Straight Out of The Natural

Experience often proves to be the decisive factor on the baseball diamond. The veteran ballplayer who knows the hitter, the pitcher, or even the umpire should own the day. This is why rookies and freshman have such a hard time.

But Harvard is known for its speedy learners. The Crimson Yardlings sparkled in their Eastern Baseball League christening this weekend, leading the charge in three wins out of four contests against Brown and Yale on the road.

Aron Allen had a weekend that would have seemed too extraordinary for the screenplay of The Natural. The third baseman and part-time catcher went 10-for-12, impressive for a singles hitter. But Allen is endowed with power.

That power exhibited itself for the first time this season when Allen clouted a double, two triples, and two home runs, knocking in 11 RBI's in the process. His first round tripper, in the second game against Brown, was a grand slam into left centerfield that buried and bruised the Bruins. He produced the game-winning RBI with a two-run double in the fourth inning in the nightcap against Yale.

"I expect to hit the ball and hit it well," Allen said. "I didn't start too well, but now I feel comfortable at the plate."

"He hit in the fall, he hit in the cage, we knew he could hit," Harvard Coach Alex Nahigian said. "It's always surprising though to go 10-for-12."

Ted Decareau earned himself rave reviews and perhaps a starting job with clutch hitting and startling defensive work. Batting in the ninth slot, Decareau surprised the beleagured Brown bomb victims with a base-clearing double, capping off a seven-run inning. His encore was a towering Sunday-afternoon solo shot to left.

Decareau added fielding grace to his batting might. Eli cleanup powerhouse Al Kolesar led off the sixth with a fly to short-right center. Decareau, who had been stationed near the line, needed more than his great jump to reach the ball. Risking an error, Decareau dove to his right and snagged the ball just before both landed.

"That was a Big League catch," an awed Nahigian said.

"I've never had such a great defensive play behind me," winning pitcher Jon (The Bird) Biotti confessed.

Bionic Biotti

Biotti deserves some kudos himself. The 6-ft., 4-in. righty befuddled the Elis with strong, tailing fastballs and a recently developed slider. He limited the Blue to four hits over six innings, surrendering only two runs during a slugger's afternoon.

"We didn't think he had anything on his pitches at first," Yale Coach Joe Benanto admitted. "He really frustrated us."

Biotti and the rest of the Crimson will continue to frustrate opponents if the solid pitching, inpenetrable fielding and explosive offense persist. Much of this depends on the Yardlings, which recalls another of Benanto's unenlightened musings.

"It's tough to win with freshmen."