"Emotionally, it takes its toll," said Harvard shortstop Dave O'Connell, referring to the team's constant need to come from behind.

Solid leads for the Crimson (6-9-1 overall, 1-3 EIBL) are about as rare as a packed stadium for the Seattle Mariners. Harvard cannot put big innings together--it has been outscored, 101-78, this season, allowing teams to establish solid and often insurmountable leads.

And when the Crimson does take the lead, it doesn't seem to have the incentive to protect it.

"We just seem to get complacent," O'Connell said.

Inconsistency plagues the Crimson. Hitting and pitching rarely join forces. When they do, the scores speak for themselves. Wednesday, the Crimson pounded Brandeis, 13-4. The big inning--Harvard scored nine runs in the seventh--and the strong pitching of Bob Baxter, Mike Dorrington and Todd Froman sparked Harvard.

The Big Date

As the Crimson enters a crucial weekend series with Navy and league-leading Penn, it hopes that the bats can power the team to early leads. First baseman Rich Renninger has been on fire, going 9-for-11 in Harvard's last three games. Renninger has catapulted his batting average by 50 points in the last week to give him a .404 team-leading average. Captain Dan McConaghy has just slipped under 400, dropping to 390.

Renninger and McConaghy will need to be on this weekend if Harvard hopes to leave the door open for a shot at the EIBL title. On Saturday, the Crimson challenge Navy (4-6 EIBL) in a doubleheader in Annapolis, Md., and on Sunday, Harvard meets Penn (11-1) in Philadelphia, also in a twinbill.

While the Crimson has 15 EIBL games left, time may be running out as Penn has once again distanced itself from the competition.

Penn swept Columbia and Cornell last weekend but split a doubleheader with Princeton on Tuesday. The Quakers' 1-0 loss to the Tigers in the first game ended its 19 game EIBL winning-streak.

Before Harvard can battle mighty Penn, it must first try to sweep Navy. Last Year, the Crimson eclipsed the Midshipmen in a doubleheader that had Harvard thinking playoffs--but Penn quickly erased any of those thoughts.

Baxter, Dorrington, Forman and Greg Ubert will probably comprise the Crimson's rotation this weekend. Will history repeat itself? Harvard hopes yes and no.