BASEBALL

On the eve of a doubleheader with Penn at Rolfe Field, the Indians are in the midst of the longest winning streak in Dartmouth baseball history.

The Green has won 14 straight games since dropping an 8-7 extra-inning affair at Princeton that gave the Tigers a split of a doubleheader on the first weekend of the Eastern League season. Two days later, the Indians whipped Boston University, 7-3, and the streak has been going ever since.

In the course of the string, the Indians have swept doubleheaders from Harvard, Yale, and Cornell plus single wins from Brown, Army, and Navy in the EIBL and non-league wins over BU, Boston College, Holy Cross, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.

Entering the Penn twin bill, Dartmouth led the EIBL with a 10-2 record and also was undefeated in nine games against New England opponents. There seems little question that the Green is New England's best team this spring and should represent the league in NCAA tournament play.

The reasons for the success of Coach Tony Lupien's 14th Dartmouth baseball team are varied. They have exceptional pitching depth. They have been hitting at every position in the lineup. They have been getting good work at second base (from Jim Bell, a converted pitcher) and behind the plate (Tim Hannigan and Wayne Young have shared the duties and have combined timely hitting with consistent receiving). Both positions were pre-season question marks.

Bruce Saylor, the line captain from West Caldwell, N. J., has been a solid 400 hitter in the EIBL all season and has been over .360 in all games. He came up with game-winning hits in the final innings against both Cornell and Navy and has proven to be an exceptional team leader.

The pitching depth also has been vital. Chuck Seelbach has survived a series of weak-hit outings by his mates to stand 3-3 and seem a good candidate to repeat as an All-EIBL selection. Pete Broberg, the touted sophomore, has been throwing as many pitches in seven innings as most pitchers need in nine but he still has a 5-1 record and when he's in form there are few batters who will touch him.

One of the better success stories of the spring has been John Prado, a slight righthander from Westernport, Md., who has become Lupien's relief ace. In five late-inning appearances, Prado worked 13 innings, allowed two runs (one of them unearned), six singles and has lowered his earned run average to a sharp 1.96.

It seems that everything's going right for the Indians and Saylor feels the credit belongs to everyone. "The team is loose," said he. "If we make a couple of errors or if someone strikes out, we throw some digs at the guy but no one gets mad. Everyone is really pulling for everyone else and it seems that we all want to play better to please each other."

One of the great moments of the season was the Navy game at Rolfe Field. The contest came on the Friday of the week when Dartmouth students were deliberating over their commitment to issues of the day in the nation and world.

In a period of questioning whether a contest would be played, Dartmouth's baseball players voted unanimously to play and more than 1,000 spectators came to see the Indians overtake the Middies (who entered the game in a tie with Dartmouth for the EIBL lead) and win on Saylor's two-run double in the last of the ninth, 9-8.

"This year," said Saylor, "we've been getting hits everywhere in the lineup. We don't have to wait for one big inning. We know we can start something with any batter."

Lupien was concerned when senior first baseman Bud Dagirmanjian, the only .300 hitter outside of Saylor, was lost with a hamstring pull while stealing a base during the 16-10 win at Brown. He juggled his lineup and installed Russ Adams at first base and moved sophomore Frank Mannarino into Dag's No. 3 hitting slot.

Manarino immediately boosted his average to a respectable .255 (he also is second to Saylor in RBIs) while Adams, hitting eighth, clicked for a three-run double during the 8-4 win at Massachusetts and also singled and tripled during the 13-3 romp over Army. Dagirmanjian returned as a pinch-hitter during the 4-2 win at New Hampshire and remained in the game, finishing with a walk, single, and two RBIs. Just like old times.

When things are going well, everything seems right. The odds on such a streak of wins are extremely long and Saylor feels that when the bubble bursts, the Indians will still bounce right back.

The enthusiasm isn't limited to the team, either. The crowds are bigger than ever at Rolfe Field and Lupien even has an alumnus - Dolph Highmark - traveling from Brunswick, Me., where he's stationed with the Navy, to pitch batting practice.

The Indians have built a 16-2 record since returning from the southern trip in late March. Anyway you look at it, it's a good spring for baseball.

D. 7 n A. B. Street '18itc er Pete Broberg (left) belts a double against Yale that scored sophomorecatcher Wayne Young (right) with the first of the two seventh-inning runs thatclinched Dartmouth's 7-4 victory at New Haven.

A. B. Street'18Pitcher Pete Broberg (left) belts a double against Yale that scored sophomorecatcher Wayne Young (right) with the first of the two seventh-inning runs thatclinched Dartmouth's 7-4 victory at New Haven.

Eastern Intercollegiate Golf Champions: The Dartmouth team that won the titlefor the first time since 1941 and qualified for the NCAA tournament at OhioState, June 22-27, includes (front, l to r) Dave Hill, Coach Bill Johnson, CaptainSandy McWilliams, who won the individual championship, and Clair Grant; (backrow) Ken Kotowski, Marsh Gavre, Mike Furey, Clarke Nims, Jim Cox, andMark Hallenbeck.

By defeating Pennsylvania 5-0 in thefirst game of a doubleheader on May16, after Princeton had lost to Cornell,Dartmouth clinched its second straightE.I.B.L championship.