Batmen Fall Short at Rhode Island, 7-5 Host Greater Boston Foe MIT Today

In a game that means absolutely nothing, the Harvard baseball team bound to the University of Rhode Island (URI), 7-5, at Kingston yesterday.

The contest with the Rams was one of only seven buttles on the Crimson's 30-game slate that doesn't count in either the Eastern Inter-collegiate Baseball League or the Greater Boston League (GBL) standings. It was also the first time Harvard played a day of baseball without winning at least one game. The squad's four previous losses came in doubleheader splits.

"If we're going to lose a game, that's the one we want to lose." Crimson Captain Brad Bauer said. "But it's different to come back with no victories."

Today the batmen resume league play when GBL rival MIT crosses town for a 4 p.m. showdown at Soldiers Field Harvard owns a 6-0 GBL record, while MIT sports a 1-4 mark. The Crimson downed the Engineers, 5-3, when the two teams met April 3.

Since that game the Crimson has blown out all but one of its GBL opponents by double-digit margins. And yesterday in Kingston, the batmen displayed some of their hitting prowess.

Don Allard's fourth-inning home run extended his Crimson career record total to 21, and Mickey Maspons, Vinnie Martelli, Bruce Weller and Tony DiCesare all doubled. But the Crimson scattered its 11 hits and drew only two walks.

The Rams used a different approach, making the most of their chances. Nine of 11 URI hits and all seven URI runs came in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings.

"They got some big hits," Bauer said. "They got all of the breaks." The three Ram extra-base hits drove in all seven of the URI runs.

Harvard got out on top in the third, when second baseman DiCesare led off with a double Designated hitter Scott Vierra followed with an RBI single. Allard's two-run homer in the fourth drove in Martelli and extended the Crimson edge to 3-0. But starter Bill Larson gave up a single, a walk and a home run to the first three batters in the bottom of the inning, and the score was deadlocked at 3-3.

The Rams converted two singles and a double into two runs in the sixth, then grabbed two more tallies with a part of singles and a triple in the seventh. Harvard countered with Maspon's double in the seventh, which turned into a run when pinch runner Bob Kay stole third and scored on a Vierra sacrifice fly.

Vierra's solo blast with two down in the ninth left Harvard two runs short. Rams 7, Crimson 5 HARVARD   ab  r  h  bl Weller of if  5  0  2  0 River a 3b  4  0  0  0 Bauer as  3  0  2  0 Farrell 1b  4  0  0  0 Martelli if c  4  1  2  0 Allard if  4  1  1  2 Maspons c  2  0  1  0 DiCesare 2b  4  1  1  0 Vierra dh  3  1  2  3 Total  34  6  11  5 URI   ab  r  h  bl Landry ss  4  1  1  0 Harper 2b  3  1  1  0 Starrell 3b  3  1  1  2 Carlucci c  3  2  2  3 Miller cf  4  0  0  0 Zalwbowski if  4  1  1  0 Haring oh  4  0  2  2 Adams if  4  0  2  0 Messier 1b  4  1  1  0 Total  33  7  11  7

Harvard  001  200  101--6 URI  000  302  20z--7

Game-Winning RBI--Haring E--Bauer LOB--URI 5, Harvard 5 2B--Haring DiCesare, Maspons Weller, Merleth HR--Allard: 7, Vierra (3) DP--URI 3. Harvard 1 SB--Kay S-Harper SF Vierra.   IP  H  R  ER  BB  SO Harvard Larson L 5-1  7  10  7  7  2  7 Brown  2  1  0  0  0  0 URI Ward W, 4-4  9  11  5  5  2  4

Harvard  001  200  101--6 URI  000  302  20z--7

Game-Winning RBI--Haring E--Bauer LOB--URI 5, Harvard 5 2B--Haring DiCesare, Maspons Weller, Merleth HR--Allard: 7, Vierra (3) DP--URI 3. Harvard 1 SB--Kay S-Harper SF Vierra.   IP  H  R  ER  BB  SO Harvard Larson L 5-1  7  10  7  7  2  7 Brown  2  1  0  0  0  0 URI Ward W, 4-4  9  11  5  5  2  4

Game-Winning RBI--Haring E--Bauer LOB--URI 5, Harvard 5 2B--Haring DiCesare, Maspons Weller, Merleth HR--Allard: 7, Vierra (3) DP--URI 3. Harvard 1 SB--Kay S-Harper SF Vierra.   IP  H  R  ER  BB  SO Harvard Larson L 5-1  7  10  7  7  2  7 Brown  2  1  0  0  0  0 URI Ward W, 4-4  9  11  5  5  2  4