The Harvard baseball team has faced a powerful and relentless enemy this season-Mother Nature. She and her dastardly cohorts of rain, clouds and cold wind, have prevented the Crimson from playing six games in the past couple weeks.

Yesterday, despite forecasts of continued bad weather, Mother Nature gave Harvard a break and blessed O'Donnell Field with a cloudless sky, radiant sun, and a refreshing breeze. Harvard (16-24, 9-9 Ivy), though, was not treated with similar benevolence on the field as it was beaten, 3-2, by the Vermont Catamounts (21-16, 10-6 America East).

In pitcher-friendly O'Donnell Field (410' to straight-away center and wind in batters' faces), the two pitchers rightfully had impressive outings

For Harvard, sophomore Justin Nyweide (2-4) was solid, striking out ten Catamounts and only giving up three runs on 10 hits. Vermont freshman Jeff Dixon (1-2) also threw well, striking out two while scattering six hits and allowing two runs. Both young, up-and-coming pitchers managed complete game efforts.

Unfortunately for Nyweide, his Crimson teammates were unable to put up runs to back his pitching prowess.

"I'm disappointed in the hitting performances we've had recently," said Harvard coach Joe Walsh. "We're just not swinging the sticks and don't have enough power in the lineup."

The Crimson bats were effectively silenced by the 6'7 Dixon, who had five one-two-three innings, retired 16 of the last 17 batters and only faced 33 en route to his first collegiate win.

"Dixon threw strikes and we just weren't swinging well," said junior John Franey. "When we did hit balls hard, they just made good plays."