Sports in brief

Crew champs cruise past Brown

The defending national champion Harvard heavyweight crew opened its season in winning fashion, capturing its fifth consecutive Stein Cup opposite Brown on the Charles this past Saturday (April 9). The Crimson – ranked third nationally in the most recent USRowing poll – crossed the finish a full 10 seconds ahead of the Bears to extend their head-to-head winning streak to 24 opponents.

The Harvard rowers return to the water April 16 to take on top-ranked Princeton and MIT for the Compton Cup on Lake Carnegie in Princeton, N.J.

Last-second heroics lift water polo to 9-8 win

Women’s water polo shocked host Brown this past Saturday (April 9) with a phenomenal last-second play and game-winning goal. Tied 8-8 with just one second remaining in the fourth quarter, Crimson goalie Lydia Gardner ’06 fired a cross-pool pass to freshman Lauren Snyder, who managed to tip the ball into the back of the Brown net for a dramatic 9-8 win.

With the win, Harvard improves to 14-6 on the season, good for a second-place spot in the Collegiate Water Polo Association’s Northern Division standings.

Baseball shut down at home, 6-0

Behind a five-run second inning and superb pitching, Boston College blanked Harvard, 6-0, this past Tuesday afternoon (April 12) at O’Donnell Field. The Crimson twice failed to score with the bases loaded, while the Eagles combined to strike out 13 Harvard batters.

The loss drops the Cambridge club to 14-10 overall (7-1 Rolfe Division). The team resumes play April 23, hosting division rival Yale at 1 p.m.

– Compiled by Andrew Brooks