Early Bulldog victory encouraging as Ivy season approaches

Returning to chilly New Haven didn't cool off Randy Leonard's, PC '04, bat. The Ivy League Rookie of the Week has hit safely in his first eight games, going 2-5 with an RBI in a 7-5 Yale loss to Manhattan College on Tues., Mar. 20 and notching two more hits in a rain-shortened 9-7 victory over Quinnipiac on Wed., Mar. 21. Leonard is leading the Bulldogs with a .486 average. "Randy is very fast, an outstanding bunter, and a left-handed hitter," Head Coach John Stuper said. "Even when he's not swinging the bat well, he can bunt."

COURTESY SPORTS PUBLICITY Baseball earned a much-needed victory against Quinnipiac.

"I've just been getting a lot of pitches to hit," Leonard said. "Balls have been falling in for me."

In Tuesday's loss, Craig Breslow, CC '02, entered the game in the fifth and threw five scoreless innings, allowing only one hit and striking out nine. His performance was the only other bright spot in an ugly contest that saw Yale make four errors and allow six unearned runs. In eight games, the Bulldogs (3-5, 0-0 Ivy) have committed 23 errors to their opponents' 16. This, combined with what Stuper called an inability to "come up with the big hits," has resulted in the Bulldogs' being outscored 77-58 despite sporting an outstanding .333 team average, 71 points higher than that of the opposition. On Tuesday, Yale posted nine hits to Manhattan's five, but was burdened by errors and walks and unable to emerge victorious.

The Elis jumped on the board early Wednesday, responding perhaps to the threat of rain or just to a rematch with local rival Quinnipiac, whom Yale trounced 10-1 at Homestead. Either way, the game brought Yale a complete reversal of fortune from their game against Manhattan. The Bulldogs took advantage of two first-inning errors by the Braves to score four runs and never looked back. Seven Elis had hits, none made errors, and the 9-3 cushion they took into the fifth inning was enough so that not even Sal Puccio's '02 grand slam off Yale starter Matt McCarthy, TD '02, could close the gap. Umpires called the game midway through the fifth.

The Bulldogs will play Pace and St. Francis over the weekend, then travel to Marist Wed., Mar. 28. They will begin Ivy League competition at Princeton on Sat., Mar. 31. —Daniel Silk

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