baseman Vinnie Martelli for the double play.

6) In the first two innings of the contest, during which time the Crimson eased out to a 5-1 advantage, the Crimson failed to come up with a single earned run. In the first, for example, Harvard tallied twice on a combination of a single, a hit batsman, a walk, and two Brandeis errors.

7) In that same frame, the Crimson racked up a run with a nicely executed delayed steal.

With two down, Allard--who had reached first on a walk--broke for second. Brandeis hurler William Carpenter faked toward the plate--hoping to check Paul Scheper, who was on third--and then fired to second. Scheper then took off toward home, scoring the Crimson's second run before the Brandeis second baseman could put the tag on Allard.

8) Brandeis third baseman Stephen Reid had the ignominious honor of committing four errors in a single game. He threw long, threw in the dirt, and bobbled the ball, not managing to get the ball off at all. It must be finals time at Brandeis. Reid is a freshman.

9) Brandeis pitchers combined to hit four Harvard batters. Scheper got stung twice, thrusting him up toward the team leadership in that department.

10) The lower half of the Crimson batting order provided most of the power in the Harvard lineup. Paul Chicarello, Chuck Marshall, Danny Skaff, and Joe Wark all poked two hits apiece, accounting for eight of the ten Harvard hits. Harvard 8 Brandels 2 at Soldiers Field   IP  R  ER  H  K  W William Carpenter  1  5  3  4  0  3 Lawrence Machado  5  2  1  4  1  1 Peter Seraichick  2  1  1  2  2  1 Bill Larson  9  2  2  6  9  4

      R  H  E Brandeis  010  010  000  2  6  5 Harvard  231  010  01x  8  10  1

      R  H  E Brandeis  010  010  000  2  6  5 Harvard  231  010  01x  8  10  1