Crimson Nine Needs Weekend Wins To Stay in Eastern League Race

The Harvard baseball team needs three victories this weekend in a single game with Brown and a double-header with Yale in order to keep pace with Dartmouth and Cornell in the Eastern League title race.

The Brown game starts at 3 p. m. today and the Yale doubleheader begins at 1 p. m. tomorrow. All games will be played at Soldiers' Field.

The baseball team is coming off a startling 16-0 rout of Boston College in which leftfielder Dan DeMichele came out of a batting slump to go four-for-four. J. C. Nickens pitched his finest game of the year for the win.

Senior right-hander Bill Kelly draws the starting assignment against the Bruins, while Ros Brayton and Phil Colfins will share the mound duties against the Elis. Nickens, Barry Malinowski, John Todd and Randy Weissent will be in reserve.

The Bruins come to Cambridge with their most experienced team in history. Eight starters are back from a club which finished sixth in the Eastern league a year ago. But the Bruins have had their troubles this year. After a fairly successful southern trip where they scored a 2-0 victory over the nation's number-two team. the Florida State Seminoles, the team lost seven out of their last eight games in a row, including an 18-2 setback at the hands of Cornell.

Yet Brown can be dangerous. Catcher Dean Hogue has led the way at the plate with a 313 batting average, and second baseman Bob Wieck is hitting .300. The Bruins' biggest asset is senior right-hander Bob Thorley who has a 3-0 record this year and a 0.66 ERA.

"A good pitcher that is hot can neutralize the best of hitting clubs." Park said. If Thorley starts against the Crimson, the Harvard bats will be facing one of their strongest tests this season.

Yale already has registered more victories-six-than in all of last year's nightmarish season. The Elis show a victory over southern powerhouse Jacksonville as well as a doubleheader split with Army.

The sophomore-laden Yale team features strong hitting with an only mediocre mound staff. Captain and second baseman Joe Massey carries a .407 average into the doubleheader, while third baseman Bernie Sowley leads the RBI parade with 13.

Senior lefty Jay Bryan and sophomore right-hander Bob Corcoran are slated to pitch in the Harvard games. Bryan had a no-hitter going against strong Cornell before weakening in the late innings. He owns a 1-2 record with a 3.25 ERA. Corcoran has posted a 1-1 record with a 3.26 ERA.

The Crimson pounded out 17 hits in the Boston College win. "DeMichele is just too good of a hitter to be kept down." coach Loyal Park said. "I was very pleased to see him respond the way he did."

Nickens allowed only two harmless singles in an eight-inning stint. "I distance." said Park. "But he warmed would have liked to see him go the up seven times against Pennsylvania and a full game would have been too much."

Eastern League

W L

Cornell 3 0

Princeton 2 0

Navy 2 1

Dartmouth 2 1

Harvard 2 1

Yale 1 2

Army 1 2

Brown 1 2

Columbia 0 2

Pennsylvania 0 3