Providence Outslugs Batsmen, 9-5

Baseball wasn't meant to be played under overcast skies and in 40-degree temperatures, like New England in March.

Cold weather makes for cold hitting and pitching. Limbs stiffen up and things don't go right.

Such was the case with the Harvard baseball team.

Yesterday the Crimson Nine travelled to Providence College and fell to the Friars, 9-5, in the team's first game since returning from Florida.

With the loss, Harvard fell to 4-6 on the season. Providence improved to 11-16.

Except for one bad inning, Harvard had the game in control. Going into the sixth, the Crimson led 5-1.

Senior hurler Sean Johston had pitched well, and sophomore designated hitter Dave Morgan had hit a two-run home run in the top of the fifth.

Morgan's Blast

Morgan stepped into a knee-high fastball down the middle and launched it over the centerfield fence to give the Crimson a four-run lead.

But in the sixth, things unravelled as the Friars scored five runs on only two hits to take the lead for good.

"I think Sean got a little tired going into the sixth inning," Co-Captain Dan Scanlan said.

Harvard could not recover from this explosion. Despite committing five errors in the ballgame, Providence hung on to win.

The Crimson's big guns including Scanlan and senior Jim Mirowka were silent in yesterday's game, leaving others in the line-up to carry a greater share of the burden.

They responded by scoring five runs over the first-six innings.

"We thought five runs would be enough," Morgan said.

Five would have been enough, had it not been for Providence's amazing sixth.

"We know we should have won that one. It looked like we had the game in control," Morgan said. "It was a tough game, kind of strange."

Still, no one is blowing this early loss out of proportion.

"It's still early in the season. It was our first game hitting in the cold," Morgan said. "When we put things together, we're an unbelievable team."

PROVIDENCE, 9-5 at Hendricken Field R  H  E Harvard  021  002  000  --  5  5   1 Providence  000  105  21x  --  913  5

HR: Harvard--Morgan; Providence--Merloni, Foster.

2B: Harvard--DelVecchio; Providence--Burns, Martoni, Foster, lerardi. E: Harvard--DelVecchio; Providence--Lyons, O'Toole, Merloni (2), DelVecchio.

WP: Fowler; LP: Johnson.

HR: Harvard--Morgan; Providence--Merloni, Foster.

2B: Harvard--DelVecchio; Providence--Burns, Martoni, Foster, lerardi. E: Harvard--DelVecchio; Providence--Lyons, O'Toole, Merloni (2), DelVecchio.

WP: Fowler; LP: Johnson.