“He came in here as a weekend pitcher,” Walsh said. “He’s just going to have to earn it back.”
Righthander Barry Wahlberg began this year as a starter, getting the nod in the third game of Harvard’s opening series against Rice. But Wahlberg lasted just two innings in that game and hasn’t started since.
Wahlberg had been highly effective lately, throwing six shutout innings to pick up a relief win against Princeton last weekend.
On Saturday, however, he walked four and was taken deep twice in two innings. He fared little better in the second game against Columbia yesterday, yielding four runs without recording an out in the Lions’ 12-5 win. His ERA now stands at 9.00.
Quite the Catch
Earlier this year, there were plenty of questions surrounding Harvard’s catcher situation in the wake of Brian Lentz’ departure.
Not anymore.
The platoon of sophomore Mickey Kropf and freshman Schuyler Mann continue to work well. The pair split this weekend’s games behind the plate.
Both players also appeared in the lineup even when they weren’t catching—Mann as the designated hitter and Kropf at first base. While Kropf’s hot bat has been silenced over the past week (two hits in his last 18 at-bats), Mann provided a definite spark at the plate over the weekend. He went 2-for-4 with two RBI in the weekend opener and had two more hits—including a solo homer—in yesterday’s 10-6 win against the Lions.
More importantly, both Kropf and Mann appear to be settling into their roles defensively. Walsh says he has relied on them more and more to call the game behind the plate, something Lentz did all the time.
“I thought going into the season that I’d be calling 75 to 80 percent of the pitches,” Walsh said. “Now, I may not 75 or 80 pitches all year. It’s basically two or three pitches per game.”
Hale to the Chief
After being stuck below the Mendoza Line for most of the season, sophomore centerfielder Bryan Hale had four hits in yesterday’s doubleheader, including a go-ahead, three-run homer in the nightcap. He went 8-for-17 in the four games this weekend.
Hale also made an outstanding running catch on a deep fly ball that got caught in the wind in the second game against Penn. It was the kind of play that has earned Hale comparisons to former Harvard star centerfielder Brian Ralph ’98. Walsh called it one of the best-ever at O’Donnell Field...
Captain Ben Crockett lived up to his billing as staff workhorse against Penn on Saturday, throwing 125 pitches in his complete-game effort. His outing was all the more important considering that Harvard had cycled through six pitchers in the early game...
Hordon—who broke his left hand last weekend at Cornell after getting hit by a pitch—may be ready to return next weekend at Yale. With a .361 average in 61 at-bats, Hordon is Harvard’s leading hitter. He is also one of Harvard’s better starting pitchers, and would have started Game Two yesterday had he been healthy. Sheffield got the ball instead.