Nine Can Clinch NCAA Invitation

Two victories in three Eastern League baseball games this weekend will assure the Crimson its first League championship in three years and a bid to the NCAA District 1 playoffs. At 3 p. m. today, Harvard will host a young, Columbia nine that has come alive in the past two weeks and has built a four-game winning streak. The Crimson retake the field at 1 p. m. Saturday against an experienced, strong Princeton squad that is coming off a three-game slump.

Harvard coach Loyal Park feels it is an advantage for Harvard to be the favorite this weekend rather than the challenger. "We don't have to watch any box scores in the newspaper. We can do it all ourselves. The pressure is on any team that hopes to catch us," Park said.

The pressure is on Princeton, in particular, for the Tigers are two games off the Crimson's League-leading pace. Columbia, in contrast, is playing the role of spoiler in the League and is succeeding in its part.

The Lions began the season with 13 sophomores and a pitching rotation with a 5.97 ERA. After dropping nine of its first ten games, Columbia called on its shortstop Frank Gordon, its first baseman Bill Abner, and its second baseman Ray Nawrocki, and found the Lions had stronger arms in the infield than on the mound.

Poor Hitting

Columbia does not have a team that tears the cover off the ball-the squad is hitting 215-but Nawrocki (.360) and All-Ivy football end Jesse Parks have been providing late-inning heroics. The Lions came from behind in each of their weekend victories over Yale and Brown.

Princeton has one of the strongest Eastern League squads on paper, but the Tigers ran into a bad case of the "lefties" last weekend and dropped two to Yale, 6-4, 5-0.

Behind all-League pitcher Jack Hitson, the Tigers have two sophomores, Randy Blevins and Tom Kinne, with ERA's under 1.00. First baseman Bob Schiffner is a sure pro prospect, hitting over .500.

Park has picked Bill Kelly to throw against Columbia. Princeton will have to face two troublesome southpaws, Roz Brayton and J. C. Nickens, or the Crimson's top pitcher, Phil Collins.