Baseball Sweeps, Is Swept

In its never ending search for consistency, the Harvard baseball team took one step forward and one step back this past weekend against Brown in Providence, R.I. The Crimson (9-18,6-10 Ivy) played twinbills versus Brown (10-24, 5-11) on Saturday and Sunday, sweeping Saturday's action by scores of 7-3 and 15-7, and then being swept in Sunday's play, 10-4 and 5-4.

"On Saturday, we got all the breaks," senior pitcher Jamie Irving said. "We played well defensively, we played well all-around. On Sunday, we just didn't play well. It wasn't one specific thing."

So while symmetric, the results for Harvard were still unsatisfying, especially after such a promising start. Entering the weekend, Brown was the only team behind Harvard in the Red Rolfe Disision of the Ivies, but the margin was only a game.

This precarious lead, which Harvard maintained, is one of the few bright spots for Harvard in a disappointing, injury-marred season that has been marked by contrasts--solid play followed by pervasive inconsistency, freshman brilliance on the heels of freshman mistakes, close losses made heartbreaking by gutty comebacks.

Versus Brown, Harvard's brightest spot was its bats. The Crimson collected an impressive 45 hits over the four games, led by a red-hot Mike Hochanadel.

"We hit better this weekend than we have all years," Freshman outfielder Bret Vankoski, who went 1-4 with two runs scored and one RBI, said. "We haven't had that [45 hits] all years."

Sophomore Hochanadel, who has also taken over the shortstop position, went 7-14 over the weekend, with a double, triple, home run, and nine RBI. Hochanadel, who was batting 217 with only six RBI a short six games ago, is now hitting .286, leading the squad with three homers, and tied for the team lead with 17 RBI. He has gone 10 for his last 20 with two dingers and 11 RBI.

Harvard 7, Brown 3

Sophomore pitcher Frank Hogan also played impressively, opening the weekend's games on Saturday with a seven-inning complete game win in which he gave up only three runs (all earned), four hits and one walk while striking out eight. The win improved Hogan's record to 2-1.

Harvard started this game exceptionally well, scoring six runs in the top of the first inning. That was more than enough for Hogan, who allowed only one run in the first six innings.

The Crimson also played errorless ball for one of the few times this year (coming into this game, they had committed 55 errors to 37 for its opponents), and generally played like a relaxed, confident team.

Hochanadel keyed the offense by going 2-3 with three RBI, and senior first baseman Joe Weidenbach and freshman outfielder Brian Ralph also contributed two hits apiece.

Harvard 15, Brown 7

Reminiscent more of the Lumber Company of the Big Red Machine than a polite Ivy Squad, Harvard collected 15 hits. Eight of the nine Crimson starters got at least one hit, and six starters notched at least two hits.

The Crimson broke the game open by scoring six runs in the top of the fifth to make the score 10-1. Senior pitcher Mike Cicero (3-3) got the win by going five-plus innings, allowing seven runs (only four earned), 11 hits, one walk, and striking out five.

Cicero cruised through the first four innings, allowing only one run but hurt by a shaky Harvard defense, struggled in the fifth and starting the sixth. By that time, however, the game was well decided thanks to the effective Harvard aluminum.

"On Saturday, we got a few key singles in clutch situations," sophomore infielder Peter Albers said. "We had some ground balls go through the middle, and we got some breaks that we haven't got all year."

Hochanadel again led Harvard, going 2-4 with four RBI. Freshman outfielder Aaron Kessler also contributed three RBI, and junior catcher Dennis Doble added two RBI.

Brown 10, Harvard 4

Sunday was a different day in many ways for Harvard. With Irving on the mound, Harvard led 4-2 going into the bottom of the fifth. But then disaster struck, as Bear A. Ran Malick popped a three-run homer that gave Brown a lead it would never relinquish.

"I hung a pitch in the fifth to give up the home run," Irving, who took the loss to fall to 3-4, said. "It was one awful pitch. You usually can get away with one. It was just one of those days."

Irving was not helped in the field either, as of the seven runs he gave up in 42/3 innings, only five were earned.

Brown scored five runs in the fifth to take a 7-4 lead, and then closed the scoring by adding three more unearned runs in the seventh.

Junior first baseman Scott Parrot paced the Harvard offense, going 2-3 with two RBI. Albers also drove in two runs.

Brown 5, Harvard 4

The final game of the weekend was also the closest. Brown jumped out to an early 3-0 lead by scoring three runs in the first, and led 4-2 after three frames. But the Crimson refused to lie down.

Hochanadel hit a two-run homer in the fourth to tie the game up, and it looked like Harvard might take three of four and not repeat what happened last year against Brown at Brown--winning the first two but losing the last two.

However, Brown made sure history did repeat itself by scratching together what proved to be the winning run in the bottom of the sixth. A single, a sacrifice, and a single to right center scored the decisive run, and despite collecting an impressive 11 hits on the day, Harvard could not push across a run in its last two at bats.

