Batsmen Get Socked in Spring Break Contests

Last spring, the Harvard baseball team opened the spring whiffing at Roger Clemens' fastballs.

This year, the Crimson again opened against the Red Sox. The Pawtucket Red Sox, that is.

Harvard got a victory, 9-8, over the Red Sox, but fell twice while drawing two ties in five matches with the minor league baseball team. The Crimson also met three college teams, winning one out of four contests.

Harvard didn't come up with a lot of wins, taking only two of its nine contests over the break. But it got a good long look at its almost-brand new pitching staff, which was decimated by graduation.

The pitching was impressive in the early going, but both South Florida and Stetson rallied for late runs to defeat the Crimson. South Florida exploded for five runs in the fifth inning to coast past Harvard, 13-7.

"It was a mess," Harvard's Rich Renninger said. "They were just hitting the balls in the gaps."

Stetson next defeated Harvard, 6-5, with a run in the final inning.

The losing continued, as Toledo shut out Harvard, 2-0, in the first end of a doubleheader. But the Crimson came back with a victory in the twin-bill, exploding for a 7-2 victory over the Rockets.