Terriers' Pitching Stops Softball, 2-1

One needs good pitching, fielding and hitting to win in softball.

Harvard executed well in the first two categories yesterday against Boston University, but it was the hitting that let the team down in its hard-fought 2-1 loss.

The positive notes were that fielding and pitching for Harvard were solid and that Harvard was the first team to score against B.U. in its last eight games.

But the Terriers (18-7) came away with the victory because they limited the Crimson (10-8, 3-1 Ivy) to two hits on the afternoon and scored runs in both the sixth and seventh innings.

"It's definitely disappointing, but I think we played together today," said sophomore Melissa Kreuder, who drove in Harvard's only run with a double in the fourth. "Our bats just didn't come out today."

B.U.'s two pitchers confronted the Harvard batters with something they haven't really seen this year--the riseball.

The Terriers had good movement and good speed with their pitches, and it was the riser that continually got the Crimson off-balance.

In fact, eight of Harvard's first nine hitters in the game struck out against B.U.'s Tiana Hejduk. Freshman Kara Hartl was the lone exception, as she collected a two-out double in the first, but she was stranded.

"I think we swung not to hit a riseball, and anytime you're scared, you're not going to hit well," Harvard coach Jenny Allard said.

A little bad luck also hurt Harvard. In the bottom of the fifth, with Harvard still ahead 1-0, Harvard attempted a squeeze play.

Freshman Jenny Franzese dropped a good bunt down the third-base line, and junior Sue Traub beat the throw to the plate. However, B.U. catcher Elaine Schwager blocked the plate and applied the tag for the out.

It was a tough break, and the Terriers tied the game in the next inning. If Hejduk wasn't hurting the Crimson with her pitching, she certainly delivered the big blow at the plate, homering with two outs off freshman Heather Brown to tie the game.

"That home run took a lot away from us," junior Amy Reinhard said. "It's just that we didn't go right after them and try to get it back."

Harvard put the go-ahead run at second with two outs, but pitcher Audrey West and her riseball--who started the sixth inning--froze Reinhard at the plate for a called third strike.

For the game, Harvard was 1-4 with runners in scoring position--the lone execution coming on Kreuder's double.

Another tough break led to the winning run in the sixth.

Feinberg, who made several great plays at second base, snared a line drive and threw to first to try to get a double play.

Unfortunately, the B.U. runner's helmet deflected the throw away, and the next batter--West--blasted a double to center to score the run.

Oh, those B.U. pitchers!

West retired six of the seven hitters she faced in the sixth and seventh innings for the victory.

West, who featured a wicked riseball, was certainly the best pitcher Harvard had faced this year, entering yesterday's game with a 10-2 record and 0.32 ERA.

"She is known for her riseball," Kreuder said. "It had a lot of movement and kept us guessing."

On the whole, the game was a pitchers' duel. Harvard freshman Tasha Cupp and sophomore Rachel Salzman kept the Terriers scoreless for the first five innings, allowing only two hits. The Terrier hurlers combined for 14 strikeouts and yielded just two hits.

But hitting against that type of pitching is a must for Harvard, since defending Ivy League champion Princeton (28-6, 4-0) comes to Soldiers Field for a doubleheader tomorrow afternoon beginning at 1 p.m.

Harvard has never beaten Princeton in 24 meetings, and the Tigers possess some more pitchers who can throw the riser.

"We have to play hard--[Princeton is] not going to make mistakes," Allard said. "We will do all that we can to give our best, and that's all that you can ask of [the players]."

B.U., 2-1 at Soldiers Field   R  H  E BU  000  001  1  --  2  5  0 Harvard  000  100  0  --  1  20 B.U.  AB  R  H  BI  BB  SO White cf  3  0  0  0  0  0 Hejduk p/3b  3  1  1  1  0  0 Tolmasoff rf  3  0  0  0  0  1 MacMillan ss  3  0  0  0  0  1 Iwamoto 1b  3  1  2  0  0  0 Pasinosky 2b  3  0  0  0  0  1 Rajaratnam 3b  2  0  0  0  0  0 West p  1  0  1  1  0  0 Smith lf  3  0  0  0  0  1 Schwager c  2  0  1  0  0  0 TOTALS  26  2  5  2  0  3 HARVARD  AB  R  H  BI  BB  SO Lee 3b  3  0  0  0  0  1 Feinberg 2b  1  1  0  0  2  1 Hartl c  2  0  1  0  0  1 Kreuder rf  3  0  1  1  0  1 Reinhard ss  3  0  0  0  0  2 Cupp p  1  0  0  0  0  1 Salzman p  1  0  0  0  0  0 Brown p  1  0  0  0  0  1 Sadow lf  2  0  0  0  0  2 Reyen 1b  2  0  0  0  1  2 Traub rf  0  0  0  0  0  0 Franzese cf  2  0  0  0  0  1 Willis ph  1  0  0  0  0  1 TOTALS  22  1  2  1  3  14

E: None. DP: DeLorenzo-Eagleroad-Lingo; Giardi-Bernhard-Morgan LOB: Harvard 4, B.U. 3. 2B: Hartl, Kreuter, West. 3B: None. HR: Hedjuk. SB: Traub. CS: None. B.U.  IP  H  R  ER  BB  SO Hejduk  5.0  2  1  1  2  9 West,W  2.0  0  0  0  1  5 HARVARD  IP  H  R  ER  BB  SO Cupp  3.0  1  0  0  0  3 Salzman  2.0  1  0  0  0  0 Brown  2.0  3  2  2  0  0

WP: West. PB: None. BK: None. HBP: None.

E: None. DP: DeLorenzo-Eagleroad-Lingo; Giardi-Bernhard-Morgan LOB: Harvard 4, B.U. 3. 2B: Hartl, Kreuter, West. 3B: None. HR: Hedjuk. SB: Traub. CS: None. B.U.  IP  H  R  ER  BB  SO Hejduk  5.0  2  1  1  2  9 West,W  2.0  0  0  0  1  5 HARVARD  IP  H  R  ER  BB  SO Cupp  3.0  1  0  0  0  3 Salzman  2.0  1  0  0  0  0 Brown  2.0  3  2  2  0  0

WP: West. PB: None. BK: None. HBP: None.