Batsmen Split Pair With Princeton

PRINCETON, N.J.--New Jersey native Jeff tossed an 11- strikeout, two-hitter in the opener, but the Harvard baseball team had to settle for a split yesterday in the first twin bill of its Eastern League season.

Tony DiCesare's sixth-inning homer and Musselman's brilliant pitching gave Harvard a 3-2 victory in the opener, but Princeton took the night cap, 4-1, behind Mike Fiala's four-hitter in front of 351 fans at Clarke Field.

Harvard is now 5-5 overall, 1-1 in league play Princeton, now 12-3 overall, had started the day with a 3-1 league record and a share of first place Navy, which hosted Dartmouth yesterday, was also 3-1 Harvard plays as Navy today, while Dartmouth travels to Princeton.

Musselman (2-1), who hails from Lanoka Harbor, looked right home in every inning but the third, when he gave up the two hits and both the runs.

Throwing fast balls and sliders, Musselman kept the ball low, and prevented the Tigers from hitting a single ball out of the infield on the fly.

"That's the best I've felt on the mound in two years." Musselman said afterwards. "I don't think I've pitched a better game."

The Crimson got a break with one out in the first, when Tiger second baseman Mark Leavitt bobbled what looked like a double-play grounder Leavitt only got the out at first, and Elliott Rivera followed with an RBI single to give Harvard a 1-0 lead.

Chris McAndrews' leadoff double in the third set up the second Crimson run. After McAndrews stole third with two out, Rivera brought him home again, this time with a chopper over the mound hit into center field.

In the bottom of the inning, a leadoff double, a walk, an errant pickoff throw and a single, allowed the Tigers to tie the score with nobody out.

Musselmen then retired three in a row to get out of the inning. The senior lefthander didn't allow a single runner past first the rest of the way.

DiCesare broke the tie when he led off the sixth with a 360-foot home run into the wind in left.

In the nightcap, Fiala (5-1) had only one weak inning. With Harvard trailing 1-0 in the third, Mike Pakalnis led off with a solid single. Paul Valone's popped bunt blew away from Fiala and the Crimson had two men on. After Bob Kay advanced the runners in a sacrifice. McAndrews lined a single to left, scoring Pakalnis.

After a walk and a fly to left in the bottom of the fourth. Princeton chased Harvard Jim Chenevey (0-2) with a double and an RBI single. Doug Sutton came in relief and gave up two straight hits, allowing both Chenevey's runners to score.

Sution was great the rest of the way, but Princeton already had its 4-1 lead.