Big Green Teams

Story Book Victory Over Yale in Commencement Baseball Game Brings the 1939-40 Athletic Season to a Close

JUST LIKE IN A STORY BOOK, as that popular ditty of a few years back stated the case, Dartmouth defeated Yale, 2-1, in the final baseball game of the 1940 season before an overflow alumni gathering on Memorial Field on June 15. With the victory the Big Green nine settled into second place in the Eastern Intercollegiate League.

As a sports thriller few athletic contests of the college year approached this finale of the entire intercollegiate program.

The Elis, paced by one of the most brilliant young sophomore pitchers to enter the League in many years, Ted Harrison, went into a first-inning lead of one run by virtue of an error, a double down the first base line, and a banjo single before Captain Hal Wonson could settle down and retire the visitors without further damage.

For five innings this slim margin of supremacy looked like ten runs in the American League, for left-hander Harrison was striking out Dartmouth batters with veteran skill whenever the Indians threatened. However, the men of Coach Jeff Tesreau were far from being completely silenced at the plate as catcher and senior George Sommers demonstrated by doubling hotly down the third base line with one out in the fifth. Sophomore first baseman Chet Jones then straightened out a slow curve of Harrison's into left centerfield and Sommers had scored with the first Green run.

Both Wonson and Harrison proceeded to pitch a brand of baseball that was worthy of the best traditions of college baseball and Commencement games in particular until it seemed as if the contest would go on and on until darkness.

Left fielder Dick Burns, the first man up for the Green in the last of the ninth, had other ideas and his sharp hit through third baseman Besse of Yale put the winning run on first. Tuffy Reeves, senior right fielder, then went to the plate with instructions to advance Burns to scoring position, and he did his job so well that Burns was able to dash all the way to third on the bunt.

Up to the plate strode shortstop Johnny Lendo, who had previously fanned twice and played a sensational game defensively. After looking over two balls and one strike, Lendo drove a vicious single over second base that allowed Burns to jog home with the victory.

Seldom have Dartmouth athletes shown more uncontrolled joy on the field than they allowed themselves to display whilE Burns was trotting across the plate. Wonson, who made a great comeback this spring after a junior year of disappointment for himself, received hugs all around for his masterful five-hitter that sparkled with seven strikeouts. Lendo was lifted off the ground by fellow teammates for his timely hit and congratulated all around for seven brilliant assists and three put-outs that added up to one of the best shortstopping jobs turned in by a Dartmouth infielder in many years. Burns, of course, was also a hero for his efforts. In fact the entire team played championship ball and no man failed to earn a share of the credit. The seniors Wonson, Sommers, Reeves and Ned Hein will have no regrets about their last appearance in a Dartmouth uniform. Hein's contribution was a life-saving catch in centerfield that was too deep for the infielders and too close for 99 out of 100 outfielders without the speed that Hein possesses.

Following the celebration and cooling showers the squad collected and elected second baseman Jack Orr captain for the 1941 campaign. Orr, a letterman for two years in both football and baseball, will prove to be an excellent leader.

With the Commencement baseball contest the Dartmouth sports year was brought to a close. On the whole it did not rank with such a remarkable year as 1937, but it was far from average. Championships were won in basketball, lacrosse, and skiing. The football team was far more successful than anticipated in the fall, the hockey team laid the foundations for next winter, the track team experienced a good dual meet season, the swimming team made vast strides forward, and all along the sports front the Dartmouth team denionstrated that they were backed in every instance with the tops in coaching ability.

Now Dartmouth looks ahead to the coming football season. There is much reason to hope that the Green will be a strong eleven in many ways. Defensively, the team promises to have much ability and reserve strength to back up the starting eleven. Offensively, the squad will undoubtedly show that it is heavily backboned with the sophomores who are coming up from a spirited and successful freshman unit. Whether the youthfulness of the squad can be harnessed in time for a third-game match with Columbia is a matter of first concern. This contest now shapes up as a testing point for the entire fall, for the Lions are known to be strong and never yet have they been easy to conquer \in any one tilt. Harvard will have an experienced squad of juniors from the nucleus of its predominantly sophomore eleven of 1940. Princeton expects to be better than it was this past fall. Cornell is Cornell. Yale remains an unknown quantity. Brown will prove to be a fine lastgame foe. But regardless of the opposition's strengths and weaknesses, Dartmouth will be proud of its '41 eleven if for no other reason than that you may expect to see some tackling and aggressiveness that will warm the hearts of fans who attach more consequence to the spirit shown than to the won or lost column.

BATTING STAR OF THE YALE GAMEJohnny Lendo '41 of Otter River, Mass., whose single broke up the Commencement ballgame, shown at the plate in the second inning. Lendo's defensive play at shortstop wasalso a feature of the thrilling contest.