Harvard bestowed a crown of thorns on the Holy Cross baseball team yesterday, pounding out nine hits off four Crusader pitchers and swiping five bases en route to an 8-5 come-from-behind victory. Ric LaCivita and Leigh Hogan provided the offensive punch, knocking in single runs with three and two hits respectively.

Five runs in the fifth inning sealed the Crimson win after the boys from Worcester grabbed an early 4-2 lead. After Larry Barbiaux flied out and Dan Williams grounded out, Ed Durson walked and stole second. LaCivita crashed a triple over the centerfielder's head and Hogan singled him in to tie the game.

Joe Mackey walked, but the Crusader catcher kept Holy Cross starter and pro prospect Butch Bornstein from walking to the dugout when he let the ball escape him after Dave St. Pierre's third strike swing, allowing St. Pierre to reach first safely.

With the bases now loaded, Bornstein struck Loen Goetz with a pitch and walked John Friar and Barbiaux to score three runs and up Harvard's lead to 7-4.

"The encouraging part is that the kids have started hitting during the last two or three ballgames. The hitting is coming around at just the right time," coach Loyal Park said after the game.

Harvard starter Don Driscoll went the distance, allowing nine hits, striking out eight and walking three to even his record at 3-3.

Harvard scored two runs in the first inning, again after two outs. Durso walked and stole second, but LaCivita and Hogan flied out. Mackey then singled in Durso and scored on St. Pierre's double.

The Crusaders struck back with four runs in the third inning, highlighted by shortstop Bob Bigda's bases-loaded double.

The Crimson closed out the scoring in the ninth when Goetz walked, moved to second when Friar was hit by a pitch, and scored on Williams's single.

Barbiaux, playing for injured Jim Thomas, settled in at the hot corner yesterday as he made six assists and one put-out with no errors.

LaCivita made the defensive play of the ballgame when he foiled the Crusader rightfielder's bid for an inside-the-park home run by throwing him out at home in the eighth inning.