Seven Errors Kill Sluggers in Beanpot Opener Loss to B.C.

The "Friendly Confines" of Fenway park proved to be not so amiable Yesterday in Harvard's 12-3 loss to Boston College in the first round of the Beanpot Championship. B.C  12 Harvard  3

The Crimson (6-16 overall, 4-8 Ivy) self-destructed away from Soldiers Field, committing seven errors for the game, most coming in a disastrous middle-inning collapse.

Leading 3-0 through five innings, the Crimson experienced a meltdown of Chernobylian proportions, allowing five runs to cross the plate in the top of the sixth.

After allowing an infield single to B.C. center fielder Bryan Manahan, Harvard pitcher Mike Cicero walked third baseman Craig Katz to put runners on first and second with no outs.

What followed would have made the Keystone Cops proud.

Boston College first baseman Brian Sankey hit a ground ball to second which should have been and easy out, if not a double play.

But senior second baseman Joe Weidenbach bobbled the ball, and sophomore shortstop peter Albers was unable to handle the hurried flip to second.

Cicero, though, maintained his composure with the bases loaded and induced the next batter, Eagle outfielder Kevin Penwell, to pop up to shallow right field.

Unfortunately Crimson outfielder Brett Vankoski lost the ball in the sun and it dropped, scoring Manahan from third.

Eagle second baseman Sean Curtin followed with a line-drive single off Albers' glove, plating Katz and Sankey. On the throw home Penwell advanced to third and Curtin wisely took second.

Hoping to control the damage, Harvard coach Leigh Hogan' 75 relieved Cicero with senior right hander Scott Davidson.

Unfortunately of the Crimson, Davidson was rudely greeted with a Matt Dorsey single to left, which knocked in Penwell and moved Curtin to third.

Boston College pinch hitter Brendan Levesque grounded to first to drive home Curtin and move Dorsey to second Eagle catcher Steve Marciano then flew out to left for the second out of the inning.

A better (and an error) later Davidson whiffed Manahan to end the hemorrhaging.

For the record, the Eagles scored five runs on three hits and three errors.

"We forced our pitchers to get six outs [in the sixth]," Hogan said. "Cicero pitched great, but he can't be expected to make all the outs himself."

Harvard followed an abominable sixth inning with an equally horrendous seventh and eighth, surrendering four and three runs, respectively.

On the day, the Crimson bullpen was knocked around for seven runs in four innings. But the blame must fall on the defense.

"We really struggled in the field.," Hogan said.

Asked if any changes were forthcoming, the coach responded, "We'll definitely have to think about that."

The tragedy of the Harvard loss was that the Crimson played exceptional baseball for the first five innings.

Despite frequently falling behind in the count, Cicero was pitching well, controlling the tempo and working Eagle hitters as he wanted.

Also wasted was a brilliant hitting display (3-4, home run, 2 RBIs) by third baseman Mike Hochanadel. The sophomore crushed a two-run shot over the Green Monster in the second inning, staking the Crimson double in the seventh.

But the team's woeful performance in the field clearly over-shad-owed its solid hitting and pitching.

The Crimson return to Fenway tomorrow to play Boston University in the consolation game of the Beanpot Championship.

BOSTON COLLEGE, 12-3 at Fenway Park   R  H  E BC  000  005  430  --  12  142 Harvard  020  100  000  --  3  9   7

HR: BC--None; Harvard--Hochanadel. 3B: None. 2B: BC--Sankey (2), Katz, Levesque; Harvard--Brissette, Hochanadel. E: BC--McNeil, Sankey; Harvard--Albers (3), Vankoski (2), Hochanadel (2).

WP: Romboli (3-4); LP: Cicero (2-3).

HR: BC--None; Harvard--Hochanadel. 3B: None. 2B: BC--Sankey (2), Katz, Levesque; Harvard--Brissette, Hochanadel. E: BC--McNeil, Sankey; Harvard--Albers (3), Vankoski (2), Hochanadel (2).

WP: Romboli (3-4); LP: Cicero (2-3).