Nine Loses Twice to Richmond, Once to Maryland in Trip South

Discouraging weather and discouraging scores greeted the baseball team last week in the South. The nine's six-game slate was cut in half by inclement weather, and the team lost each of those games.

The team's first encounter was its best, as Maryland edged the Crimson, 3 to 1, in a drizzle. The College Park, Md., contest, played on Monday, displayed the visitors' pitching at good advantage as Dom Repetto combined with Joel Bernstein to limit the winners to one earned run.

Repetto went five innings, striking out three and walking none, and allowing two runs, one earned. Bernstein finished up, allowing a walk and fanning one in an inning and two thirds to give up one unearned run. The game was finally called in the last of the seventh. Bob Hastings provided the lone Crimson tally with a solo home run in the fifth.

Tuesday's scheduled game with Quantico was postponed because of wet grounds, and the team moved on to Richmond, where Wednesday it lost, 8 to 3. Hastings again sparked the Crimson attack with three hits in four tries, and John Getch hit a two-run homer in the seventh.

By then it was too late, as the winners had scored seven times in the fifth, bunching four hits, two walks, two stolen bases and two errors. Bob McGinnis started, permitting five runs (two earned), striking out four and walking four. Tom Brigham walked two in his four-inning stint, permitting three runs, of which one was earned. In all, the Crimson outhit Richmond, 11 to 5, but made five errors to its host's three in bowing.

Playing again the next day, the team lost 7 to 1, as Walt Stahura drove in Bob Cleary for the team's only run in the fourth. Bill Congelton, who started on the mound, gave up three runs, but only one was earned, and pitched out of a hole nicely in the last of his four innings. Don Hoffman pitched the next two, giving up one unearned run, and Harvey Friedman and Byron Johnson finished up.

The last two games, slated against Virginia and Gettysburg, were washed out.

In all, the trip cannot be counted as a success. But this is true probably more because three games were cancelled than because three games were lost. The team clearly needed practice, as frequent errors hurt pitching that was better than expected. The catching, in particular, needs work.

Wednesday the team opens its home season against M.I.T. in a Greater Boston League encounter. M.I.T. has also been South, and may produce a real test for the Crimson