The Harvard softball team yesterday almost pulled off a seventh-inning miracle for the second day in a row.
Boston College, however, wasn't quite as understanding as Wheaton was the day before, when it gave up a last-inning home run to the Crimson.
The pesky Eagles refused to cooperate, and held on in the final frame, handling Harvard its first loss of the season, 2-1.
The Cantabs, now 5-1, could only manage to punch out four hits against B.C. hurler Leslie Lane-two in the pseudo instant replay seventh.
Harvard mounted its seventh-inning treat, however, only to see the tying run stranded on the basepaths.
"We're got to score more runs than that," Crimson Couch John Wentzell said. "We've got to bring the pop-ups down to line drives."
The pop-ups weren't levelling off for either squad yesterday, however, as Harvard pitcher Janet Dickerman engaged Lane in a tight pitcher's duel.
In her second start of the season, Dickerman gave up just three hits over the course of the game. She faced the minimum three batters in five frames, and four batters in another.
It was the one remaining inning, however, that spelled her-and the Crimson's-doom.
Control problems plagued Dickerman in the fourth, when eight Eagle batters came to the plate. Three of them reached on walks-two with the bases loaded-and that was all B.C. needed for the victory.
"Outside of that one lapse, Janet pitched super," Wentzell said.
Lane, meanwhile, put on a pitching exhibition of her own, refusing to let any Harvard hitters get on base the easy way. Besides showing off pinpoint control and a zippy delivery, she also changed speeds well all afternoon.
"She had good speed, and she mixed it up," Wentzell said of the Eagle hurler.
Harvard will have to be prepared to face pitchers of similar caliber-and velocity-in the coming weeks, when the squad gets into the meat of its schedule. Upcoming foes such as Penn and Princeton, who hit town this weekend, promise to place formidable figures on the hill.
The last two pitchers the Crimson has faced have been the fastest it has seen all year, and if it is to continue having success the squad will have to adjust.
After averaging seven-and-a-half runs per game in their first four contests, the batswomen scored only four against Wheaton on Monday, and could only eke out the lone run yesterday.
After each squad went down in order over the first three innings, B.C. got on the board first.
In the top of the fourth, after the leadoff batter was retired on a bunt attempt, Eagle catcher Anglea Seusel reached when shortstop Sharon Hayes had trouble handling her ground ball.
After Seusel was erased on a fielder's choice, Dickerman hit the skids, she yielded a single up the middle, and then proceeded to walk three in a row.
Harvard retaliated with its first hit of the day in the bottom of the fourth, as Hanva Bluestone lined one into left. She was cut down stealing however, and the mini-threat died.
Hayes's single in the fifth was the only other Crimson safety, until the fated seventh rolled along.
As the Cantabs prepared for their final turn at but, an air of expectancy arose-the heart of the lineup was due up, and the squad had come back to win in a similar situation just 24 hours earlier.
Mary Baldauf doubled to open things up, and Gin Barrest followed with a looping single to right. With runners on the corners and none out. Harvard looked like it might be about to repeat an end-of-game comeback.
All the next three batters could generate, though, was a Hayes sacrifice fly to center for one run-one short of another miracle. Game Winning RBI-LaBreque, E-Hayes, LOB-Harvard 2. Boston College 4 2B-Baldauf, LaBreque CS-Bluestone S-Hayes
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