WALTHAM--The Harvard softball team pulled out a squeaker in extra things yesterday, coming from behind to defeat Bentley, 6-4, and improve its record to 12-4.

The Crimson worked back from a fourth-inning, 4-1 deficit by relying on a little bit of everything-offense, defense pitching and a strategy error on the part of the Falcons.

Harvard's 12 victories, however, have not come easily. Yesterday's game was the fourth in which the Crimson has come back in its final at-bat to notch the win.

"That was a game of its and buts," Harvard Coach John Wentzell said. "It could have gone either way."

Luckily for the Cantabs, those ifs and buts have been going their way all year long.

Take the case of yesterday afternoon's late-inning scoring crisis: Harvard had tied the contest in the fourth, and the score remained knotted entering the top of the seventh.

With one down, Sharon Hayes smashed her second triple of the afternoon, and stood on base as the go ahead run.

On Lisa Rowning's subsequent long fly to left, however, signals were confused. Hayes left for the plate too early, had to return to the base, and ultimately was standard at third.

That failure to score would usually have proved disastrous for any squad, any squad, that is, other than this year's charmed Crimson.

For the Falcons made an even bigger boo-boo in the bottom of the eight, after Harvard had picked up two tallies in the top of the frame.

Tiebreaker

Because of an odd new NCAA tiebreaker rule, each extra inning begins with a runner positioned at second base.

Down by two, Bentley nevertheless had its two-three four batters due up, and the freeble runner at scored--by no means a hopeless situation.

What the Falcon coach opted to do, however, made little sense, unless his sole purpose was to play into the Crimson's hands; he had the first hitter sacrufuce the runner over to third.

"An out is precious to as at that time." Wentzell said. "He took away his number of two batter to give us an out. That's who our second run in that inning was so important."