Harvard Nine Grounds Eagles

Ed Pellagrini and Alex Nahigian are the deans of New England baseball coaches. Yesterday at Boston College, the sages of the diamond matched wits, and Nahigian and his Harvard charges walked away with a 10-4 win.

While Nahigian called on three hurlers to limit the Eagles to seven hits, Pellagrini--the former Red Sox infielder--allowed his starter, Leo Smith to toil 8 2/3 innings before replacing him with John Curtin.

By then, with two out in the ninth and Harvard up 10-2, it was too late. Entering the final frame, the Crimson nursed a two-run lead, but by the time Curtin finally forced Mark Bingham to fly out and end the inning four walks and three hits later, the nail-biter had become a laugher.

Smith began the game wild and ineffective--allowing three runs on four hits and three walks during the first two frames--but settled down and held the Crimson scoreless until the eighth.

His mates provided him with a run of his own when Mike Mayock doubled home Brian Landry in the second, and they added another on two singles and a Landry sacrifice fly in the fifth.

Harvard starter Jim (brother of B.C.'s John Curtin) had departed long before. When the lanky southpaw walked three Eagles in the first two frames, Nahigian called one of his aces, Bill Larson, in from the bullpen. Larson loaded the bases in the third, allowed the solo marker in the fifth and nothing more until his teammates had put the contest out of reach.

With the score 3-2 in the eighth, Crimson receiver Vinnie Martelli laced a double to center, and advanced to third on a groundout. What followed can only be described as bizarre: as Smith came in with the pitch, batter Danny Skaff squared around to bunt, and Martelli raced home on the attempted suicide squeeze.

Smith's offering arrived at eye level, however, forcing Skaff to leap in the air and direct the ball past the hardcharging infielders to score the run.

First baseman Mayock fielded the bunt, and flipped to Chuck Mitchell in an attempt to retire Skaff, but Mitchell didn't get to the base on time and the rightfielder slid under his swooping tag to beat out the hit.

Oh well

As it happened, Skaff's hustle proved unnecessary. Smith opened the final frame by walking Mark Bingham, who moved to third on Eddie Farrell's double. The tiring hurler then walked three more, threw a wild pitch and let up a sharp single by Skaff before Pellagrini finally trudged out of the dugout and mercifully brought in Curtin.

THE NOTEBOOK: Six Crimson batters rapped out two hits apiece in the fourteen-hit onslaught... John Curtin isn't the only Eagle with a Harvard brother. Ninth-inning pinchhitter Barry Hynes has an older brother named John--the Crimson hockey goalie... Ron Stewart came on to get the last two outs after Larson allowed a ninth-inning blast by Joe Caffrey. The score wasn't close enought for Stewart to record a save, however... Weather report for this afternoon's home contest vs. UMass--"more of the same." at Brookline HARVARD(10)  AB  R  H  BI Bauer--ss  4  1  2  1 Pearce--3b  3  1  1  0 Santos-Buch--cf  5  1  2  2 Bingham--1b  4  1  0  0 Farrell--dh  4  0  2  0 Kelley--2b  4  1  2  2 Martelli--c  4  2  1  1 Bowles--if  4  2  2  0 Totals  37  10  14  8 BOSTON COLLEGE (4) Follen--cf  4  1  1  0 Craft--lf  4  0  2  0 Casey--c  3  0  0  0 Landry--ss  1  1  0  1 Mayock--1b  4  0  1  1 Smith--p--rf  4  1  2  0 Mitchell--2b  3  0  0  0 Blanchette--ph  1  0  0  0 Caffrey--3b  3  1  1  2 Perry--rf  3  0  0  0 Hynes--ph  0  0  0  0 Totals  30  4  7  4

(away)  2  1  0  0  0  0  0  1  6  --  10 (home)  0  1  0  0  1  0  0  0  2  --  4

2b--Santos-Buch, Farrell, Martelli, Bowles, Craft, Mayock. 3b--Smith HR--Caffrey. SB--Bowles. IP  H  R  ER    BB    SO Curtin    1 2/3  1  1  1  3  0 Larson(w)    6 2/3  6  3  3  3  1 Stewart    2/3  0  0  0  0  1 Smith(l)    8 2/3  13  10  10  10  4 Curtin    1/3  1  0  0  0  0

WP--Smith. PB--Casey.

(away)  2  1  0  0  0  0  0  1  6  --  10 (home)  0  1  0  0  1  0  0  0  2  --  4

2b--Santos-Buch, Farrell, Martelli, Bowles, Craft, Mayock. 3b--Smith HR--Caffrey. SB--Bowles. IP  H  R  ER    BB    SO Curtin    1 2/3  1  1  1  3  0 Larson(w)    6 2/3  6  3  3  3  1 Stewart    2/3  0  0  0  0  1 Smith(l)    8 2/3  13  10  10  10  4 Curtin    1/3  1  0  0  0  0

WP--Smith. PB--Casey.

2b--Santos-Buch, Farrell, Martelli, Bowles, Craft, Mayock. 3b--Smith HR--Caffrey. SB--Bowles. IP  H  R  ER    BB    SO Curtin    1 2/3  1  1  1  3  0 Larson(w)    6 2/3  6  3  3  3  1 Stewart    2/3  0  0  0  0  1 Smith(l)    8 2/3  13  10  10  10  4 Curtin    1/3  1  0  0  0  0

WP--Smith. PB--Casey.

WP--Smith. PB--Casey.