But consider this: Harvard showed little sign Tuesday night of carrying a burden. After watching Boston College jump to a 7-0 lead before their first base hit, the Crimson put up a four spot in the fifth—capped by a three-run rocket of a home run by Hendricks, which sailed over Campanelli’s Merianbros.com Tuxedo sign.

Harvard continued to chip away. There was Bryan Hale, fruitlessly running out a ground ball like a madman in the sixth. There was the infield defense, turning flawless double plays in the sixth and seventh. There was Hendricks, hitting ropes in the seventh and eighth.

But as Harvard chipped away, so did BC. The Eagles outscored the Crimson 4-2 after that four-run fifth, sealing the win. And Harvard sent only three batters to the plate in an uninspiring ninth.

Harvard coach Joe Walsh stressed fundamentals.

“Whether it’s not playing heads-up baseball or swinging at bad pitches, you just hope that you learn from a game like this,” he said.

And that, the skipper said, is why the team can’t forget.

Walsh knows that, as Harvard hits the end of its schedule—facing fellow Red Rolfe division squad Brown in four games this weekend—it must take advantage of meaningless non-conference games like BC, no matter how much municipal prestige is on the line, to rid its ship of leaks.

“As you go along and you’re playing and you’re not getting better,” Walsh said, “if you’re taking steps back, it’s hard to take another step forward.”

Learn from your mistakes. What a novel idea.

—Staff writer Alex McPhillips can be reached at rmcphill@fas.harvard.edu.