Baseball Tops Error-Prone Holy Cross, 6-2

The Harvard's men's baseball team improved its record to 9-10 yesterday afternoon at Soldiers' Field with a tidy 6-2 win over Holy Cross.

The Crimson (9-10 overall, 6-2 Ivy) established a comfortable 4-0 lead in the first five innings of the game and, with the exception of a two-run eighth-inning rally by the Crusaders, never really looked back.

The Crimson victory was the product of a mix of Harvard achievement and Holy Cross folly; the Crimson put forward one of its best efforts of the season to beat the highly regarded Crusaders (5-8), while the Crusaders, in turn, had an abysmal day.

Harvard was powered in the game by sophomore pitcher Scott Davidson, junior rightfielder Mike Hill, junior shortstop Mike Giardi and junior first baseman Dave Morgan.

Davidson (1-2 on the season) paced Harvard on the mound by starting the contest and pitching six shutout innings, allowing no walks and only five hits while garnering seven strike-outs.

He stepped off the mound after the sixth inning with Harvard holding a commanding 3-0 lead, leaving the putting-away honors to his three pitching successors, sophomore Ben Allen, junior Jeff Mitchell and sophomore Michael Cicero.

Hill, Giardi and Morgan propelled the Crimson offensively. Hill went two-for-four on the day, hitting two doubles and knocking in three of Harvard's six runs. Giardi went three-for-four on the day and scored two runs, and Morgan went a perfect two-for-two from the plate, garnered two walks and tallied an RBI.

But as good as the Crimson seemed, the Crusaders didn't help their own situation any, either.

Generally a solid hitting and fielding team in the tough Patriot League, Holy Cross went seven innings without a run and committed six errors in the field, resulting in two unearned runs. Harvard, 6-2 at Soldiers' Field           R  H  E Cornell  000  000  020  --  2  8  6 Harvard  102  010  11x  --  6  10  0

HOLY CROSS  AB  R  H  BI  BB  SO Falcone 2b  5  0  1  0  0  1 Palumbo rf  3  0  0  0  1  1 Butt ss  4  0  0  0  0  1 Metrick 3b  3  1  0  0  1  1 Baldson 1b  2  0  1  0  0  0 Calorossi 1b  2  1  2  0  0  0 Fox c  3  0  2  0  1  0 McGrait if  2  0  0  0  0  2 Smith if  1  0  1  1  1  2 Brennan cf  2  0  0  1  1  2 Manger dh  4  0  1  0  0  0 TOTALS  31  2  8  2  5  6 HARVARD  AB  R  H  BI  BB  SO Zetate cf  5  2  1  0  0  1 Grardi 58  4  2  3  0  1  0 Hill cf  4  1  2  3  0  0 Morgan 1b  2  0  2  1  2  0 Brissette c  4  0  1  1  0  1 Weissman 3b  3  1  0  0  1  0 Weidenbach dh  2  0  0  0  1  1 Levy if  4  0  1  1  0  0 TOTALS  32  6  10  6  5  3

E: Falcone (2), Butt (2), Mertick, Fox. DP: Holy Cross 1. Harvard 2. Los: Holy Cross 8. Harvard 9. 2B: Hill (2). Brissette. 3B: None. HR: None. CS: Raldson. Fox, Weissman, Levy. CORNELL  IP  M  R  ER  BB  SO Liebler. L  5  6  4  3  4  3 McElligott  3  4  2  1  1  0 HARVARD  IP  M  R  ER  BB  SO Davidson, W (1-2)  6  5  0  0  0  7 Allen  1  1  0  0  2  1 Mitchelf  1  1  2  2  3  0 Cicero  1  1  0  0  0  0 WP: Mitchell. PB: None. HBP: None. HBP: None.

HOLY CROSS  AB  R  H  BI  BB  SO Falcone 2b  5  0  1  0  0  1 Palumbo rf  3  0  0  0  1  1 Butt ss  4  0  0  0  0  1 Metrick 3b  3  1  0  0  1  1 Baldson 1b  2  0  1  0  0  0 Calorossi 1b  2  1  2  0  0  0 Fox c  3  0  2  0  1  0 McGrait if  2  0  0  0  0  2 Smith if  1  0  1  1  1  2 Brennan cf  2  0  0  1  1  2 Manger dh  4  0  1  0  0  0 TOTALS  31  2  8  2  5  6 HARVARD  AB  R  H  BI  BB  SO Zetate cf  5  2  1  0  0  1 Grardi 58  4  2  3  0  1  0 Hill cf  4  1  2  3  0  0 Morgan 1b  2  0  2  1  2  0 Brissette c  4  0  1  1  0  1 Weissman 3b  3  1  0  0  1  0 Weidenbach dh  2  0  0  0  1  1 Levy if  4  0  1  1  0  0 TOTALS  32  6  10  6  5  3

E: Falcone (2), Butt (2), Mertick, Fox. DP: Holy Cross 1. Harvard 2. Los: Holy Cross 8. Harvard 9. 2B: Hill (2). Brissette. 3B: None. HR: None. CS: Raldson. Fox, Weissman, Levy. CORNELL  IP  M  R  ER  BB  SO Liebler. L  5  6  4  3  4  3 McElligott  3  4  2  1  1  0 HARVARD  IP  M  R  ER  BB  SO Davidson, W (1-2)  6  5  0  0  0  7 Allen  1  1  0  0  2  1 Mitchelf  1  1  2  2  3  0 Cicero  1  1  0  0  0  0 WP: Mitchell. PB: None. HBP: None. HBP: None.

E: Falcone (2), Butt (2), Mertick, Fox. DP: Holy Cross 1. Harvard 2. Los: Holy Cross 8. Harvard 9. 2B: Hill (2). Brissette. 3B: None. HR: None. CS: Raldson. Fox, Weissman, Levy. CORNELL  IP  M  R  ER  BB  SO Liebler. L  5  6  4  3  4  3 McElligott  3  4  2  1  1  0 HARVARD  IP  M  R  ER  BB  SO Davidson, W (1-2)  6  5  0  0  0  7 Allen  1  1  0  0  2  1 Mitchelf  1  1  2  2  3  0 Cicero  1  1  0  0  0  0 WP: Mitchell. PB: None. HBP: None. HBP: None.