Batsmen Bounced; Terriers Open, 5-3

You'd think Mike Kelfer would be content with his MVP Award. Three months ago, Kelfer--a center on the Boston University hockey team--scored the game-winning goal in overtime to give B.U. its second straight Beanpot title.

He should have been home yesterday, watching the NHL playoffs.

But, no Kelfer was in uniform for the Terriers again--this time as a shortstop. Kelfer's two RBI helped lift B.U. to a 5-3 victory over the Crimson yesterday afternoon before 60 spectators at Soldiers Field.

Harvard was fresh off a Florida road swing and a six-inning stint against Red Sox ace Roger Clemens, but was unable to turn up the heat against the Terriers and dropped its first game of the season.

The Crimson (now 0-1) got off to a rocky start, giving up an unearned run in the first inning. After surrendering a single and a walk and committing two errors, the Crimson still had kept the Terriers off the scoreboard.

But after a pick-off and a mishandled fielder's choice, the bases were loaded.

Kelfer walked on five pitches, as the Terriers put their first run across.

B.U. (4-9) got another run in the top of the second as freshman Mario Ferrante brought in first baseman Joseph Roberts with a sacrifice fly. But the Crimson mounted a comeback, tagging Terrier starting pitcher Doug Bishop for two runs in the bottom of the second.

Morelli was on first base when designated hitter Rick McIntire drove a 1-1 fastball into the right-centerfield alley, scoring him. After Dave O'Connell flied out to right, Craig Boulris doubled, easily scoring McIntire.

But in the fifth, a walk, a single and a costly balk by Crimson starter Ed Toland put Terrier runners at second and third. B.U. Tri-Captain Jeff Fisher responded by doubling to right-center, and the Terriers pulled ahead by two.

Toland was lifted for freshman Vic McGrady, who retired 14 of 18 batters the rest of the way and gave up only one run in his 4 2/3 innings of work.

But what a run it was.

Kelfer struck again in the seventh inning, only this time using his hefty bat rather than his precise eyesight He crushed a fastball over the 375 foot marker in left-centerfield.

"It was a good pitch," Morelli said. "He [Kelfer] got the head of the bat out there and just hit it."

Captain Mike Pakalnis delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the same inning, but Gary Pisa--who had come on in relief of starter Bishop in the sixth inning--slammed the door on the Crimson by striking out four of the last nine Crimson batters while surrendering only a single.

When the last out was recorded, the B.U. players mobbed each other on the mound. It was the first time in the three-year history of the new Terrier baseball program that B.U. had defeated a Division I team.

"This was a great teaching [game]," said B.U. Coach Bill Mahoney. "We can now say that we've beaten better teams."

Pakalnis looked at the loss philosophically: "It'll pick us up," he said. "Against Yale and Brown we'll be more pumped up."