They Were Just Two of Those Days

HOLYOKE, Mass.--They say any team can have a bad day. Unfortunately, the Harvard baseball team managed to string together two bummers in a row at a most inconvenient time.

The Crimson nine, lacking the sharp form that brought home wins in eight of their last ten regular season games, dropped two straight to earn the dubious distinction of being the first team knocked out of the NCAA District One playoffs that opened here Wednesday.

The batsmen had to contend not only with tough competition from the University of Delaware and St. John's, but also with a barrage of home-style Harvard finals, taken in the comfort of the local Holiday Inn.

Crimson pitcher Larry Brown handed in his Gov 10 blue book Wednesday and took the mound against Delaware's tough curveballer Bo Dennis in the tourney opener. Although lacking his usual stellar stuff, the junior hurler held the Blue Hens to one run in six innings, with the help of some fine plays from his supporting cast.

But the weatherman had it in for the Crimson--it never got to show its late-inning strength. Umpire Joe Driscoll of Arlington watched the rain fall not-so-gently on the grassy plains of Holyoke High for four innings before suspending the contest at the end of the sixth, prompting coach Loyal Park to moan, "What happened out there was inexcusable. And a local guy did it to us." And he had a point--the wet stuff was falling no harder in the sixth than it had been in the eventually-fatal third when the Blue Hens scored their run.

On top of all that, tournament officials gave Brown a never-before heard of brand of ball to pitch with.

Oh, yeah, two bad days. Well, yesterday certainly wasn't any better. Park did his "Mr. Test" imitation before the Crimson bowed to the Redmen who were fresh off a close loss to Holy Cross Thursday morning.

"Defensively, we had two bad innings," Park said. And bad wasn't the word for the atrocities that transpired in the seventh frame.

A single and a walk off reliever Paul McOsker put Red Men on first and second with one out. Second baseman Paul Halas dropped Burke St. John's throw on the next grounder--one run, men on first and third. McOsker walked another, St. John booted a throw to blow a double play, and then IT happened.

Ron Naclerio laid down a suicide squeeze bunt, which McOsker fielded and pegged to first for one out. One run in but Don Troyan never stopped running from second, and first-bagger Mark Bingham's throw came high and late to home plate. Catcher Chuck Marshall nailed Ed D'Alessio (he'd been on first) trying to sneak into third, ending an incredible play and an incredible inning.

They scored it 1-3-2-5, and if you can believe it, two runs scored on a bunt.

And even the hot dogs were lousy.