Repeating their heroics of last weekend, Crimson pitchers Chris Marchok, Kevin Curtin and Bob Baxter all tossed complete games in leading the Harvard baseball team to three wins in four games against Princeton Saturday and Cornell yesterday.
But in yesterday's extra-inning nightcap, Cornell spoiled Harvard's bid for a weekend sweep, rallying for two runs in the bottom of the eighth after Harvard had broken a 5-5 tie in the top of the inning.
The Crimson's split with Cornell, coupled with Dartmouth's sweep of Princeton, locked the two teams into a first-place tie in the Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League (EIBL) with 12-2 marks. Navy is next at 11-3.
The EIBL title will likely be decided next Saturday when the Crimson (15-4 overall) travels to Hanover, N.H., to play a doubleheader with the Big Green.
Harvard 11, Cornell 0
In yesterday's opener in Ithaca, N.Y., Curtin struck out seven Cornell batters and gave up only three hits, improving his record to 3-0 while dropping his ERA to 0.73.
The senior from Burlington recorded his third complete game in as many EIBL starts. In his 24-2/3 innings of pitching this season, Curtin has allowed just 15 hits and 9 walks.
The Crimson tallied three times in the second, once in the third, four times in the fourth, and three more in the fifth to provide Curtin with plenty of support.
In the second inning, five singles and two fielder's choices off loser Rob Deans (1-6) gave Harvard an early 3-0 lead.
Captain Mike Pakalnis and Jim DePalo (both 3-for-5), Craig Boulris (2-for-4), and Frank Caprio (2-for-5) led the Crimson's 17-hit barrage.
Cornell 7, Harvard 6 (8 inn.)
Although first baseman Rich Renninger doubled in Dan McConaghy in the top of the eighth to give Harvard a 6-5 lead, the Big Red scored twice in the bottom of the frame to gain a split in yesterday's doubleheader.
Cornell's Scott Kenney singled off loser Vic McGrady (now 2-1) with one out in the eighth, driving in Dave Dase from third base to tie the game. Mark Smith followed with another single to score Joe Toscano for the winning run.
Big Red starting pitcher John O'Connor (4-1 EIBL) took a two-hitter and a 5-0 lead into the sixth inning, but the Crimson--behind five singles, a double, and a ground out--was able to tie the contest at five runs apiece.
Harvard 3, Princeton 1
Marchok (3-2) fired a four-hitter and gave up only one run in Saturday's opening game against the Tigers in Princeton, N.J.
Since a rocky outing against Navy two weeks ago, the left-hander has seen his ERA drop from 6.57 to 3.42 after throwing complete game victories against Army last weekend and Princeton Saturday.
Trailing 1-0 in the second inning, Harvard evened the score when Dave Jamieson drew a bases-loaded walk, scoring Dan McConaghy. DePalo picked up the game-winner in the third inning with an RBI single, which scored Tom Konjoyan.
Pakalnis blasted his second homer of the season in the sixth inning, driving a pitch from Princeton loser Steve Holland (4-4) 400 feet over the left-centerfield wall.
Harvard 4, Princeton 2
Bob Baxter, Harvard's starter in the nightcap, survived threats in the sixth and seventh innings to pick up his fifth win in as many decisions.
The freshman left-hander struck out eightTigers, walked none, and gave up 10 hits en routeto the victory. Entering the game with no runsallowed in 26-1/3 innings, Baxter's ERA jumpedfrom 0.00 to 0.54.
A double by Pakalnis in the first and asacrifice fly (by Konjoyan), a suicide squeezebunt (by Pat Sullivan), and an error in the sixthinning accounted for Harvard's four runs.
The Tigers loaded the bases in the sixth, asTodd Tuckner and Sean Welsh singled and Pakalnismuffed Brandon Motler's grounder. But Baxterescaped the jam by getting Tony Moore to groundinto a 6-4-3 double play.
In the seventh inning, the Tigers tallied twicebefore Welsh flew out to end the game with tworunners on base.
THE NOTEBOOK: Cornell drops to 4-10 inleague action, and Princeton, after falling toboth Harvard and Dartmouth, finishes the season at6-11-1 in the EIBL.
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