Madhu Satyanarayana relieved him and allowed three more Catamounts to score before the end of the inning. He also gave up a run in the sixth, although none of the four he allowed in his 1.1 innings of work were earned.

In the Harvard half of the sixth, Hale continued his strong play of late, hitting his second home run in as many days-this one a three-run shot coming on a 1-0 changeup that Vermont reliever Brian Cain left up in the strike zone.

However, five more Catamount tallies in the seventh secured Vermont's third win over the Crimson this season, despite catcher Hopps' solo home run in the eighth and two more Harvard runs off of Dennis Moser in the final frame.

After the game, the Harvard players found themselves at a loss in trying to describe what happened.

"That's why you play baseball a lot," Hopps said.

Today, the Crimson has an optional practice, allowing players to obtain much-needed rest before they travel to Brown for doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday that will conclude Harvard's physically and emotionally draining stretch of eleven games in nine days.

Those four games, as well as home-and-home doubleheaders with Dartmouth next weekend, will determine the Red Rolfe Division's representative in the Ivy League playoffs. Currently, Harvard and Dartmouth hold a one-game advantage over Brown, meaning the Crimson controls its own destiny.

To take advantage of that situation, though, Harvard will have to decrease its miscues significantly, a goal that, after last night, appears to be no simple task.