EARLY-SEASON BASEBALL

The tardy arrival of spring weather that kept the baseball squad indoors up to spring vacation was responsible for further interference with the schedule and necessitated the cancellation of four preliminary games on the annual training trip during the recess, — the Paterson, Crescent A. C., Seton Hall, and Massachusetts Aggie games. The remainder of the schedule was successfully completed on the whole, however, and showed a potentially strong aggregation, once the lack of pitchers can be remedied. Coach Hazelton has been confronted with a dearth of seasoned material in this department since candidates were called out in the winter, and he has been working on the problem in a way that would indicate a perfect understanding of the situation.

With the development of two or three dependable mound men, there appears to be little cause for worry over the outcome of the season, if the early showing can be taken as indicative of anything. The first two games, with Fordham and New York University, both went to the Green by 2-1 scores. Not an error was credited to the team in the former, and only one in the latter, a fact which might be taken as proof of the assertion that the veteran infield is playing, even at this stage, excellent baseball.

The Columbia game was to some extent a disaster, the Blue and White nine winning 11-6. Here the problem of the pitching staff was apparent, Coach Hazelton trying four men in the vain effort to stem the tide of hits that were being pounded to every corner of the diamond. Thirty safeties were made during the course of the game, nineteen going to Columbia and the remainder to Dartmouth batsmen, which is a commentary on the proficiency of Captain Perkins's men in handling the stick. C. F. Murphy '17, who had the highest batting average of the 1915 team, again came to the front, with R. G. Paine '17, K. L. Thielscher '17, and A. O. Duhamel '17 close behind.

The game with New Hampshire State College, a newcomer on the Green schedule, resulted in an easy shutout 12-0. Home runs by Duhamel and Thielscher and a three-bagger by Murphy featured the hitting while the same flawless support given in the Fordham game was accorded Holmes and Doyle.

The only department which has suffered at all by the graduation of the class of 1915 is the pitching roster, and it is here that the biggest question-mark lies. Last year's fast infield is intact. Murphy seems to be without question the equal of Wanamaker as catcher, and the outfield is strengthened by the addition of Duhamel and R. P. Reese 'l8.

The schedule for the coming month includes games with the Massachusetts Aggies, Brown, Georgetown, and Vermont at Hanover on April 26, 29, May 4, and 6 respectively, with Wesleyan at Middletown and Yale at New Haven May 9 and 10, with Tufts and Williams at Hanover on the 12th and 13th, Columbia at New York and Princeton May 16 and 17, and with Wesleyan at Hanover May 19. Three of the five letter games designated by the Athletic Council will have been completed with the above-named contests, and with them, the pitching problem should be settled one way or the other.

The letter games are: Yale, Princeton, Harvard, Williams at Hanover and Amherst at Hanover.