Brandeis Prevails Over Crimson Batmen, 3-1; Judges' Knapp Puts Harvard Offense to Sleep

Every spring, the Friends of Harvard Baseball produce the necessary funds to send the Crimson batmen southward. If this year's team continues on its current course, however, there may not be a 1977 trip to Florida, because by then, the Crimson batmen may no longer have any friends.

With yesterday's 3-1 loss to a slick (now 13-3) Brandeis team on an even slicker Soldiers Field, the squad's record rests, not so comfortably, at 3-10 (14-12 total). Each game draws Harvard's overall mark a little closer to that elusive .500 mark, but unfortunately, it's being driven there from the wrong direction.

Against the Judges, the Crimson played near flawless baseball for eight innings, but eight innings is one too few, even when your starting pitcher, Mark Linehan, is making like Milt Pappas on the mound.

Linehan fanned four men in the first two innings, breezed into the fifth with a two-hitter, but then watched his defense play hot potato.

After relinquishing singles to the first two men up in the inning, Linehan bore down and induced two ground balls. The first one became a fielder's choice and the first out, but the second one, the potential inning-ending double-play ball, was thrown into centerfield.

One run in, runners on second and third, so Linehan strikes out Pete Rodia, the Brandeis cleanup hitter, and the inning should be over with the Judges still scoreless. No such luck.

Mark Bonaiuto then proved to Linehan that mistakes can kill you as he tripled to center, driving in two runs and making the score 3-1.

Harvard had scored early off Brandeis starter and winner Ken Knapp, who, in combination with the uncertain weather conditions, really did put the sitting room only crowd of 18 to sleep. Dave Singleton's double and a Leon Goetz sacrifice fly one out later had given the Crimson its 1-0 first-inning advantage.

Knapp refused to yield any further courtesies, however, limiting the Crimson to five assorted hits the rest of the way, two of them doubles by Goetz in the third and eighth innings.

Harvard's only other real scoring chance came in the second, when it loaded the bases on two walks and a single by Mark Zurawel, but Bob Munns made at least a two-run saving catch in center off Barry Cronin, and Singleton fanned to nullify the threat.

Given this second life, Knapp threw goose eggs into the fifth, at which point, with the Judges having just assumed the lead, the rains came--not hard enough to call off the game, but hard enough to drench the field and everyone else who didn't have an umbrella.

Knapp, though, remained undaunted, and continued to baffle the Harvard hitters, who, with a doubleheader against a 4-24 Dartmouth team on Saturday and a little bit of luck, may not reach .500 for another week or so.