Harvard Nine Creams N.U. 14-2; Homers Highlight 15-Hit Attack

Home runs by John Dockery, Dan Hootstein, and Jeff Grate highlighted the long-awaited explosion of Crimson power that annihilated Northeastern at Splinter Stadium yesterday, 14-2.

If the Huskies beat M.I.T. as expected Saturday they will still capture the Greater Boston League title, but Harvard's bombardment of N.U. gives the Crimson a strong claim to Boston supremacy.

Harvard wasted no time jumping on N.U.'s ace lefty Steve Grolnic. Dockery led off the bottom of the first inning with a walk, and consecutive singles by George Neville, Bob Welz, and Hootstein produced two runs before a man was out.

Six-Run Inning

Any vestiges of the expected pitcher's duel were wiped out by Harvard's six-run second inning. The Crimson didn't exactly ripple with power, but took advantage of a series of Husky fielding lapses.

Harvard's three hits that inning were a misplayed bunt by Dockery, a liner by Neville that the center fielder played for a triple, and an opposite-field Texas Leaguer by Welz. A walk to Joe O'Donnell and three bad throws were the other key ingredients of the big inning.

The Boston coaches and press were touting Grolnic as the best pitcher around Boston and the only shoo-in for the GBL All-Star team, but after yesterday they won't be able to ignore Harvard's Jim McCandlish.

The junior lefty had control trouble early in the contest, but was tough in the clutch. Over the first five innings Northeastern left an incredible total of 11 runners on base, pushing over only single tallies in the third and fifth frames.

As the game dragged on through an intermittent sprinkle McCandlish grew stronger and he retired the last 11 batters to face him. He struck out nine while allowing the normally high scoring Huskies only seven hits.

The game had already been decided to the fans' satisfaction when the Crimson unleashed its long-ball power.

No one was on in the fifth inning when Dockery powered a drive between the centerfielder and leftfielder, and when the Crimson captain got his speed up it was obvious no one was going to catch him.

Hootstein led off the six inning with his blast, and Grate's homer, over a confused left fielder, came at the beginning of the eighth.

Harvard added another run in the sixth on a double by Jim Tobin and two more in the seventh on singles by Dockery, Neville, and Hootstein. Box Score   ab  r  h  rbl Dockery, If  4  4  3  1 Sikora, rf  1  0  0  0 Neville, cf  5  3  3  4 Welz, 1b  5  1  3  1 Hcotstein, rf  4  2  3  4 Tobin, 3b  4  1  1  0 Houston, 2b  4  0  0  1 Grate, ss  4  1  1  2 O'Donnell, c  4  1  1  0 McCandlish, p  3  1  0  0