Crimson Batsmen Get Sloppy Conviction

At times in yesterday's Harvard-Brandeis baseball game, it seemed like neither team wanted the victory.

The visiting Judges grounded into two double plays, managed only four hits on the afternoon, and had a runner thrown out at the plate in the fifth inning and the potential tying run caught stealing in the seventh.

The situation got so bad that left fielder Steve Pacheco battled to a full count in the seventh, fouled off a couple of pitches, but then remained standing at the plate long after ball four breezed by. It took Pacheco 15 seconds of staring at Crimson hurler Greg Ubert to realize that he had earned a free pass and could leave the batters' box.

And for a while, Harvard wasn't doing much better. The Crimson committed four errors, allowed the Judges to score a run in the third inning without the benefit of a hit, and three times had runners picked off first base.

But in the end, Harvard right fielder-turned-center fielder-turned-right-fielder Chris McAndrews made two big catches in the top of the ninth inning, including one diving, over-the-wall snag of a Mike Lubowitz blast, and the batsmen eeked out a 4-3 victory in front of 39 chilly fans at Soldiers Field.

The Crimson's win, its ninth consecutive triumph over the Judges this decade, improved Harvard's record to 8-4 overall and 4-2 in the Greater Boston League. League-leading Brandeis fell to 5-1 in the GBL and 13-9 overall.

While the batsmen didn't exactly make a bee-line for victory yesterday, they certainly didn't win in spite of themselves. Pitchers Doug Sutton and Ubert did a nice job limiting the visitors to four hits, and the Crimson made the most of several situations, scoring two runs in the first on just one hit.

McAndrews took Brandeis starter Ross Nadeau's first pitch on the left leg to earn first base, and Captain Bob Kay followed with a walk to give the Crimson a pair of baserunners.

Catcher Frank Morelli followed with a line single to left to knock in McAndrews, and a Jim DePalo grounder to short allowed Kay to scoot home with the game's second run.

Harvard added another run in the third inning when Kay banged a double to the left-center fence, stole third, and trotted home as Judge catcher David Gray's throw sailed high over the third baseman's head.

Meanwhile, Sutton was breezing along, holding Brandeis hitless through four and one-third innings. The Judges did notch an unspectacular tally in the third, when they took advantage of two Crimson errors and a double-play.

The Judges' fifth inning rally proved only a little more solid. A walk and a single placed runners on first and second, and a Sutton balk placed runners on second and third.

Mike Wiseman followed with a grounder up the middle that bounced off of Kay's glove for an RBI single. But a foul out and a baserunning blunder ended the Brandeis rally.

Ubert came in to start the seventh with a 4-2 lead and proceded to keep the crowd interested in the game, giving up a run in the seventh on a walk, a sacrifice and a single. He retired the side in order in the eighth, but gave up two long fly balls and a single in the ninth before shortstop Jim Pakalnis leaped for a line drive, caught it, dropped it, and then threw to first to nip pinch hitter Bob Rikeman for the final out.

That play was a good metaphor for the game: Harvard wasn't always pretty, but--in the end--it won. Crimson 4, Judges 3 at Soldiers Field

BRANDEIS

ab  r  h  bi Boutin 2b  4  0  2  1 Wiseman cf  4  0  1  1 Powers ss  2  0  0  0 Mitchell 1b  2  0  0  0 Drogin rf  4  0  0  0 Gray c  4  0  0  0 Lubwitz dh  4  0  0  0 Pacheco lf  3  2  1  0 Czisniak 3b  0  1  0  0 Rkeman ph  1  0  0  0 Total  28  3  4  2

HARVARD ab  r  h  bi McAws rf-cf  3  1  1  0 Kay 2b  3  2  1  0 Morelli c  2  0  1  1 DePalo dh  4  0  2  1 Pakalnis ss  4  0  1  0 Caprio lf  3  1  0  0 Curtin 1b  2  0  0  0 Rennger 1b  0  0  0  0 Jmeson 3b  4  0  1  1 Vallone cf  1  0  0  0 Boulris rf  2  0  0  0 Sullivan cf  0  0  0  0 Total  28  4  7  4 Brandeis  001  010  100--3 Harvard  201  001  00X--4

Game-Winning RBI--Morelli. LOB--Brandeis 6, Harvard 8. DP--Harvard 2. E--Gray, Kay, Pakalnis, Sutton 2. 2B--Kay. SB--Kay, Powers. CS--Boutin, Morelli 2, Pakalnis. S--Czelusniak 2. IP  H  R  ER  BB  SO

Brandeis Nadeau L, 3-3  5.1  6  4  4  6  2 Simensky  2.2  1  0  0  1  1

Harvard Sutton W, 3-1  6  2  2  1  5  2 Ubert S,1  3  2  1  1  1  1

HBP--McAndrews by Nadeau.

Balk--Sutton.

T--2:54. A--39.