Crimson Falls at Fenway

After a tight 1-0 victory over UMass in the preliminary round of the Beanpot last Tuesday, the Crimson hoped to claim its first tournament title since 2005 under the Fenway Park lights last night against BC. But, unfortunately for Harvard, the Eagles shut out the Crimson, earning the 2011 Beanpot Championship with a commanding 8-0 victory.

“We didn’t really come to play offensively,” freshman leftfielder Jack Colton said. “But it was really cool playing at Fenway and definitely something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. We didn’ t really play our best ball, but it was a cool experience nonetheless.”

Although the opening frame was uneventful, BC got on the board first with a run in the top of the second, as two Harvard errors helped junior infielder Anthony Melchionda reach home plate. Melchionda—who led off the inning for the Eagles—earned BC’s first hit of the day with a single to left field before converting the unearned run to put the Eagles up by one.

“Everybody came out to play and was really excited,” captain catcher Tyler Albright said. “We stepped out onto the field with a little bit of awe.”

BC struck again in the fourth, as the Eagles converted a string of hits for a run.

Junior pitcher Andrew Lawrence earned the RBI, sending home senior Garret Smith who opened the top of the inning with a double up the middle.

Lawrence impressed on the mound as well, earning the win for BC, striking out one batter and allowing just one hit in three innings pitched.

Only down 2-0, the Crimson had a chance to close the gap in the bottom of the fourth.

Senior centerfielder Dillon O’Neill started the inning off for Harvard with a single.

With one out, freshman third baseman Jake McGuiggan threaded the ball between first and second base on the ground to advance O’Neill to scoring position.

But the two runners would be left on base, as Harvard failed to convert this key scoring opportunity.

BC increased its lead in the sixth, converting two runs on three hits.

A Crimson error contributed to the second of these runs, as Harvard failed to pick off Perdios at second base, allowing a single by Payne to send him home.

A highlight for the Crimson came from freshman leftfielder Jack Colton in the seventh inning. With bases loaded, the rookie made a diving catch to keep the inning scoreless.

“It was tough to read the ball up there,” Colton said. “I was playing pretty shallow, so it game me a chance to go out and snag that line drive. It was pretty cool to make a sliding catch at leftfield at Fenway and definitely something I won’t forget.”

The first three pitchers in the lineup last night mirrored the group used by Harvard in the first round of the Beanpot against UMass, as senior Dan Berardo, junior Jonah Klees, and senior Andrew Hatch saw action in that order during both games.

Unfortunately for the Crimson, this group of Harvard pitchers had a less dominant night, allowing four runs.

Though Harvard was able to silence the Eagles’ bats in the seventh and eighth innings, BC doubled its lead to finish out the ninth.

In the ninth inning, the Crimson made three pitching changes, using sophomores Matt Doyle and Zach Olsen and senior Zach Hofeld. Despite the changes, the Eagles converted four more runs in the ninth, to put Harvard in its final eight-run hole.

BC accumulated 12 hits to Harvard’s seven on the night, and five Crimson errors helped the Eagles to the shutout.

In spite of the loss, the Crimson relished the opportunity to play under the lights at Fenway.

“It was a very cool opportunity to play at Fenway, especially under the lights,” Albright said.

“It was definitely a cool experience getting all of the kids an opportunity to play at Fenway,” Colton continued. “It’s an extra competitive experience that we like to have. It’s a lot of fun and I hope the red sox keep letting us play there."