Crimson Falls Out of EIBL Pennant Race

Somebody send the fat lady up to the microphone--it's all over for the Harvard baseball team.

After splitting a pair of doubleheaders with Columbia Saturday and Army Sunday, the Crimson saw its hopes for the Eastern League (EIBL) crown disappear.

Harvard took the opening game from the Lions, 8-1, but was shut out, 7-0, in the nightcap. Against the Cadets, Harvard lost the opener, 7-4, but rebounded to take the finale, 5-3.

The squad's EIBL record now stands at 7-5 (12-13 overall), while first-place Penn has already finished its EIBL season with a 14-4 mark. Although the Crimson cannot take the crown, it can still finish high in the league if it plays well in its six remaining EIBL games.

Harvard 8, Columbia 1

Sophomore hurler Mike Dorrington baffled the Lions for a complete-game win to boost his record to 4-3 on the season. Dorrington scattered just four hits and five walks to hold Columbia to just a single run. The righthander struck out five batters.

Harvard's offense was provided by Co-Captain Frank Caprio, who drove in four runs with a double, homerun and a sacrifice fly. The Crimson broke through against Lion hurler Frank Seminara for a run in the first and two in the third. Harvard finally knocked Seminara out of the game with five runs in the fourth inning.

Columbia 7, Harvard 0

Lion ace Bart Barnett held the Crimson to just four hits and seven baserunners over seven innings to earn a shutout win. Harvard never had more than two runners on base in the same inning and no Crimson player got as far as third base.

Freshman Cody Weston started for Harvard, and retired the Lions in order over the first two innings. But Columbia broke the scoreless game with a pair of runs in the third and exploded for five more in the fourth inning. Vic McGrady came on in relief for Weston and shut down the Lions the rest of the way.

Army 7, Harvard 4

The Cadets came out fighting in the opening game yesterday and reached starter Greg Ubert for a run in the first and second inning. Army then scored three times in the third and again in the fourth.

Faced with a 6-0 deficit, the Crimson began an improbable comeback against tiring Army pitcher Ken Toney. Caprio drove in Greg Agran and Dan McConaghy with a double and scored on a single by first baseman Rich Renninger to cut the lead in half. But Toney settled down, yielding just one more run in the seventh to get the complete-game victory.

Harvard 5, Army 3

Freshman starter Zach Hope held the Cadets to just five hits and three runs over seven innings to even his record to 3-3 on the season. Hope struck out four hitters in the contest.

Harvard touched Army starter and losing pitcher Shannon Smith for three runs in the first on a double by Caprio and a two-run single by Renninger. McConaghy provided the rest of the offense that Hope needed with a homerun and a sacrifice fly.

THE NOTEBOOK:The Crimson hosts Rhode Island at Soldiers Field tomorrow before hitting the road to face Providence in a twinbill Wednesday.