"We really wanted to take three of four," Albers said. "We battled and battled (in Sunday's second game), but we just couldn't pull it out. We made a few mistakes in the field, and we just couldn't come back."

Playing for Pride

The rest of Harvard's year will be fueled by pride and will be mostly used as a foundation for next year. The Crimson has six regular season games left, and hopes to gain some confidence by winning the close ones.

"We need to play consistently here to build something for next year," Irving said. "We really worked hard in the off season, and it really too bad for the young guys. We need to get some confidence in the close games."

Albers added that the squad will get plenty of motivation from its own pride.

"It's kind of a cliche, but the rest of the season is for our own pride and dignity," he said. "Our lack of success hasn't been for lack of effort."

HARVARD, 7-3 at Aldrich Field R  H  E Harvard  600  001  0  --7  10  < Tab>0 Brown  010  002  0  --  3  41

HR: Harvard--None; Brown--Malick. 3B:

Harvard--Hochanadel; Brown--None. 2B:

Harvard--Hochanadel; Brown--Murphy (2). E.

Harvard--None; Brown Cloutier.

HARVARD, 15-7 at Aldrich Field   R  H  E Harvard  013  062  3  --  15  15   3 Harvard  001  033  0  --  7  14< Tab>3

HR: Harvard--None; Brown--None. 3B: Harvard--Ralph, Double, Parrot; Brown--Humphreys, Murphy. 2B: Harvard--Ralph, Doble, Parrot; Brown--Jessie. E: Harvard--Albers (2), Marcucci. Brown--Cloutier (2), Marcucci.

WP: Cicero: LP: Scarlata.

Brown, 10-4 at Aldrich Field   R  H  E Harvard  010  210  0  --  4  82 Brown  101  053  X  --  10  111

HR: Harvard--None; Brown--Malick. 3B: Harvard--Double; Brown--Donnelly 2B: Harvard--None; Brown--Sustache, Murphy. E: Harvard--Weidenbach, Albers; Brown--Sustache.

WP; Perry; LP:Irving (3-4).

Brown, 5-4 at Aldrich Field R  H  E Harvard  020  200  0  --  4  11< Tab>2 Brown  310  010  X  --  574

HR: Harvard--Hochanadel; Brown--None. 3B: None. 2B: Harvard--Albers, Ralph; Brown-- Jessie. E. Harvard--Kessler, Albers; Brown-- Hargrave (2), Sustache, Holowaty.

WP: Hargrave; LP: Allen.

HR: Harvard--None; Brown--Malick. 3B:

Harvard--Hochanadel; Brown--None. 2B:

Harvard--Hochanadel; Brown--Murphy (2). E.

Harvard--None; Brown Cloutier.

HARVARD, 15-7 at Aldrich Field   R  H  E Harvard  013  062  3  --  15  15   3 Harvard  001  033  0  --  7  14< Tab>3

HR: Harvard--None; Brown--None. 3B: Harvard--Ralph, Double, Parrot; Brown--Humphreys, Murphy. 2B: Harvard--Ralph, Doble, Parrot; Brown--Jessie. E: Harvard--Albers (2), Marcucci. Brown--Cloutier (2), Marcucci.

WP: Cicero: LP: Scarlata.

Brown, 10-4 at Aldrich Field   R  H  E Harvard  010  210  0  --  4  82 Brown  101  053  X  --  10  111

HR: Harvard--None; Brown--Malick. 3B: Harvard--Double; Brown--Donnelly 2B: Harvard--None; Brown--Sustache, Murphy. E: Harvard--Weidenbach, Albers; Brown--Sustache.

WP; Perry; LP:Irving (3-4).

Brown, 5-4 at Aldrich Field R  H  E Harvard  020  200  0  --  4  11< Tab>2 Brown  310  010  X  --  574

HR: Harvard--Hochanadel; Brown--None. 3B: None. 2B: Harvard--Albers, Ralph; Brown-- Jessie. E. Harvard--Kessler, Albers; Brown-- Hargrave (2), Sustache, Holowaty.

WP: Hargrave; LP: Allen.

HR: Harvard--None; Brown--Malick. 3B: Harvard--Double; Brown--Donnelly 2B: Harvard--None; Brown--Sustache, Murphy. E: Harvard--Weidenbach, Albers; Brown--Sustache.

WP; Perry; LP:Irving (3-4).

Brown, 5-4 at Aldrich Field R  H  E Harvard  020  200  0  --  4  11< Tab>2 Brown  310  010  X  --  574

HR: Harvard--Hochanadel; Brown--None. 3B: None. 2B: Harvard--Albers, Ralph; Brown-- Jessie. E. Harvard--Kessler, Albers; Brown-- Hargrave (2), Sustache, Holowaty.

WP: Hargrave; LP: Allen.