Tufts' Hurlers Shut Down Batsmen, 3-2

Unable to come up with the timely hit, the Harvard baseball team fell to Tufts yesterday, 3-2, in a Greater Boston League (GBL) contest at Soldiers Field.

The Crimson dropped to 4-6 over-all (3-3 in the GBL), while the Jumbos raised their record to 6-5 overall.

In a nail-biting ninth inning, which the Crimson entered with a two-run deficit, Tufts pitcher Ed LaVallee opened by giving up two walks to freshman catcher Aron Allen and Co-Captain Frank Caprio.

Tufts Coach John Casey brought reliever Jeff Bloom in to face Harvard third baseman Tim Hurley, who laid down a bunt to try to move pinch runner Greg Agran and Caprio into scoring position. Bloom scooped up the ball and threw to third to force Agran on an extremely controversial call.

After a strikeout and a walk to Co-Captain Frank Morelli, the Crimson narrowed the Jumbos' 3-1 lead to one run when pinch-hitter Tom Konjoyan--battling back from a 1-2 count--drew a two-out, bases-loaded walk to drive in Caprio.

But Bloom then got freshman right-fielder Ted Decareau to pop up to the shortstop in foul territory to end the game.

Stranded

Although the Crimson collected eight base hits, nine walks and a hit batsman during the game, it ended up stranding 16 runners on the basepaths. Harvard batsmen left the bases full in the second, sixth, and ninth frames.

"We hit the ball well, but it didn't drop for us today," Caprio said. "It was just a matter of not getting the timely hits. That one big hit we never got."

The Jumbos scored all of their runs in the second inning off Harvard starter Mike Dorrington, whose record dropped to 1-3. After two singles by first baseman Dan O'Neill and centerfielder Bill Canon, catcher Mike Kratochwill reached first on an unsuccessful fielder's choice to load the bases with no out. Matt Guanci drove in O'Neill with a ground-out for the first run, and Tufts Captain Roger Grenier followed with a two run single to centerfield, making the score 3-0.

In his six innings of work, the hard-throwing Dorrington surrendered only four hits--and only one after the second inning--but gave up eight walks, and pitched himself into seven full-count situations.

"I don't think I threw that well," the sophomore righthander said. "I just pitched from behind [in the count] all day."

The Bird Man Comes Through

Freshman Jon Biotti relieved Dorrington in the top of the seventh, and faced the minimum nine batters in his three innings of pitching. He struck out the side in the eight.

Meanwhile, four Tufts pitchers--Steve Amyouny (now 4-0), Kerry Callahan, LaVallee and Bloom--combined to limit Harvard to a mere two runs.

"We decided to split up the game," Casey said, "and asked each guy to give us three innings."

"It's tough for a team to face four different pitchers on a cold day. They're a really good team, but we just made some good plays," he added.

Harvard's first run came in the fourth frame. After a walk to Morelli and an error by second baseman Grenier, Decareau singled to right-center off Callahan to knock in Morelli.

But otherwise the Tufts pitchers ended the Harvard threats without any damage. Amyouny, for instance, came up with key strikeouts of Decareau in the second with the bases full, and Tim Hurley and Rich Renninger in the third with two runners on base.

In the fifth, Callahan got Morelli to pop up in foul territory with two men on, and got Caprio to do the same in the following inning with the bases full.

And in the seventh, LaVallee ended a two-on, one-out threat by forcing freshman second baseman Bob Bincarousky to ground into a 6-4-3 double play.

THE NOTEBOOK: Renninger and Decareau collected two hits apiece for the Crimson...Despite the loss, Harvard still holds a commanding lead in its series with Tufts, 69-29-1...The Crimson travels to Worcester today to play Holy Cross in a non-league game...Harvard starts its Eastern Intercollegiate League season this weekend when it goes to Brown and Yale for a pair of twinbills. Jumbos 3, Crimson 2

Tufts Name  AB  R  H  BI Lamothe,rf  3  0  0  0 Walsh,3b  5  0  0  0 Th'dore,dh  4  0  0  0 O'Neill,1b  4  1  2  0 Canon,cf  2  1  1  0 Krat'will,c  3  1  0  0 Guanci,ss  3  0  0  1 Grenier,2b  4  0  1  2 Downing,If  0  0  0  0 Totals  28  3  4  3

Harvard Name  AB  R  H  BI O'C'nnell,ss  5  0  1  0 Durand,cf  5  0  0  0 Allen,c  3  0  1  0 Agran,pr  0  0  0  0 Caprio,If  4  1  1  0 Hurley,3b  5  0  1  0 Renn'ger,1b  4  0  2  0 Morelli,dh  2  1  0  0 Binc'sky,2b  2  0  0  0   Konj'yan,ph  0  0  0  0   Decareau,rf  5  0  2  0 Totals  35  2  8  2   1  2  3  4  5  6  7   8  9  R  N  E   Tufts  0  3  0  0  00  0  0  0  3  4  2   Harvard  0  0  0  1  0< Tab>0  0  0  1  2  8  0

Game Winning RBI: Guanci

Errors: Grenier, Walsh. Left on Boss: Harvard 16, Tufts 8. Double Plays: Harvard 1, Tufts 1. 2B: Renninger. 3B: None HR: None SB: Canon, O'Connell, Downing. Caught Stealing: O'Neill, Downing, Durand. SAC: Kratochwill. Harvard  IP  H  R  ER  BB  K< /B> Dorrington (L, 1-3)  6  4  3  3  8  1 Biotti  3  0  0  0  1  3 Tufts  IP  H  R  ER  BB  K Amyouny (W, 4-0)  3  3  0  0  2  5 Callahan  3  4  1  1  2  1 LaVallee  2  1  1  1  3  0 Bloom (S)  1  0  0  0  2  1

LaVallee pitched to two batters in the ninth. Hit by Pitch: Bincarouski (by Amyouny). Wild Pitch: None. Passed ball: None. Balk: None.

A: 35

Game Winning RBI: Guanci

Errors: Grenier, Walsh. Left on Boss: Harvard 16, Tufts 8. Double Plays: Harvard 1, Tufts 1. 2B: Renninger. 3B: None HR: None SB: Canon, O'Connell, Downing. Caught Stealing: O'Neill, Downing, Durand. SAC: Kratochwill. Harvard  IP  H  R  ER  BB  K< /B> Dorrington (L, 1-3)  6  4  3  3  8  1 Biotti  3  0  0  0  1  3 Tufts  IP  H  R  ER  BB  K Amyouny (W, 4-0)  3  3  0  0  2  5 Callahan  3  4  1  1  2  1 LaVallee  2  1  1  1  3  0 Bloom (S)  1  0  0  0  2  1

LaVallee pitched to two batters in the ninth. Hit by Pitch: Bincarouski (by Amyouny). Wild Pitch: None. Passed ball: None. Balk: None.

A: 35