Batsmen Suffer From Splitting Headaches

The Harvard baseball team split doubleheaders with Princeton and Cornell this weekend in Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League action at Soldiers Field.

With three games remaining in the season, the Crimson's record stands at 17-10 overall and 9-7 in the EIBL.

Princeton 1, Harvard 0

Harvard starter Chris Marchok's record fell to a "mediocre" 2-2, but that mark is no indicator of his pitching caliber.

Marchok's teammates have supported him with a mere three runs in the last three games.

Tossing his fourth consecutive complete game, the left-hander once again compiled impressive statistics: one run on five hits, and five strikeouts (boosting his 1986 total to 37).

Princeton scored its lone run in the third, when Ken Brenner walked, advanced on a hit and a sacrifice, and scored on a fielder's choice.

Marchok's counterpart, Scott LaForest, yielded only three hits in his victory.

Harvard 8, Princeton 4

The Crimson wasted no time in putting an end to its hitting slump.

The hosts tallied twice in the first inning on a fielder's choice by Jim DePalo and a sacrifice fly by Chris McAndrews (3-for-3 in the game).

Although Princeton scored two runs in the third trame, Harvard left fielder Frank Caprio broke the tie by singling home McAndrews in the bottom of the inning.

Crimson designated hitter DePalo (1-for-3, four RBI) applied the crushing blow in the following inning with his fourth homer of the year--a three-run shot to right field.

Harvard pitcher Mike Presz, despite giving up four runs and nine hits in five full innings, earned his fourth win against no losses. Reliever Jim Chenevey--who struck out five batters in two innings--picked up his third save of the season.

Harvard 4, Cornell 3

The Crimson scored three times in the bottom of the seventh to over-come a 3-1 deficit, adding Cornell to the list of opponents--such as BC, Providence Colege, and Yale--that Harvard has overtaken in the final innings of play.

The Big Red scored a run off starter Greg Ubert in the opening frame, thanks to a single by Mark Smith and a double by Guy Leach.

In the bottom of the inning, though, DePalo's infield single enabled Paul Vallone to score, knotting the game at one run apiece.

Solid Crimson defense prevented Cornell from further scoring during the next three innings: a throw from catcher Frank Morelli nabbed a would-be base thief, first baseman Rich Renninger made a good stop on a Cornell grounder, and infielders threw to second base five times to cut down the Big Red's lead runner.

But RBI singles by Leach in the fifth and Smith in the seventh gave Cornell a 3-1 advantage entering the bottom of the final inning.

Enter the Cardiac Kids.

After leading off the Crimson half with a walk, McAndrews advanced on a base hit by Morelli, and scored on a double by Frank Caprio.

A sacrifice fly by Renninger drove in pinch-runner Pat Sullivan, to tie the game.

Facing an 0-2 count, Vallone--who entered the game with no game-winning RBI and only five RBI on the year--delivered a sharp single down the right-field line, bringing Caprio home with the winning run.

Cornell 8, Harvard 6 (9 inn.)

The Crimson nearly pulled off another miracle finish in the nightcap.

Behind two runs in the seventh, Harvard scored twice to send the contest into extra innings.

Once again, a Caprio RBI drove in McAndrews to cut Cornell's lead to one run--the Crimson right fielder reached base on an error, promptly stole second and third base, and scored on his teammate's grounder.

With two outs and no one on base, the game seemed all but finished.

But pinch-hitter Paul Rooney singled and scored on an error by Red left fielder Eric Olson, who misplayed a Renninger single.

Chet Osadchey, Cornell's fourth pitcher of the game, replaced John O'Connor and struck out Vallone to force the 6-6 game into the eighth frame.

Osadchey repeated his heart-stopping antics in the next inning, when he struck out Caprio on a 2-2 pitch--after giving up a walk, a single, and an intentional base on balls.

In the top of the ninth, a throw from the third baseman Rooney glanced off Bob Kay's glove in an attempted force play at second base, allowing Joe Catone to score the winning run. Smith scored the final run on a passed ball.

THE NOTEBOOK: Rich DeSa, Cornell's starter in the nightcap, walked five Crimson batters in the first inning...In the eighth inning of the second game, McAndrews and DePalo pulled a double steal with two outs...Harvard's error in the ninth inning of the nightcap was its first of the day...Harvard collected 12 hits in the Princeton nightcap...Presz's record at Harvard is 12-0...Renninger, entering the weekend with a .235 batting average and no RBI, contributed three hits and two ribbies...Marchok's ERA drops to 1.60 and Chenevey's ERA drops to 0.96.