With two outs and a runner on first in the bottom of the ninth inning of the deciding game of the Ivy League baseball championship series last Sunday, Princeton freshman shortstop Pat Boran stepped to the plate representing the winning run. He had homered in his last at-bat, and another monster shot over the center field wall would give the Tigers a 6-5 victory and the Ivy championship.
There was only one thing standing between Boran and rookie heroics--the right arm of Garett Vail.
With the O'Donnell field faithful on their feet and the Tigers hoping for one last ninth-inning rally, the Harvard senior hurler reared back and got the Princeton rookie to strike out on a pitch in the dirt to give the Crimson its third consecutive Ancient Eight title.
His two outs preserved Harvard's three-run comeback in the previous half-inning, when freshman designated hitter Faiz Shakir drove in the tying and championship-winning runs on a single to left field with the bases loaded.
Vail's clutch performance was even more impressive considering that he had started the first game of the series the day before. He got the victory by pitching five-plus innings and allowing three earned runs, seven hits and one walk against eight strikeouts.
Saturday's triumph was only Vail's second win of the season even though he is third in the team in both appearances (14) and innings pitched (49.1). He is second on the club with 51 strikeouts and a 3.28 ERA.
Perhaps Vail's most valuable asset is his performance in clutch situations. He is one of the most important members of the Crimson rotation and has made more starts (nine) than anyone else on the pitching staff, but he is also Harvard's most reliable closer and his relief performance in the rubber match against Princeton gave him a team-high three saves.
His versatility and experience on the mound helped lead the Crimson to its third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Those qualities gave Harvard the Ivy League title last weekend, and they also gave Garett Vail the title of The Crimson's Athlete of the Week.
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