BASEBALL

As this article goes to press, the Indians are headed for Ithaca, N. Y., and a contest with Cornell that ranks as the biggest (and that's an understatement) game of the year. Riding on it is the Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League championship and a bid to the NCAA District Tournament - for both teams. (Dartmouth won 5-1, and captured both the league title and an NCAA berth.)

Because the EIBL overlaps Districts One and Two in the NCAA organization of things, and because only one team representing the EIBL can compete in the tournament, the Dartmouth-Cornell game will be an all or nothing game for both teams. Dartmouth is in District One and Cornell in District Two.

For awhile it appeared that this climactic finish to the 1969 season would not develop. The Indians, stormed through to victories over Brown, Princeton, Columbia, Penn and Yale before losing to Harvard and Army on successive days. Those losses appeared to eliminate Dartmouth from the picture as Cornell was equally efficient in compiling a 6-1 record. On the same day that Army was halting the Green, 4-1, though, Princeton surprised Cornell 5-3 and the stage was set.

Solid defense and timely hitting have been keys for Coach Tony Lupien's team - plus the efficient relief pitching of a sophomore, Jim Bell.

Bruce Saylor, the rightfielder who led Dartmouth's hitters with a .371 average, is at it again. His average climbed to .367 before slipping to .337 during the Harvard-Army calamities and he also has driven 30 runs across the plate to stand on the brink of a new Dartmouth record. Saylor has had capable support from second baseman Bob Mlakar (.325), outfielder Bud Dagirmanjian (.333) and shortstop Jim Chasey (.302).

Defensively, sophomore third baseman Craig Conklin has lived up to Lupien's appraisal that he's one of the East's best fielders. His flawless performance in handling seven chances (including the starting throw of a crucial double play) has been instrumental in anchoring a steadily improving infield.

And then there's Jim Bell. The slightly built righthander has compiled a 5-3 record this season and came into the game in relief of Chuck Seelbach on three occasions and collected winning decisions against Brown, Princeton and Yale.

Combine Seelbach and Bell with two other sophomores - Bill Saumsiegle and Oz Griebel - and Lupien has the nucleus of a fine corps of pitchers for this season and next. Griebel was superb in his three-hit, 2-1 victory over New Hampshire. Seelbach has been an "almost" pitcher this spring. The junior from Cleveland has completed one game (a 5-2 win at Columbia) and looked strong through eight innings at Brown and Yale before tiring. His only loss was to Army.

On the subject of baseball, a few words on the Dartmouth freshman team is in order. The Little Indians have compiled an 8-2 record, primarily on the strong right arm of Pete Broberg, son of Dartmouth's basketball All-America, Gus Broberg '41. Pete has a 4-0 record and a dazzling strikeout total of 63. He's pitched a no-hitter and also is the leading batter on the freshman squad. Broberg has had capable support from Charlie Janes who has a 3-0 record and 46 strikeouts.

Captain Tom Gilmore, a prime reason forthe heavyweight crew's strong showing.