Baseball Loses to BC Eagles, 6-4, in Anticlimactic Rematch

The Harvard baseball team's game against Boston College at BC yesterday might have been anticlimactic. But the way the Crimson played, no one would have guessed it.

In the first of three season-ending games against non-league foes, with Harvard's chances of post-season play blown by Yale's clinching of the league's Red Rolfe division last week, the Crimson (18-18 overall, 12-9 Ivy) faced the tough Eagles and came away with a loss-although psychologically it was a win.

After losing to BC earlier in the year in the finals of the Beanpot by a 14-5 count, the Crimson lost by only a 6-4 margin. What's more, Harvard could have even won the game.

"The game was definitely within our reach," Harvard sophomore pitcher Jamie Irvin said. "The fences were really short at their ballpark and they got a late home run that clinched it. If that hadn't of happened, we would've been right in there."

"I think it was definitely a sort of anticlimax for us--as pretty much all games are at this stage," Irvin said. "Our play didn't show it, though."

This spring has been a kissing-your-sister-type of period for the Crimson. On one hand, the team has had an outstanding year. It accumulated the second best overall and league record in the Ivies and has managed to stay above the 500 mark all season against tough competition.

But on the other hand, the one team in the league that has managed to keep ahead of it is...gasp...Yale.

The Elias have had an outstanding season. They have established a tough 29-7-0 overall record and have gone 16-4-0 in league play. Although the Crimson split with them in a weekend quadruple header earlier this season, Yale has been in front all year.

Any bit of Yale success is bad from a Harvard perspective in general, but what makes the Bulldogs' triumph in baseball this season all the worse is that Yale is one of only four teams in Harvard's Red Rolfe division. Thus, although the Crimson has a better record than Columbia (19-19-0 overall, 11-9-0 Ivy), the winner of the league's other division, the Lou Gehrig division, Harvard will not play for the league championship next week.

Still, there is much to be thankful for out at Soldiers Field. The Crimson has put together a good year, and some Crimson players have put forward some incredible performances.

Topping the list this season is junior first baseman Dave Morgan.

The big right-hander won the league's triple crown in league play this season. In the 20 league games, Morgan batted 470 with six home runs and 24 RBI's. Furthermore, he took his share of league honors in overall games. He finished first in home runs (eight), first in RBI's (34), and third in batting (413), Another Crimson player of note has been senior Co-Captain Mike Hill. In overall games, Hill finished second in league home runs (five) and first in doubles (15). In addition, he has been on a particularly impressive tear at the plate as of late. Last week, he batted. 455 with six runs and three RBI's. He was mentioned on the league's honor roll because of his efforts.