Batsmen Can UMass

The Harvard baseball team improved its record to 18-10 overall by routing the University of Massachusetts, 7-3 Wednesday. The victory marked the third straight time the Crimson has defeated the Minutemen--and the 11th time in the 14-game history of the series.

Only 25 fans braved the chilling temperatures and overcast skies at Soldiers Field. But those who lasted saw the Crimson receive solid pitching performances from six different hurlers, who limited the visitors to only seven hits and three runs over nine innings.

Good pitching may always beat good hitting, as the expression goes--but Harvard's bats played a large role in the victory as well. The Crimson rapped out 13 hits, four of which were doubles.

Hitting stars for the day were Frank Caprio (3-for-3 with a walk), Mike Pakalnis (3-for-4 with a pair of doubles) and Paul Vallone (2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored).

"We played well, and our hitting's finally starting to come around," Harvard Captain Bobby Kay said. "I just hope it carries over into [next weekend's Dartmouth double-header]."

The bulk of the Crimson's runs came in two nearly identical innings, the third and sixth.

With one out in both frames, Harvard batsmen connected for back-to-back doubles. Three runs scored in each inning, before the Minutemen pitchers could close the door against further damage.

Pakalnis, who recorded RBI doubles in both rallies, attributed his success to the fact that he "felt comfortable" at the plate. "Yesterday in batting practice I started swinging through the ball," he said. "It paid off, and I hit the ball really well today."

After the Crimson fell behind in the first inning, 1-0, starter Jim Chenevey left the game with a sore shoulder. Ed Toland came on in relief and proceeded to allow just two hits over three shutout innings.

But with Saturday's doubleheader imminent, Nahigian substituted freely with his staff so as not to tire any one hurler.

Doug Sutton surrendered two runs in two innings, but Greg Ubert, Chris Marchok, and Frank Morelli finished the game without yielding a single Minuteman tally, allowing only two hits along the way.

Although Saturday's contests against the Dartmouth will not affect the EIBI standings (both teams are out of the pennant chase), the Crimson is in for a treat.

Taking the mound for the Green against Harvard ace Chris Marchok will be sophomore Mike Remlinger, who leads the nation in earned run average at 1.19. Remlinger, who owns a 6-5 mark, has struck out 97 batters in 67 innings of work.

Facing Remlinger "is just going to be a challenge," Toland said.

And as several players pointed out, the Harvard contest is Dartmouth version of The Game.

"We've been on top for so long, that most of the teams are out to get us." Toland explained.

But the Crimson should be up for the challenge: "We have a bunch of winners on our team," Toland said. "It's just the character of this team. We like to go out there and win as much as we can."

"We need to cut down on our errors," Kay said, "but as long as we play well, we'll be in good shape."

THE NOTEBOOK: Dartmouth enters the weekend with a 20-16 overall record. The Big Green had not won 20 contests since the 1975 season...Harvard has triumphed in the last eight meetings of the two squads.