Crimson Nine Crushes Cornell, 15-5, With 9-Run Fifth Inning

The Big Red was no menace Saturday as Crimson hitters sharpened their batting eyes for a few hours and crushed the invading Ithacans, 15 to 5 at Soldiers Field. A run in the ninth capped the scoring.

By no stretch of the imagination could the game be described as exciting, or well-played, and the six errors chalked up by the official scorer represent about half of the sloppy fielding. Twenty bases on balls, a hit batsman, and a wild pitch rounded out the statistical miscues, and 23 men were left on base.

Cornell rocked Dom Repetto for three runs in the first on two walks, a double by captain Dick Shigekane, a single, and a sacrifice fly, but the Crimson retaliated for two without a hit. Tom Bergantino, Bob Cleary and Babe Simourian walked, and Bob Hastings came to the plate.

He popped up, and the infield fly rule was called, putting him out. The ball fell between the catcher and third baseman, and Bergantino ran for the plate, along-side the Cornell fielder, who didn't bother to tag him, thinking he could put him out by stepping on the plate. He was mistaken, and should have been charged with an error.

A walk and a fielder's choice brought the next run in.

Bob Cleary singled home the tying run in the second, but Cornell went ahead again in the third, 4 to 3.

Sloppy fielding aided Harvard to a tying run in the third, and two more in the fourth. Hastings scored the last of those runs with a booming triple over the left fielder's head.

The 30-minute last of the fifth was absurd, as inept Cornell moundsmen combined with the best Crimson hitting of the year. John Getch and Walt Stahura, each of whom had three hits, opened with singles. Phil Haughey popped to third, and Repetto struck out, but then Cornell pitcher Bob List walked Bergantino, Cleary and Simourian.

Hastings and Matt Botsford singled to left, and a new pitcher, Lou Jordan, came in. Getch singled to left, and after a wild pitch advanced Botsford and Getch, Stahura singled to score them, and scored himself when the centerfielder let the ball through.

Phil Haughey singled off the third baseman's glove, and Repetto singled to left before Bergantino fanned. Nine runs, eight hits, one error.

Nothing much happened after that.

Repetto, who pitched seven innings, was not too sharp, as runners were on in every frame. He allowed five runs, all earned, on eight hits and three walks, and struck out four. He hit one man. Dave Brigham finished without allowing a run, but gave up three hits and walked two. He struck out two.

The Crimson won easily, but Cornell isn't very good. Only two really good fielding plays were made all afternoon, a diving stop Cleary made of a ground single in right, and a good throw Phil Haughey made to cut down a runner in the third. But each of these men contributed some sloppy fielding, as Cleary chased into right to drop a pop fly and Haughey made some poor throws.

Against better Ivy teams the Crimson will have to settle down and get some runs the hard way; Ray Carlsen of Yale won't walk ten men the List did in four and two thirds innings. Still, it was the team's fourth straight win, and not too much trouble.

Meanwhile, the freshmen suffered their first defeat of the season in losing to Exeter, 6-3. The victors broke a 3-3 tie with one run in the seventh inning and then added two more in the ninth. Jerry Emmet pitched all the way for the Yardlings