BATES TO FILL VACANT DATE FOR CRIMSON NINE

In case of a tie between Princeton and the University, the deciding game was to be played tomorrow. The Tiger having emerged victorious in two straight games, the University is left with a vacant date on the schedule, and it has been announced that Bates will play here on that date. The Bates nine will be the second Maine team to invade the Soldiers Field diamond, Bowdoin having taken a victory back to the Pine Tree State early in the season.

Yale Now Favored Heavily

The Holy Cross game at Worcester on Saturday, with Springfield and Tufts next week, will wind up the University season before the Yale games in Commencement Week. With ten defeats out of the last 13 games played, the University nine faces the most difficult kind of prospect if it is to triumph over the Blue. Princeton, with Caldwell in the box, bowed to the New Haven team on Saturday, a defeat which makes the odds soar even higher on Yale against the Crimson.

Two weeks of practice, with the few games remaining to be played, will constitute Coach Mahan's last drive before the Blue series. In all likelihood, Captain Hammond will be back in the line-up before the week is over, and Crimson baseball followers are picking him to be in the second base berth against Bates tomorrow. That Zarakov will remain in the shortstop position seems to be a certainty now. Howard has returned to Cambridge, and is recuperating rapidly, but the chances of his seeing baseball action again this spring are very slim. With Tobin fairly securely established at the initial sack, the hot corner is the only place left in the infield to be definitely filled, and Slayton, Ullman and Dacey are definitely in the running for the job.

Todd Bolsters Outfield

The outfield will hardly see any changes in the next few games. Rogers has been hitting consistently, and Todd in left field has earned a reputation as one of the most consistent players on this year's team. Burgess has shown up as a more dependable outfielder and as good a hitter as Gehrke and seems to have cinched the centerfield berth.

With both the Second team and 1928 seasons terminated by the Yale games last Saturday a nine has been formed to play daily against the University in practice. It is made up of players from the Second and Freshman teams. Amsden, Andrews, Booth, Dacey, Bennett, Keene, Knowlton, Roland, DeRham and Slayton representing Coach Lake's nine. Barbee, Chauncey, Lord, Burns, Jones, Linscott, Pollard and Nordberg will be the Freshmen on the new squad. A team made up from these men will stage a game every day against the University. This is the continuation of an annual policy in Crimson baseball, the combination team being designed to supplant the Second team as the daily opponent of Coach Mahan's regulars.