Batsmen Start Out 4-1-1, Visit MIT Tomorrow

The team is back from Winter Haven and its spring training run through Florida; the indicators point to a successful league season.

But the squad with the bright future isn't the Boston Red Sox, it's the Harvard baseball team, and the batmen's 4-1-1 spring-break record bodes well for the Greater Boston League campaign that starts tomorrow at MIT.

The Crimson spent half of its break at Winter Haven, besting the Red Sox farm team, 4-3, there yesterday to avenge a trip-opening 10-8 setback more than a week before. The other game ended in a tie when rains halted play with the score deadlocked at six.

Yesterday's victory didn't come easy for the batsman, as they trailed 3-1 going into the seventh before capitalizing on some Red Sox honors. With Elliott Rivers on second and Paul Vallone at first. Crimson Captain Bred Bauer laid down a well-placed bunt. As Bauer sped past first the ball sailed over the base, allowing Rivera to score and leaving both Bauer and Vallone in scoring position. Vallone crossed the plate on a wild pitch to tie it, and an Ed Farrell sacrifice fly brought Bauer home to put the Crimson on top.

The one-run edge was enough for the Crimson, as Vallone notched his second win of the road trip.

Harvard only played two college games, a twinbill at the University of South Florida. Bruce Weller's seventh-inning RBI triple was the key in the opener, as the Crimson won a 4-3 decision. The batmen had trailed, 3-0, before Don Allard smacked a sole homer in the third. In the nightcap, Harvard hammered out four doubles in an eight-run second inning on route to a 9-8 victory.

THE NOTEBOOK: Bauer hit 13 for 24 on the trip, a .542 average.