Tufts Tops Batmen in 10 Innings, Takes Title From Erring Crimson

Two teams played off for the Greater Boston League (GBL) championship yesterday. The one that really wanted the title won the game. It wasn't the Harvard baseball team.

Not that the Crimson, currently embroiled in a tough Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League (EIBL) pennant race, should have cared as much as Tufts, which only plays in the GBL. Harvard minds were on Saturday's doubleheader with Dartmouth, games crucial to the squad's EIBL prospects and its chances for post-season play. Yesterday's game at Soldiers Field affected neither.

And yesterday was the whole season for the Jumbos (10-6 overall, 7-1 in GBL action), whose bench delivered non-stop support during the game. Blue jerseys piled up at the mound after the final out of the 10-inning, 6-3 battle.

"It's the first time we've ever been in this situation [GBL champions]," Tufts Coach Lee Sargent '64 said after the game.

Harvard's record dropped to 22-6 overall, 6-1 at the close of GBL play. Both the Crimson and the Jumbos suffered one league loss, but Harvard played one less league game because of a rainout with MIT that won't be replayed.

Neither team played championship caliber baseball yesterday, as only two of the nine runners to cross the plate brought home earned runs. Tufts picked two Crimson runners off first base and doubled one player off first on a fly ball to left field.

But though their hearts were never really in it, the batmen pulled things together long enough yesterday to stage a comeback and work to within one strike of taking the title. Down 2-0 in the bottom of the eighth, the Crimson staged a two-out rally to capture a 3-2 lead.

And with two down in the top of the ninth, pinch hitter Gelean Cambell faced an 0-2 count. He took the next pitch over the left field fence for his first career homer.

In the tenth two Harvard errors kept the inning alive long enough for the Jumbos to build a three run advantage. The Crimson couldn't respond.

"It's a tough way to lose after coming back like that," Crimson Coach Alex Nahigian said after the game. "[The league championship] meant a lot to me," Nahigian added. "I'm sure it meant more to them."

Mike Kruger singled to open the fifth inning. A walk and an error moved him to third, scoring on a sacrifice fly. Tufts doubled its tally in the eighth, when Tom Snarsky started things with a two-out single. John Andon's walk moved Snarsky to second, and Tom Smerczynski's smash to right brought him in to score. Andon would have followed suit, but the ball bounced over the fence and the score stood at 2-0.

A two-out double by Bruce Weller got things going in the Crimson eighth, and Eliott Rivera then reached on an error. Ed Farrell's pop up behind second baseman Paul Dawley wreaked havoc in the Jumbo outfield, and while three fielders gathered round the ball dropped in for a run-scoring single. Farrell would have been caught going for second, but an errant throw allowed him to reach the bag. A Vinnie Martelli single scored Rivera and Farrell.

After Cambell's homer forced extra innings, the comedy of errors continued. Tufts 6, Crimson 3 TUFTS   ab  r  h  bl Dawley 2b  4  0  0  0 Kruger 3b  6  1  2  0 Hartet  3  1  0  0 Snarsky 1b  5  2  3  0 Andon lf  3  1  1  1 Smerczynski dh  4  0  1  1 McLoughlin rf ss  4  0  2  1 Carter c  5  0  1  1 Ambrosess  2  0  1  0 Campbell cf  1  1  1  1 Farrell rf  0  0  0  0 Cantalupa pr  0  0  0  0 Carroll ph  1  0  0  0 Chaclasess  1  0  0  0 Jablow 2b  1  0  0  0 Total  40  6  12  5

Tufts 6, Crimson 3 HARVARD   ab  r  h  bl Weller cf  1  1  1  0 Rivera 3b  1  1  0  0 Farrell 1b  4  1  1  1 Martelli c  1  0  2  2 Allard rf  4  0  0  0 McNamaragh dh  1  0  0  0 DiCesare ss  4  0  0  0 Lyman 2b  2  0  1  0 Vierra lf  4  0  0  0 Vallone if  1  0  0  0 Maspons ph  1  0  0  0 Total  32  3  5  3

Tufts  000  001  011  3--6 Harvard  000  000  030  0--3

Game-Winning RBI--None. E--Kruger, Hart, Keohane, Martelli, Valione, Brown, Lyman. DP--Tufts 1. LOB--Tufts 11. Harvard 4. 2B--Smarczynski Weiter. 3B--Martelli. HR--Campbell (1). CS--Dawley. S--Ambrose, Rivera, SF--Andon, McLoughlin. Tufts  IP  H  R  ER  BB  SO Keohane  7 2/3  4  3  0  4  1 Regan W, 1-1  2 1/3  1  0  0  0  1 Harvard Brown  6  5  1  0  2  6 Sutton  2 2/3  4  2  2  1  0 Vierra L, 1-1  1 1/2  3  3  0  0  1 T:2:58. A--31

Tufts 6, Crimson 3 HARVARD   ab  r  h  bl Weller cf  1  1  1  0 Rivera 3b  1  1  0  0 Farrell 1b  4  1  1  1 Martelli c  1  0  2  2 Allard rf  4  0  0  0 McNamaragh dh  1  0  0  0 DiCesare ss  4  0  0  0 Lyman 2b  2  0  1  0 Vierra lf  4  0  0  0 Vallone if  1  0  0  0 Maspons ph  1  0  0  0 Total  32  3  5  3

Tufts  000  001  011  3--6 Harvard  000  000  030  0--3

Game-Winning RBI--None. E--Kruger, Hart, Keohane, Martelli, Valione, Brown, Lyman. DP--Tufts 1. LOB--Tufts 11. Harvard 4. 2B--Smarczynski Weiter. 3B--Martelli. HR--Campbell (1). CS--Dawley. S--Ambrose, Rivera, SF--Andon, McLoughlin. Tufts  IP  H  R  ER  BB  SO Keohane  7 2/3  4  3  0  4  1 Regan W, 1-1  2 1/3  1  0  0  0  1 Harvard Brown  6  5  1  0  2  6 Sutton  2 2/3  4  2  2  1  0 Vierra L, 1-1  1 1/2  3  3  0  0  1 T:2:58. A--31

Tufts  000  001  011  3--6 Harvard  000  000  030  0--3

Game-Winning RBI--None. E--Kruger, Hart, Keohane, Martelli, Valione, Brown, Lyman. DP--Tufts 1. LOB--Tufts 11. Harvard 4. 2B--Smarczynski Weiter. 3B--Martelli. HR--Campbell (1). CS--Dawley. S--Ambrose, Rivera, SF--Andon, McLoughlin. Tufts  IP  H  R  ER  BB  SO Keohane  7 2/3  4  3  0  4  1 Regan W, 1-1  2 1/3  1  0  0  0  1 Harvard Brown  6  5  1  0  2  6 Sutton  2 2/3  4  2  2  1  0 Vierra L, 1-1  1 1/2  3  3  0  0  1 T:2:58. A--31

Game-Winning RBI--None. E--Kruger, Hart, Keohane, Martelli, Valione, Brown, Lyman. DP--Tufts 1. LOB--Tufts 11. Harvard 4. 2B--Smarczynski Weiter. 3B--Martelli. HR--Campbell (1). CS--Dawley. S--Ambrose, Rivera, SF--Andon, McLoughlin. Tufts  IP  H  R  ER  BB  SO Keohane  7 2/3  4  3  0  4  1 Regan W, 1-1  2 1/3  1  0  0  0  1 Harvard Brown  6  5  1  0  2  6 Sutton  2 2/3  4  2  2  1  0 Vierra L, 1-1  1 1/2  3  3  0  0  1 T:2:58. A--31