Smith Comeback Capsizes Batswomen, 7-6

NORTHAMPTON, Mass.--Yogs Berra hasn't been doing too well lately.

His Yankers have just dropped three straight to the Red Son and with a boss like George Steinbrenner, the pink slip is probably in the mail.

But Yogi did earn a victory of sorts yesterday as the Smith softball team demonstrated that his famous profoundly, "It's never over "till it's over," is still the finest and most accurate commentary ever made on the game.

Yesterday, Smith staged a two-part, come-from-behind attack to defeat Harvard, 7-6.

The flavor of the ballgame changed dramatically over the course of the seven innings. What began as a pitchers' duel evolved into a Harvard romp, and then into a dramatic Smith comeback.

The Great Yogi

With that kind of fluctuation, it would have taken even a better seer than Berra to predict who would and up on top, let alone the manner in which the game would be decided.

Who would have laid money on Smith's senior Co-Captain Bethany Bridgham coming to the plate in the bottom of the seventh, and whacking a Gerri Rubin pitch into deep-centerfield for a two-run, game-winning double?

The game was like one of those "Choose Your Own Adventurer" books, the kind where you select between several possibilities, turn to the indicated page, and have your specific fate determined for you.

For Smith at least, the result was a storybook ending to an up-and-down suspense thriller.

Harvard, meanwhile, must have been wishing it could turn back to page 28--or inning six--and make another choice.

Bad Craziness

"That was another weird game, "Crimson Coach John Wentzell said. "We were coasting--Gerri had only thrown 45 pitches through five.

After starting fast, the bastswomen have now dropped two consecutive contests, and their record has dropped to 5-2.