Nine Whips Indians, Yale, But Fails in Playoff Bid

Harvard's varsity nine had its finest weekend of the season Friday and Saturday, moving from eighth to third place in the Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League and finishing first in the NCAA District I standings with victories over Dartmouth, 12-9, and Yale, 7-6.

Although the Crimson finished with a 9-2 record in the NCAA District standings, John J. Connelly, coach of Northeastern and head of the selection committee for the District playoffs, announced last night that a prior NCAA ruling prevents Harvard from being considered for an invitation to the playoffs. Since only one EIBL team may be entered in the NCAA competition, the league champion, either Dartmouth or Cornell, will be selected.

Evens Record

The Crimson finished its season with a 13-8 record and evened its results in the EIBL at 4-4. Harvard stands third in the well-balanced league, tied with Yale and Brown. Dartmouth and Cornell dropped two weekend games apiece, and will square off for the championship next Saturday.

In both Harvard games this weekend, the Crimson pumped to early leads and then held on in face of late surges by the opposition. Senior Bob Dorwart came in for relief appearances in both games, winning the first and saving the other victory for Bob Kalinoski.

Ignacio Stars

In the Dartmouth game, John Ignacio had three hits, two runs, and three RBI's Pete Bernhard contributed two hits and three runs, and catcher Jack Turco had two crucial hits that drove in three runs.

Against the Indians, Harvard hitters walloped starter Glen Culbertson for six runs and six hits, including triples by Bill Kelly and Turco in the first inning. Dartmouth tagged southpaw J. C. Nickens for five runs in as many innings and tied the game in the seventh 7-7.

Uncontrollable

At that point the Indian's star-reliever, Jim Bell, ran into control problems as he walked four and yielded three hits in the bottom half of the inning. Dartmouth hurt its own cause with a wild pitch and a pass ball on an intentional walk, and Turco and Dorwart then delivered clutch singles.

Dorwart was strained in the ninth when he loaded the bases with one out and the score 12-9. But the big right-hander struck out Bob Saylor, the Indian's leading hitter, and then got Craig Conklin to fly to center to end the game.

Early power and poor pitching by the opposition also gave Harvard a quick lead against Yale on Saturday. Third baseman Dan DeMichele smashed Jim McNerney's first pitch of the ball game into right field for a home run, his first of the year.

In the third, McNerney lost all control, walking four batters and yielding doubles to sophomores Kelly and DeMichele. Kelly's two-bagger with the bases loaded pushed Harvard to a 5-1 lead, and the team exchanged scores in the fourth for a 7-3 Crimson advantage.

Yale then called upon right-hander Bob Wright, who held Harvard to a mere single in the final four innings. Meanwhile, starter Kalinoskl threw home run pitches to Bernie Sowley and Bob Bayless to narrow the lead to 7-6 in the ninth. With the tying run on second and Brian Dowling dreaming of comeback victories, Dorwart came in to fire a called third strike past the Bulldog's Bob Small.

Contradiction

The NCAA ruling on league representatives to District playoffs will contradict the standings in the New England league. Along with the winner of the Yankee Conference, the University of Massachusetts, the selection committee may choose one or two independents, depending on whether the EIBL champion is in the New England district.

If Dartmouth defeats Cornell on Saturday the Indians and Boston University, teams with worse district records than Harvard and teams that the Crimson beat in regular season play, will join UMass and a fourth independent, probably Providence in the playoffs. Shold the Big Red of District II triumph, B.U. and the Redmen will play a three-game series for a playoff spot.