EIBL Title Hopes Lost at Sea

The Harvard baseball team swept Army and split with Columbia in Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League doubleheaders this weekend, raising its league record to 7-5 (13-8 overall).

But Navy's sweep of Penn gave the 15-3 Midshipmen--who have now completed their league schedule--outright ownership of the title, erasing the Crimson's hope of a comeback bid.

Last year, the batswomen closed the season with a 10-game EIBL winning streak to force a post-season playoff with Princeton.

Although Navy's supremacy nixed any similar comeback plans this season, Crimson Coach Alex Nahigian did salvage one bonus from this weekend: he won his 400th collegiate contest Saturday.

Harvard 2, Army 1

In the opener at West Point, N.Y., Crimson starter Chris Marchok continued to master EIBL hitters, allowing only four hits and three walks while hurling his third consecutive complete game. His victims--Brown, Navy, and Army--have scored just five runs and suffered 20 strikeouts under the Wrath of Marchok.

The junior pitcher raised his record to 2-1 and lowered his ERA to a phenomenal 1.66.

Marchok, however, spotted the opposition to an early 1-0 lead. In the first inning, Cadet Mike Iacobucci walked, advanced to third on a double, and scored on a single by Dan Kirk.

But Harvard retaliated with two runs in the third inning.

Dave Jamieson put the Crimson on the board with a home run to right field off Army starting pitcher Rich Krafft (now 4-2). Crimson centerfielder Paul Vallone scored the winning run on a sacrifice fly from designated hitter Jim DePalo--the clean-up hitter's 14th RBI of the season.

Those two runs were all Harvard needed, as Marchok gave up only two additional hits and struck out six Cadets on the day.

Harvard 4, Army 3

Nahigian had to be happy about the nightcap--if not for his 400th victory, then for Mike Presz's strong pitching.

Presz, who extended his record to 3-0 in 1986 (11-0 in his three years at Harvard), struck out seven Cadets and allowed but one walk in his first complete game of the season.

The Crimson provided the junior hurler with a 4-0 lead when it struck for runs in the second and third innings.

DePalo, after being hit by a pitch from Army starter Parker King, swiped two bases--the fourth time this season that he has stolen both second and third in the same journey on the basepaths. He came in to score on a Chris McAndrews single.

In the third inning, Crimson Captain and second baseman Bob Kay tripled to right field, scoring Jamieson and Vallone. Pakalnis followed by driving in Kay with a single.

Already down 4-0, the Cadets closed the gap in the bottom of the inning. Kirk, who accounted for Army's lone RBI in the opening contest, doubled in Eric Howard and Mike Spurr. With two outs, Kirk scored on a single by Karl Tappert.

Harvard 4, Columbia 2

The Lions roughed up Harvard pitcher Kevin Curtin (now 2-2) for three singles and two runs in the first inning, forcing Nahigian to remove his starter in favor of reliever Greg Ubert.

Ubert, who threw twice in short relief against Penn last weekend, pitched the rest of the way yesterday. In his 6-1/3 innings, he yielded only three hits and one walk while lowering his team-leading ERA to 0.86.

As Ubert silenced the Lions' hitting, his teammates rallied in the third inning to capture the lead.

After Jamieson scored on an error by Columbia's first baseman, Pakalnis doubled to deep left field--driving in Vallone from second base. Pakalnis eventually tallied the winning run on a wild pitch by Tom Keffury.

Columbia lost an opportunity to tie the game when Lance Bonneau, trying to come home on a single to centerfield, was cut down by Paul Vallone's throw to catcher Frank Morelli.

Columbia 1, Harvard 0 (8 inn.)

In another great pitching duel--one of several for Harvard this year--Crimson hurler Doug Sutton battled Lion starter Pete Murphy for eight innings before Columbia scored with two outs in the bottom of the eighth.

Murphy (3-3), who mowed down the Crimson line-up with an effective fastball, compiled 11 strikeouts in the nightcap and surrendered only two hits, to Kay and Jamieson. Sutton, meanwhile, yielded four hits.

The Crimson's biggest threat came in the top of the seventh, when Kay singled, Vallone sacrificed him to second, and DePalo received an intentional walk. But Murphy extinguished Harvard's hopes by striking out McAndrews and Morelli.

The game was on the brink of the ninth inning, as Sutton recorded two outs in the bottom of the eighth. But after Art Angulo walked and Kay dropped a pop-up under glaring sunlight, Joe Yastremski--facing ar 0-2 count--stroked a game-winning RBI single up the middle.