NOTEBOOK: Suspect Umping Riles Crimson

Crimson head coach Joe Walsh left Providence yesterday with a bad taste in his mouth, not only from the consecutive doubleheader splits kept Harvard and Brown tied at the top of the Ivy League’s Red Rolfe Division, but also from the shaky umpiring that seemed determined to push his team down in the standings.

Both teams felt that the umpiring during yesterday’s twinbill, particularly behind the plate, left something to be desired.

“I felt that the guy was having a real tough time calling strikes,” Walsh said. “It was on both sides, but it seemed to affect us a little bit more. It seemed like we were battling not only a first-place team, but the umps too.”

One play during a tight spot in the fifth inning of game one drew special attention—and criticism—from the Crimson bench. Junior Matt Vance, who had singled and moved to second on a Jeff Stockel sacrifice bunt, represented the go-ahead run in a 2-2 ballgame with junior slugger Steffan Wilson at the plate. As the speedy Vance took off for third, Brown pitched out, with Bears catcher Devin Thomas reaching across his body for the ball outside.

But the home plate umpire saw it differently, calling Wilson out on strikes and garnering a loud response from the visitors’ dugout. Assistant coach Todd Carroll offered the angriest reaction and received the strongest rebuke, as the home-plate umpire made a quick move to eject him.

“I have never seen a call like that before—that’s what really got our bench roaring,” Walsh said, referring the initial strikeout ruling. “It was tough to take. At the same time, you can’t always point to one pitch or one call that makes or breaks the game.”

Another decision by the same umpire later in the game upset the Brown bench. After surrendering the three-run shot to Robert Papenhause that gave the Bears a 5-2 lead, Harvard starter Eric Eadington promptly hit the next batter, Ryan Murphy, in the back with his first pitch. The home-plate umpire warned both benches after the beaning. While there was nothing to suggest that Eadington hit Murphy intentionally, the warning drew a heated Brown head coach Marek Drabinski out of the dugout, wondering why both benches had been warned.

BYRNE OUT

Captain Brendan Byrne pulled a hamstring legging out a fielder’s choice grounder in the third inning of Saturday’s second game. Byrne reached safely as Vance was forced at second, but the captain pulled up a few steps before the first-base bag, in noticeable pain. After watching Byrne try to walk off the injury, Walsh made the quick move for pinch runner Griff Jenkins.

Now, Byrne, junior Tom Stack-Babich and Max Warren and freshman Andrew Prince are all suffering from leg injuries—a trend Walsh attributes to the recent cold weather. Prince started each of the weekend’s four games as the Crimson’s designated hitter, but was clearly slowed as a baserunner.

“We’ve got guys that have been playing hurt, and I’m proud of them for battling,” Walsh said. “Plus the guys we’ve got coming off the bench are doing a pretty good job as well.”

NO FENWAY FOR YOU

The Crimson’s April 15 doubleheader against Yale, which was postponed due to rain and was originally rescheduled for tomorrow afternoon, has been pushed to Wednesday afternoon at O’Donnell Field. As a result, Harvard’s Beanpot Tournament consolation matchup against the University of Massachusetts at Fenway Park has been cancelled.

Both Harvard and Yale have open dates today and tomorrow, and the forecast does predict bad weather that might necessitate postponing the game again. But Yale appealed the decision to reschedule for tomorrow, apparently concerned with the strain that three doubleheaders in four days would put on the team.

The Ivy League complied by moving the doubleheader back a day and pushing the Crimson out its Fenway date, citing the rationale that league matchups take precedence over nonconference games.

“We’re pretty disappointed with the decision,” Walsh said. “We feel we’re a deep enough team to handle that situation, but it’s not in our hands.”

—Staff writer Emily W. Cunningham can be reached at ecunning@fas.harvard.edu.