Baseball

The Big Green baseball team, in its first season under Coach Tony Lupien, has blown hot and cold. Generally, the Big Green pitching has been fairly effective, but the hitting, particularly in the clutch, has left something to be desired and the fielding has been erratic. The Indians have been fortunate in winning their share of the close games (five by one-run margins), but have also lost some close and important games (two by one-run margins).

Since last month the Big Green defeated Amherst 8-7 in ten innings, lost twice to Holy Cross by 15-4 and 12-5 scores, edged St. Michael's 4-3 and Cornell 6-5, lost to Colby 6-2, defeated Harvard and Princeton in league games by 7-6 and 6-4 scores, but then dropped crucial league games to Navy 3-2 and league leading Yale 4-3, before topping Army, in the most recent encounter, 10-4.

The Big Green currently has a 5-2 record in the Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League, and has a chance for second or third place. Had the Indians stopped either Navy or Yale, they would have been right up there on top along with Yale.

A look at the batting statistics reveals one of the reasons why Dartmouth has not done better. The Indians have hit only 73 times in 511 times at bat for a rather low .219 team average. Only 23 of these hits were for extra bases. Only one man on the team - outfielder Fred Hildebrandt — is batting over the .300 mark, and Hildebrandt has a .313 average. Sophomore outfielder Dave Marshall is next with a .291 average followed by third baseman John Otis (-254), pitcher Dick Van Riper (.250), veteran outfielder John Chapman (.238), Captain Larry Blades at second base (.228, but, with two homes runs, two doubles and one triple), and sophomore catcher Wayne Skeen (.212). The other team members - shortstop Dave Richard, first baseman Ralph Manuel, and outfielders Dave Dickson and John Dennison - are all batting at .210 or below.

Veteran Ron Judson has the best pitching record, performing in nine games and winning four and losing one with an earned run average of 3.07. Dick Van Riper is a bit off his 1956 pace as he has won three games, while losing two for an E.R.A. of 3.70. Sophomores Art Quirk and Jerry Rood have 5.61 and 7.71 averages, with Quirk winning two and losing one, while Rood has one loss against no victories. Stan Drazen and Dave Gavitt are the other Dartmouth hurlers who have seen action, although neither has managed to win.

The 4-3 loss to Yale in mid-May was a serious one for the Big Green. Yale led almost from the start, with Yale pitcher Ray Carlsen, who has lost only one game in his three years of hurling for the Elis, holding the Indians well in check. Dartmouth countered with Ron Judson, who also went the distance, but who was a little less effective. Dartmouth came from behind to tie the game in the seventh inning at 3-all when Rod Anderson tripled and Judson singled him home. However, Judson lost the game himself in the next inning when with a Yale man on first, he bobbled a slow roller back to the mound and threw too late to second base for the force play. The next batter up singled cleanly and the man on second came home with what proved to be the winning run.

Earlier that week the Indians were the victims of a no-hit, no-run game as Dick Flood of Williams held the Big Green hitless and scoreless while his teammates piled up four runs.

The Indians found their batting eyes in the most recent game against Army as they pounded out 9 hits to score 10 runs and win 10-4.

Captain Larry Blades rushed over from second to cover first on this infield play, but the ball (can you find it?) eluded him and Whittlesey of Navy got safely back to first.