Senior BEN CROCKETT fanned a school-record 17 batters on Saturday.

Sooner or later, you’d figure senior pitcher Ben Crockett would actually get to celebrate one of his record-book performances.

Last weekend was not that time. But the Harvard baseball team is hoping next Saturday will be.

Almost one year to the date after his no-hitter against Dartmouth, Crockett struck out a school-record 17 batters in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader against Brown at O’Donnell Field.

Just like in his masterpiece against the Big Green—which was made irrelevant by the Crimson’s stretch-run collapse—Crockett (3-3) was not able to savor his historic outing Saturday. Brown (21-20, 9-5 Ivy) spoiled those hopes with a three-run outburst in the sixth inning that lifted the Bears to a 6-5 victory and pulled them within one of game of first-place Harvard (14-20, 10-4).

“I guess it’s an honor to have something like that happen,” Crockett said about the strikeout record, “but it’s kind of bittersweet to have it happen when you lose a game that has the potential to affect the season.”

The Crimson won the early game Saturday, 4-2, thanks to home runs by sophomore first baseman Trey Hendricks and freshman catcher Schuyler Mann. The win kept Harvard atop the Red Rolfe Division standings.

The Crimson was scheduled to meet Brown for another doubleheader yesterday, but the games were rained out and rescheduled for this afternoon.

If Harvard can win both games today, the Crimson could then clinch the Ivy title outright with a sweep of Dartmouth at home next Saturday.

Should that scenario play out, Crockett would be in line to pitch the potential division clincher in Saturday’s nightcap. He will enter the contest just six strikeouts shy of the all-time Harvard record of 206, set by Paul De Rossi ’64.

But before any of that can matter, Harvard must hold its ground in today’s games. Sophomore Marc Hordon (2-1, 0.86 ERA) and senior Chaney Sheffield (1-1, 4.50) are slated to take the hill for Harvard. The first game begins at noon.

Brown 6, Harvard 5

After suffering through a rocky three-run sixth inning that pushed his pitch count up to 120, Crockett not only came out to work the seventh, he struck out the side in order.

That stamina is the difference between Crockett and most every other pitcher in the Ivy League. But it wasn’t enough to spare him the loss, as the Bears made up the ground they lost earlier in the day with a 6-5 win.

With Harvard trailing 6-3 in the eighth, senior shortstop Mark Mager hit a triple down the right-field line and Hendricks followed with his second homer of the afternoon to narrow the deficit to one.

Brown centerfielder Rick Lynn almost robbed Hendricks of the round-tripper as he stretched his arm over the fence and into the bushes to get a glove on the ball, but he could not squeeze it.