Crimson Nine Rips B.C.; Bullpen Comes Through To Preserve 6-2 Victory

"Bob Lincoln, our pitching coach, makes my job a lot easier. He's really done a helluva job." So spoke Crimson baseball mentor Loyal Park after Lincoln and his bullpen came through with a big save, preserving a 6-2 Harvard victory against Boston College in a marathon three hour game yesterday.

The Crimson has been blessed with a strong pitching staff this season, certainly one of the deepest in the East. Norm Walsh proved it yesterday, coming into the game with the bases loaded in the seventh and a mere one out. A pair of strikeouts, sandwiched around a walk, saved the game for a tired Barry Malinowsky.

Over 100 Pitches

Malinowsky had his first start since the southern swing and pitched a strong game through six innings. "He did a great job," Park said. "He threw over a hundred pitches out there. Also, scoring from first on Ed Durso's triple in the sixth took a lot out of him."

Durso's hit drove in the fifth Harvard run, giving the squad a commanding lead before the roof nearly fell in in the seventh. The Crimson had already struck for two runs in the first, two in the fifth and single runs in the sixth and seventh.

Crimson speed and smart base running played a big factor, as they gained the team its first two runs without benefit of a hit. Harvard had only six hits on the afternoon. Eagle pitching ace Bill Ruane ran into some control problems right at the start, walking leadoff batter Durso. Ruane then threw a wild pitch, and Durso was already running on the release and was able to take third as the ball popped past B.C. catcher Paul Santilli.

Ruane followed with a walk to Kevin Hampe, who also attempted the steal. Unfortunately for the Eagles, no one was coverning second and the throw from Santilli bounded into center field, scoring Durso and giving Hampe third. Leigh Hogan's long sacrifice fly sent Hampe across the plate for an early 2-0 Harvard lead. Harvard's next two came from run-producing singles by Jimmy Stoeckel and Dave St. Pierre, following a pair of walks to Durso and Hampe and a fielder's choice by Hogan. The sixth and final run resulted from an error on Stoeckel's grounder to short and walks to St. Pierre, Larry Barbiaux and Rich Bridich. Kevin Gormley, who came on in relief of Ruane in the sixth, gave up the fifth and sixth Harvard scores.

B.C. ruined the shutout in the seventh with a bases-loaded single by Santilli, given up by Malinowsky, and the run-producing walk by Walsh.