Wheeler’s pitching by itself doesn’t amount to a hill of beans in the Red Rolfe Division standings, which the Crimson leads despite a 6-6 conference record. But it bodes well for a team that desperately needed quality innings so as not to overextend its relievers before what promises to be a busy weekend.

Freshman Mike Dukovich continued to impress at first, playing solid defense and singling to start the ninth, bringing around the red-hot top of the order. Second baseman Zak Farkes, who at times has looked less than comfortable in the field, showed signs by laying out for several well-hit ground balls he would have approached more tentatively earlier in the season. Farkes didn’t convert them all, but the effort was there, and for Farkes and an infield that has struggled as a whole all season long (and, in fairness, did again yesterday), that’s important.

They’re just little things, but little things make all the difference down the stretch. And if the little things keep happening, who knows?

We’re coming up on the one-year anniversary of Harvard’s miraculous 13-12 win over Brown, a game the Crimson had trailed by seven runs and needed to keep its season alive. That game and Fenway Park itself are reminders of the combined power of baseball and belief. And with the team playing solid baseball and coming together save for one very noticeable mirage, well, how much extra faith does it really take to think the season can still be saved?

—Staff writer Martin S. Bell can be reached at msbell@fas.harvard.edu.