Baseball Swept By Charlotte in Weekend Road Series

By Christina C. Mcclintock, Crimson Staff Writer March 22, 2010

Before the third, Harvard had jumped out to an early lead when junior catcher Tyler Albright scored off a single from junior right fielder Joey Smith in the top of the second. But the 49ers soon changed the tone of the game, after Charlotte scored nine runs in the bottom of the third inning. First baseman Ryan Rivers was the first to strike, sending center fielder Cory Tilton home to put his team on the scoreboard. Rivers soon crossed the plate off a wild pitch from sophomore Brent Suter. Suter allowed seven runs before he was replaced by Matt Doyle. The freshman allowed two more runs before 49ers’ designated hitter Zane Williams struck out swinging.

“[Suter] pitched really well in the first two innings,” Walsh said. “He’s had some back issues, and it kind of stiffened up.”

The Crimson responded with a two-run inning in the top of the fourth, but soon after Charlotte responded with three-run innings in the fifth and sixth, effectively neutralizing Harvard’s six runs in the seventh inning and sending the Crimson to its second loss of the weekend.

CHARLOTTE 15, HARVARD 3

First is the worst.

So goes the popular, if cruel, children’s rhyme, and the 49ers certainly schooled the Crimson on Friday. The 12-run loss was Harvard’s worst of the season.

Unlike the final two games of the series, Charlotte wasted no time getting on the board, kicking off its abuse of junior pitcher Eric Eadington with two runs in the first inning. By the time Eadington left the mound, the 49ers were already up 8-2.

“[The 49ers] have a terrific offensive lineup,” Walsh said. “We got behind guys, walked guys, and every time we did, they punished us for it.”

Meanwhile, Harvard had already put together nearly all of the scoring it was going to get, though Smith scored an unearned run in eighth inning.

“We had an opportunity to play a really good team in Charlotte University,” Way said. “It was a tough break but I think we showed progress. I think we’re going to be really good.”

—Staff writer Christina C. McClintock can be reached at ccmcclin@fas.harvard.edu.