Bentley Gives Two Shiners to Batswomen

The sun finally shone on the Harvard softball team.

But after yesterday's doubleheader against Bentley College, the Crimson would have preferred rain.

"It was a glorious day," said Harvard Coach John Wentzell, whose team had missed eight early-season games because of rain. "The results weren't as glorious as we hoped."

The results were two losses, as Bentley swept the Crimson in a double-header at Soldiers Field. The Crimson dropped the opener, 2-1, in eight innings, and was crushed in the nightcap, 10-2.

In the first game, Bentley scored an unearned run in the first inning off Harvard ace Lora Rowning. A walk, a wild pitch and an error in the outfield provided the Falcons' score.

The Crimson battled back in the bottom of the second to tie the game. Right-fielder Elizabeth Crowley led off the inning with a double. After an out, left-fielder Nancy Prior doubled in Crowley for Harvard's only run.

Rowning settled down after the first inning and began to mow down the Falcon batters, yielding only three hits in the first seven innings while striking out seven.

The Crimson managed nine hits in the opener, but couldn't bring anyone home. Harvard had two runners on in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings, but Bentley escaped into extra innings unharmed.

"We had our chances and we left runners on," Wentzell said.

In the top of the eighth Bentley finally broke through for a run against Rowning. With one out, Rowning walked Falcon hitter Patty Flanigan and Rowning's wild pitch moved the runner to second. The next batter, Vicki Westover, then doubled to give the Falcons their margin of victory.

Second Game Blues

A tough loss--especially an extra-inning loss--is always difficult to battle back from in a double-header.

"The team that wins the first game generally goes on to win the second," Coach Wentzell said. "The confidence factor and all that."

In the nightcap, Bentley proved Wentzell right. The visitors pounded freshman starter Lee Polikoff for nine hits, including three triples, en route to their 10-2 victory.

"Well, there goes the E.R.A.," Polikoff sighed after the second game.

Bentley scored two runs in both the third and fourth innings to take the lead. Two-out, extra-base hits drove in all four Falcon runs.

The Crimson staged a comeback in the bottom of the fourth. After Mary Baldauf and Lisa Rowning both reached base, Sharon Hayes singled to left to drive in Baldauf. Trisha Brown followed with another single to knock in Rowning, but these were the only runs the Crimson would score.

Bentley continued to wallop the ball, breaking through for runs in fifth and sixth innings. The Falcons scored four more runs in the seventh as Polikoff grew tired.

"They really hit the hell out of the ball," Wentzell said. "Lee's been outstanding, but she needs lots of experience."

"What can you do," Wentzell added. "Some days you get the bear and other days the bear gets you."

THE NOTEBOOK: Due to rainouts, the Crimson will travel to Providence, R.I., on Monday and to New Haven, Ct., on Tuesday to play make-up double-headers against Brown and Yale, respectively. Tomorrow the Crimson will face B.C. in a scrimmage.