It might have gone on forever. If the Harvard baseball team hadn't taken pity on Northeastern, a beleaguered Husky pitcher might still be on the Parsons Field mound, desperately trying--and failing--to throw a strike.

Instead, after scoring seven runs with none out in the top of the seventh to take a 17-1 lead, the Crimson decided the time had come to display some mercy. Northeastern pitchers had donated 12 free passes to the Harvard cause, and Husky reliever Chris Chaloff had just walked in two runs.

But the batmen had summer jobs to take, papers to write...and even a nightcap with the Huskies still to come.

So Harvard quickly batted itself out of the inning, and Bill Larson finished off his four-hitter, one-two-three in the bottom of the seventh.

But Northeastern's hell had just begun. Harvard batted around three times in the second game en route to a 20-1 pounding of the Huskies that boosted the Crimson's season record to 8-1. The Hound left their home field with a 1-6 mark.

Every Harvard batter came away with at least one hit, but three of them enjoyed particularly noteworthy outings. Catcher Vinnie Martelli homered once, doubled twice and drove in nine runs while getting seven hits in eight at-bats. First baseman Ed Farrell got round trips in both contests, extending his home run streak to three games. Farrell reaped four hits in as many at-bats. And third baseman Elliott Rivera finished the day five-for-five.

Farrell set the tone for the day with a three-run shot over the scoreboard in the first inning of the opener. "That was the best home run I ever hit," said Farrell, who has hit quite a few.

The next Crimson RBI came in the third, when Martelli hit a Texas league double down the right field line to score Brad Bauer from first. Martelli left no doubt about his next at-bat, a towering three-run homer over the left field fence. But though the final results were never in question, the scores would have been less lopsided if the breaks hadn't gone Harvard's way. But almost all of them did.

"You've got to be lucky to have a day like that," Martelli said.

By the time Martelli hit his homer, the Crimson had already knocked one pitcher out of the box Starter Tony DiMaggio allowed just two hits but gave up four runs, as the bat men made the most of six bases on balls in the first 3 2/3 innings.

Replacement Dave Seropian tried a different approach to putting Crimson runners on the basepaths: he put the ball over the plate, then watched as it sailed back over the heads of his infielders. The first four batters he faced all his safely.

While the Harvard tally mounted, Larson kept the Huskies at bay. Third baseman Rivera and shortstop Tony DiCesare both took runs away from Northeastern with diving stops. But it was a play that Rivera didn't make that put Northeastern on the scoreboard. Bill O'Leary drew a two-out walk, and Kevin Guiney singled him to second. Dan Spotts grounded to Rivera, whose throw to Farrell was in the dirt. Paul DiPillo's infield single scored the Husky run.

Harvard started slow in the second game, stranding three runners at the end of a one-run first inning. But Martelli and Farrell brought back the spark in the third. Martelli swatted on to deep left center to lead off the inning. Center fielder Mark Ferullo got a terrific jump and got to the ball on time, but it bounced off his mitt and rolled to the fence as Martelli circled the bases. Farrell rode the next pitch over the left field fence.

The Crimson batted around in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings before the game was finally called because of darkness.

THE NOTEBOOK: Harvard opens its Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League (EIBL) season at Princeton Saturday before journeying to Annapolis, Md, to face Navy Sunday. Navy and Yale should be the batmen's toughest EIBL opposition. Crimson 17, Northeastern 1 HARVARD   ab  r  h  bl Weller cf II  1  3  1  0 Rivera 3b  1  1  1  0 Bauer 2b 3b  2  3  1  2 Martelli c  4  3  4  6 Farrell 1b  2  1  2  3 Allard rf  4  0  0  1 Maspons dh  3  2  0  0 DiCesare ss  3  1  1  0 Vierra If  3  0  0  0 McNmara ph  1  1  1  1 Lyman 2b  2  1  1  1 Schinder 1b  1  0  0  1 Vallone cf  1  1  1  1 Total  28  17  13  16 NORTHEASTERN   ab  r  h  bl Craft cf  4  0  0  0 O'Malley dh  4  0  0  0 Kelly ss  3  0  0  0 O'Leary 3b  1  1  0  0 Gurney dh  3  0  1  0 Spotts rf  3  0  0  0 DiPillo if  3  0  2  1 Carey 1b  3  0  1  0 Valen 2b  2  0  0  0 Total  26  1  4  1

Harvard  301  501  7--17 Northeastern  001  000  0--1

Game-Winning RBI--Farrell E--Rivera. DiCesare LOB--Harvard 6. Northeastern 6 28--Marteli. Farrell, Vallone HR--Farrell (3). Marteli (1) S--Rivera 2. DiCesare DP--Harvard 1. Northeastern 1.   IP  H  R  ER  BB  SO Harvard Larson W. 3-0  7  4  1  0  5  5 Northeastern DiMaggio L. 0-2  3 2/3  2  6  6  6  1 Seropian  2 1/2  11  11  11  4  2 Chaloff  1  0  0  0  2  1

Seropian faced seven batters in the seventh HBP--Weller by DiMaggio PB--Martelli T--2:38 A--29. Crimson 20, Northeastern 1 HARVARD   ab  r  h  bl Weller if  5  2  2  2 Rivera 3b  5  3  4  1 Bauer 2b  4  1  1  0 Martelli c  4  3  3  3 Farvell 1b  2  3  2  1 Allard rf  2  2  1  4 McNmara dh  5  0  2  1 DiCesare ss  4  2  1  2 Vallone cf  4  0  2  2 Lyman 3b  1  1  1  2 Maspons c  1  1  0  0 Schindler 1b  1  1  1  0 Vierra rf  1  1  1  1 Total  30  20  21  19 NORTHEASTERN   ab  r  h  bl Ferullo cf  2  0  1  0 Mealey 2b  3  0  0  0 Gurney ss  2  0  0  0 O'Leary 3b  2  0  0  0 DiPillo if  2  1  0  0 Carey 1b  2  0  0  0 Nagar rf  3  0  2  1 Frechette c  1  0  0  0 Buras ss  2  0  0  0 Buonopne ph  1  0  0  0 Murphy ph  1  0  0  0 Roach ph  1  0  1  0 Total  22  1  4  1

Harvard  112  466--20 Northeastern  010  000--1

Game-Winning RBI--Allard E--Ferullo. Mealey Buras 2 LOB--Harvard 11. Northeastern 9 2B--Martelli, Allard, Vierra, DiCesare HR--Farrell (4) Lyman (1) S--Vallone DP--Northeastern 2.   IP  H  R  ER  BB  SO Harvard Brown W. 1-0  5  3  1  1  4  4 Sution  1  1  0  0  0  1 Northeastern Weiner L. 1-1  4  12  12  10  5  0 Chaloff  1  5  6  6  3  0 Bates  1  4  2  2  1  0

Weiner faced four batters in the fifth Chaloff faced four batters in the sixth.

HBP--Guiney and O'Leary by Brown. WP--Brown T--2:02, A--29.