Santos-Buch Double Sinks Huskies, 7-4

Because the Harvard baseball team enjoyed its April 4th tussle so much, it invited Northeastern to visit Soldiers Field for a return match yesterday, and played the perfect host--committing five errors in its worst fielding display of the season.

The welcoming committee didn't count on the Crimson bats, however, and the big sticks rapped out five extra-base hits to spoil the Huskies' bus ride home by pounding out a 7-4 victory.

Earlier in the year when the hitters were slumping. Harvard's pitching and defense picked up the slack. Yesterday, as a stiff wind made tight defense almost impossible, the sluggers chipped in with key hits, and Harvard improved its overall record to an impressive 9-4 mark.

Mark Bingham hit the longest shot of the day--a two-run round-tripper to deep centerfield--but Captain Charlie Santos-Buch knocked home what proved to be the gamewinner with a three-run double in the eighth.

Slap and Tickle

With one out, and Harvard ahead, 4-3, Rick Pearce beat out a single, and moved to second when Bobby Kelley slapped a one-bagger up the middle. Husky hurler Norm Michaud, making his second appearance against the Crimson this year, loaded the bases by walking Bingham, and Santos-Buch cleared the bags with a liner over the head of centerfielder Preston Carroll.

The runs proved necessary when Northeastern eked out one of its own in the top of the ninth on two errors, a hit and a walk, putting Huskies on first and second, with one out. With the score 7-4, batter Jimmy Carr represented the tying run, but hurler Rob Alevizos forced the thirdsacker to bounce into a game-ending third-to-second-to-first double play and picked up the victory.

Earlier, the Crimson notched an early tally when Bingham's hustle on the basepaths turned a single into a double and Eddie Farrell's sacrifice fly drove him in.

Carr slammed a solo homer in the top of the fourth to narrow Harvard's lead to 2-1, but Bingham's fourth-inning blow with Kelley aboard upped the margin to three.

The Huntington Avenue visitors scored solo markers in the top of the seventh and eighth, and set the stage for Santos-Buch's clutch eight-inning double.

Not to be overlooked amidst the longballs, three Harvard hurlers combined for a quite creditable performance. Starter Billy Doyle turned in an impressive five innings which were marred only by Carr's blast.

Because he is slated to start in the second game of Saturday's key doubleheader with Navy, Doyle left the scene after five and freshman Greg Brown came on.

Brown toiled for three frames, allowing one run on two hits, and departed in favor of Alevizos who whiffed three in two innings while earning his second win in as many decisions. at Cambridge NORTHEASTERN  AB  R  H  BI Carroll, cf  5  2  1  0 Doucette, ss  4  0  2  1 Mello, c  4  0  0  0 Lemire, 1b  3  1  1  0 Degan, pr  0  0  0  0 Carr, 3b  5  1  1  1 Pascarelli, If  4  0  0  0 Valeri, 2b  3  0  2  1 Barry, rf  4  0  1  0 Murray, dh  4  0  0  0 TOTALS  36  4  8  3 HARVARD(7) Bauer, ss  3  0  0  0 Pearce, 3b  4  1  2  0 Kelly, 2b  4  1  1  0 Bingham, 1b  3  3  2  2 Santos-Buch, cf  4  1  1  3 Farrell, dh  3  0  2  1 Marshall, rf  3  0  0  0 Scheper, If  23  0  0  1 Wark, c  3  0  0  0 TOTALS  30  6  8  7 Northeastern  0  0  0  1  0  0  1  1  1--4 Harvard  0  2  0  2  0  0  0  3  x--7

F--Lemire, Cahir, Valeri, Bauer, Wark, Marshall, Pearce, Santos-Buch; 2B--Barry, Bingham, Pearce, Farrell, Santos-Buch; 3B--Doucette; HR--Cahir, Bingham   IP  H  R  ER  BB  SO Doyle  5  4  1  1  2  4 Brown  2  0  0  0  2  1 Alevizos (W)  2  2  1  0  1  3 Michaud (L)  72/3  8  7  5  2  2 Kelly  1/3  0  0  0  0  0

HBP--Lemire (by Alevizos); WP--Michaud

F--Lemire, Cahir, Valeri, Bauer, Wark, Marshall, Pearce, Santos-Buch; 2B--Barry, Bingham, Pearce, Farrell, Santos-Buch; 3B--Doucette; HR--Cahir, Bingham   IP  H  R  ER  BB  SO Doyle  5  4  1  1  2  4 Brown  2  0  0  0  2  1 Alevizos (W)  2  2  1  0  1  3 Michaud (L)  72/3  8  7  5  2  2 Kelly  1/3  0  0  0  0  0

HBP--Lemire (by Alevizos); WP--Michaud

HBP--Lemire (by Alevizos); WP--Michaud