Crimson Reaches Beanpot Finals

After 8 1/2 innings of play in the first round of the baseball Beanpot yesterday afternoon, the Crimson men’s baseball team (7-29, 3-9 Ivy) and its opponent, University of Massachusetts (12-18, 5-4 Atlantic 10), were stuck in a 0-0 stalemate.

But with one out in the bottom of the ninth, Harvard sophomore first baseman Danny Moskovits singled up the middle to send home freshman outfielder Jack Colton, as the walkoff RBI lifted the Crimson to a dramatic 1-0 victory over the Minutemen at Northeastern.

“This win definitely gave us some good momentum,” Moskovits said. “We’ve been struggling a bit this year and have lost some really close games...It’s awesome to have a close game go our way.”

Colton—who earned Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors after an impressive performance in the team’s series against Brown—got on base with a walk to start the final inning of play, capitalizing on UMass starting pitcher Charlie Benson’s tired arm.

“Going into my last at-bat, I knew [Benson] was tiring and starting to have some control problems,” Colton said. “I was looking for pitches not to hit and didn’t plan to pull the trigger unless it was a perfect pitch.”

The Minutemen changed pitchers for the first time in yesterday’s game after the walk, sending in junior Leif Sorenson to relieve Benson. In the Crimson’s next at-bat, senior shortstop Sean O’Hara put Colton in scoring position with a sacrifice bunt before Moskovits stepped up to the plate to seal the deal.

“[Sorenson] was throwing pretty fast,” Moskovits said. “I just wanted to put the ball in play and hit it hard. The first pitch was fastball and I swung and missed. He threw another fastball and I barreled up and shot a single up the middle.”

Strong pitching on both sides contributed to the low-scoring game. Senior right-hander Dan Berardo started on the mound for Harvard and pitched three no-hit innings. Junior right-hander Jonah Klees, who came in to relieve, picked up right where Berardo left off, allowing just one hit in the sixth after two hitless frames.

“Our pitchers pretty much dominated all game,” Moskovits said. “UMass just had no idea what to do with them. They really kept us in the game.”

Senior right-hander Andrew Hatch earned the win on the mound for the Crimson, striking out three UMass batters in as many innings to close the game.

“We played good defense and our pitching was excellent,” Harvard coach Joe Walsh said. “We were pounding the strike zone all game...Tyler [Albright] threw out three runners, which really helped us and helped the pitchers getting out of certain situations. He had a great game behind the plate.”

Despite the game’s low score, neither team was without opportunities in the first eight innings.

“During the course of the game, we had guys in scoring position with two outs...and just didn’t deliver,” Walsh said. “You just had this feeling that one run was going to win it.”

Harvard earned 10 hits on the day, with O’Hara, freshman third baseman Jake McGuiggan, and junior first baseman Marcus Way each contributing two, though neither team was able to capitalize on the early chances.

“It was a tough day to hit, because it was pretty dark and cold,” Moskovits said. “So we knew it was going to be a low-scoring game. Luckily, we managed to squeeze out a run at the end.”

A victory in the Beanpot carries added importance, as the tournament pins Massachusetts rivals BC, Northeastern, Harvard, and UMass against one another in for the only time each season.

“It’s definitely not just any other game,” Moskovits said. “We try to go into every game with the intention of winning, but [the fact that it’s a Beanpot game] makes it more meaningful.”

With the victory, Harvard earned a chance to take on the Eagles—who defeated Northeastern, 6-1, in yesterday’s other semifinal matchup—for Boston-area bragging rights in the Beanpot finale next Tuesday at Fenway Park.

“[Beanpot] games are always pretty intense, especially because the championship is at Fenway,” Moskovits said. “Everyone loves to play there. We’re definitely looking forward to that and to hopefully stomping on BC next week.”

—Staff writer Catherine E. Coppinger can be reached at ccoppinger@college.harvard.edu.