Crimson Nine Faces Holy Cross's Defending N.E. Baseball Champions

The varsity baseball team faces Holy Cross at Worcester today in a game that shapes up as an unofficial New England championship.

If Harvard (14-1-1) doesn't have the best baseball team in the area, the Crusaders do. For the last two years they have represented New England in NCAA playoffs; this year, after an early-season loss to Dartmouth, they've run off six straight wins, the last one being a 3-0 win over B.U. Saturday.

Both teams rely on pitching; Holy Cross's ace is a hulking (6' 5", 220 lbs.) lefthander named Dick Joyce, who turned down a $100,000 Red Sox bonus offer before entering Holy Cross. Last year he struck out 15 Crimson batters while beating Harvard 2-1.

Behind Joyce the Crusaders have a young team (15 sohomores out of 30 on the roster) with a few stars. Catcher Timmy Murtaugh, whose daddy manages the Pittsburgh Pirates, and outfielder Jim Holleran, the team's best hitter, head up the group.

Righthander Andy Luther is scheduled to do the pitching for Harvard. Luther has been the season's biggest find for coach Norm Shepard; after two years out of uniform, he has turned in a 5-0 record