Sports Shorts

Elis look to recover from early season Ivy losses

JULIA TIERNAN/YH Captain Sara Naison-Phillips, BK '99, and the Elis didn't heat up until their match against Brown last week.

Before they began playing this year, the women's tennis team knew the real season would begin on Fri., Apr. 9 in New Jersey against a tough Princeton squad. With one of the best teams in years, the Elis were excited about their prospects for an Ivy title and their chances against both the Tigers and another Ivy powerhouse, Penn, whom they would play on Sat., Apr. 10. But it wasn't until they traveled to Brown on Tues., Apr. 13 that they were finally able to notch an Ivy win, two days after finishing a disappointing weekend.

Jackie Fu, MC '00, thinks that nerves played a key part in the defeats to Prince-ton and Penn. "We were just too psyched for those matches," Fu said. "I think we expected a little too much of ourselves. They're really good teams." Both of the losses were by a score of 6-3; in both cases, the Bulldogs managed 3-3 splits in the six singles matches but
were swept in the three doubles matches. "When we went into doubles, it just wasn't there," Fu said

The difficult weekend made Yale hungry for a win, and they showed it against the Bears, winning 6-2; the final doubles match wasn't played. "We all learned from the weekend," Fu explained. "It was amazing how every person on the team rebounded. You could see how much everybody wanted it and how much heart there was on the court. It always takes losses to make you want it even more.

Now the team looks forward to home matches against Cornell and Columbia on Fri., Apr.
16 and Sat., Apr. 17. Fu isn't worried about the team's play. "We know how good we can be," she said. "We just have to believe in ourselves and get the job done."

—Joey Ax

Bulldogs seek to break .500 against Harvard this weekend

At 4-4 in the Ivy League after last weekend's splits with Penn and Columbia, the Bulldogs are all but eliminated from the Ivy Title chase. Unless something extraordinary happens during the rest of the season, Yale will have a difficult time contending for the championship and the right to represent the league in the College Baseball World Series. Even if the Bulldogs run the table by winning the rest of its league games, the team will need plenty of help from other teams to have a shot.

There are many reasons why the Yale Nine haven't experienced the success they hoped for this season. Among them are an inexperienced pitching staff, and Yale's inablity to convert with runners in scoring position. Fielding has stood out in recent weeks as a costly weakness that must be improved for the Elis to have a shot at the championship.

Two weekends ago, the Bulldogs wasted an opportunity to defeat a top-notch Ivy team, largely due to poor fielding. En route to a 7-1 loss to Princeton, the Elis committed five errors and squandered a solid pitching performance by veteran Sudha Reddy, BK '00. "Our big problem right now is defense. We really need to step up our level of play if we want to improve our record," catcher Todd Kasper, PC '99, said.

Hopefully for the Bulldogs, their defense will re-emerge this weekend during a four game stretch at Harvard. To stay in the race for a league championship, the team must complete the tough task of sweeping the Cantabs on the road.

—Steven J. Rosenthal

Season starts with a slump

Boasting five starting pitchers with fastballs over 90 mph, the New Haven Ravens entered their 1999 campaign with high hopes. At the top of their wish list was a victory in their Mon., Apr. 12 home opener against the Trenton Thunder. The Ravens have lost each home opener in the team's six-year history.

After stumbling on the road against Norwich last weekend, the Ravens' chances of pulling off a win in the big game looked bleak. Raven hurlers failed to get the job done in the three-game sweep, yielding over 30 runs to Norwich sluggers.

The team would have to put together a better performance if it was to beat Trenton. And with Seattle Mariners' top-rated prospect, 6'10" southpaw Ryan Anderson, on the mound, it certainly appeared that the Ravens would have a chance.

But for the 3,776 fans in attendance, the opener's postgame fireworks show would be the only consolation. Trenton took care of Anderson early, posting nine runs in the first two innings. Anderson's line score
was a pitcher's worst nightmare: eight
hits, nine runs, three walks, and a wild pitch. The Ravens' bullpen fared no better, yielding another eight runs in the disappointing 17-11 loss.

The news got worse as the week wore on, as the Ravens lost back-to-back 6-5 heartbreakers to Trenton before falling 3-1 to Portland Sea Dogs on Thurs., Apr. 15. The Ravens are in last place in the Eastern League.

—Alison Morris

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