Baseball Drops Beanpot Consolation Game, 6-2, to UMass

After taking three of four from archrival Yale this past weekend, the Harvard baseball team rolled into Wednesday’s Beanpot consolation game against UMass with the momentum it had lacked all season.

Despite the hot streak, however, the Crimson was unable to shake its midweek woes as Harvard fell to the Minutemen, 6-2, at the New England Baseball Complex in Northborough, Mass.

Freshmen Kevin Stone and Simon Rosenblum-Larson turned in strong pitching performances when the two intrastate foes squared off over spring break in Clearwater, Fla., as the Crimson took those contests, 5-1 and 9-5.

On Wednesday, junior Kevin Rex got the ball for Harvard (12-20, 5-7 Ivy), but he would not make it out of the second inning.

UMass (9-17, 2-7 Atlantic 10) scattered two runs on three hits in the home half of the first and ended Rex’s day when Ryan Lever and Vinny Scifo continued the singles barrage a frame later. Lever came around to score on a Dylan Morris sacrifice fly, but the Minutemen’s edge sat at just two despite five hits through the two innings.

The Crimson jumped on UMass starter Casey Aubin for a run in the first, but the freshman settled in once he rolled through the Harvard lineup once.

Crimson senior second baseman Mitch Klug doubled out of the two-hole and scored on a throwing error following a Matt Rothenberg single. However, the Crimson would only get one run and four more hits before Aubin exited in the sixth with his team still up by two.

“It’s tough [playing catch-up],” Rothenberg said. “We did a good job getting guys on base, getting some innings going, and then we just never found a way to capitalize and get that big hit with runners in scoring position. So that’s something we’ll definitely be looking to do going forward.”

The one Harvard hitter Aubin and the rest of the Minutemen’s staff could not figure out was freshman designated hitter Patrick McColl. The Los Altos, Calif., native had four of the Crimson’s eight hits on the afternoon, raising his batting average to .284, good for third among the team’s regulars.

“It was great for him to get off his feet a little today,” co-captain Matt Sanders said. “I think he had a great game, which is great in terms of as a confidence booster and getting his swing where it needs to be. I know he’s feeling great about where he is now, and these midweek games definitely help to boost your confidence going into this weekend.”

However, the team was unable to consistently get runners into scoring position, and when it did, it struggled to bring them home. Harvard manufactured a run in the third as a Rothenberg sacrifice fly plated junior shortstop Drew Reid, but in total, the Crimson left 12 runners on base and went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

After its lead was cut to one in the third, UMass added a run in the fourth off senior Sean O’Neill.

Harvard had multiple baserunners in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings but was unable to get anything across. After throwing a perfect sixth inning, senior Joey Sliepka ran into trouble in the seventh as UMass senior catcher John Jennings went yard.

Minutemen junior Mike Geannelis then doubled before senior T.J. Laurisch pitched the Crimson out of the inning without allowing another run. However, like Sliepka, Laurisch ran into some trouble of his own in his second inning of work, surrendering three hits and a run that pushed the Minutemen’s lead to four. Yet, Sanders found positives in both hurlers getting innings under their belt.

“It’s definitely helpful [for the weekend pitchers to get game action],” Sanders said. “You practice all week, but especially with pitching, it’s tough to put yourself in a game situation when you’re throwing a bullpen. It’s great to face some live hitters and mentally put yourself in a game situation.”

McColl picked up his fourth hit in the top of the ninth, but the rest of the Harvard order could not muster a hit against Geannelis, who moved from first base to the mound for the final inning.

Geannelis is hitting .343 in 35 at-bats this season and has also made five appearances out of the UMass bullpen. Sanders is the only Crimson pitcher with an at-bat this season.

Harvard will now have to wait for 2017 to have a shot at another Beanpot title, which the Crimson has won three times in its 26 year history, most recently in 2014.

“Looking back on my for years here, one thing I’ll never forget is winning the Beanpot [in 2014],” Sanders said. “It’s one of those things that’s tremendously exciting. It’s fun to compete against these teams and see where you rank. It’s a great event.”

—Staff writer Stephen J. Gleason can be reached at stephen.gleason@thecrimson.com.