Although the games were meaningless for the Harvard baseball team, the results were pretty good.
After being prematurely eliminated from the EIBL title hunt last weekend, the Crimson stayed home this weekend to face league opponents Princeton and Cornell.
The Crimson went 3-1 on the weekend, splitting its double-header with the Tigers Saturday, then sweeping the Big Red yesterday.
The consistency of the Crimson's pitching and defense were key to the weekend's success.
"When we win, it is usually the result of consistent play, and this weekend everyone did their job," said junior outfielder Juan Zarate. "We put it together and had a lot of fun."
On Saturday against Princeton, the Crimson got quality pitching but relatively silent hitting. In the first game, senior Sean Johnston was outstanding on the mound, but received paltry run support in a 2-1 loss.
In the second game, senior Tom Hurley picked up the slack and shut down the Tiger attack as Harvard turned the tables for a 2-1 win of its own.
Big Red Machine?--No
Against Cornell yesterday, the Harvard bats woke up just in time, as the Crimson won by scores of 4-3 and 11-6.
In the opener, the Crimson found themselves deadlocked at 1-1 in the sixth before finally breaking it open.
With the bases loaded and one out, senior Nick Delvecchio ripped a two-run single which scored Zarate and junior Mike Hill.
Sophomore Mike Giardi then doubled over the head of the right-fielder, driving in Dan Scanlan with what turned out to be the game winning run.
Junior Tony Lancette got the win as a surprise starter. Normally a reliever, Lancette found success in the rotation, going 6 strong innings for the win.
Senior Pete Rau came on to nail down the win in the seventh.
In the second game, the Crimson offense continued to chip away at Cornell pitching in spearheading an 11-6 victory.
Tied at 3-3 after four innings, the Crimson broke through for five runs in the fifth. Senior Co-Captains Jim Mrowka (3-for-4, 3 RBIs) and Dan Scanlan (3-for-4) were the catalysts.
Senior Ray Desrocher and freshmen Jamie Irving and Scott Davidson combined to hold the Big Red in check, rounding out a strong weekend for the staff.
With six games left in the season, the Crimson are in a position to finish in second place in the EIBL standings. Their record stands at 19-15 overall, 8-6 within the EIBL. HARVARD, 4-3 at Soldiers Field R H E Cornell 010 000 2 -- 3 5 HR: Cornell--Zimmerman, Eagleroad; Harvard--None.3B: Cornell--None; Harvard--None. 2B: Cornell--None; Harvard--Weissman, Giardi. E: Cornell--Lewis; Harvard--Weissman. WP: Lancette (1-0); LP: Nies (3-4) HARVARD, 11-6 at Soldiers Field R H E Cornell 201 001 2 -- 6 8 HR: Cornell--None; Harvard--None. 3B: Cornell--None; Harvard--None. 2B: Cornell--Zimmerman; Harvard--Scanlan (2), Mrowka.E: Cornell--Zimmerman; Harvard--None. WP: Desrocher; LP: Campbell.
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