Nine Defeats Virginia, 9-6; Loses to Fort Lee, Marines

A losing record in any sport is seldom encouraging, but although the varsity baseball team dropped two of three games on its vacation four south, Coach Sutffy McInnes believes the nine has the best potential of teams in the past three years.

In its only college game, the varsity trimmed the University of Virginia, 9 to 6. And in its opening game against the Fort Lee nine, made up entirely of professionals, the varsity managed to keep the soldiers' winning score down to 5 to 1, while outhitting the winners, 6 to 5.

Only against the Quantico Marines, also loaded with professional players--when McInnis experimented with four pitchers--did the team suffer a whipping, 17 to 3.

But on the whole, the trip was a highly encouraging one. Aside from the important practice the entire team experienced, at least two sophomore pitchers, Ken Rossano and Jim Fitzgibbons, showed the ability to hold their own in varsity, or varsity-plus competition; and McInnis also had the opportunity to work out evidently successful infield combinations.

Just as significant a factor, and one that will become increasingly important as the college season progresses, is the solid hitting the team provided its pitchers.

Although facing a former Louisville game, both Bill Cleary and Don Butters Colonel pitcher in the opening Fort Lee collected two hits, while Rossano, pitching a single hit and two runs. Henry Hamel took over in the fifth, and allowed three runs on three hits, but Fitzgibbons, who took the mound in the seventh, yielded only one safety, and gave up no runs.

The team's top pitcher, Andy Ward, went all the way against Virginia. He allowed five of the loser's six runs to score on wild pitches, however, and needed the heavy plate support, provided by Cleary, Butters, and Dick Scheer, who each collected two hits.

But Crimson batters couldn't compensate for mound wildness against Quantico, for Roger Osenbaugh, ex-Stanford and Sacramento Senator mound ace, was the Marine starter. Meanwhile, Crimson starter John Arnold walked the first four men to face him, and was followed by three relievers, Fitzgibbons, Ned Felton, and John Cooke. Only Felton could hold the winners, and he tired in the seventh.