After having guessed wrong twice on the outcome of Harvard-Princeton diamond battles, the baseball experts are hesitating to predict a winner for the final tussle, scheduled for 4 o'clock this afternoon at Fenway Park.
Even Crimson well-wishers expected the Tigers to walk away with the opening game of the series, but after Spalding had upset the dope by banding the Nassau men a row of blanks, Harvard was favored to repeat at Princeton ten days ago. Again the predictions went awry. Leaving his pitching ace Caldwell, on the bench, Coach Clarke staked his Tigers' chances on left-hander Townsend, and the latter shaded Spalding in a 3 to 2 pitching duel. So now the sport scribes are looking very wise and saying that the team getting the breaks will win.
Spalding Still Threatening
Townsend will be out to repeat his five-hit triumph over the Crimson, and Spalding will serve them up to the Princeton sluggers for the third time. The Tigers are confident that they have seen everything the Harvard hurler has and that he will no longer be a puzzle. Coach Slattery, on the other hand, believes that his prize pitcher knows the Princeton batters as well as they know him and that his effectiveness will be minimized.
The flip of a coin has given the Jungaleers the slight advantage of being the "home" team. They will occupy the Red Sox dug-out and take the field first. Superstitious Princetonians may look to this break as an omen that the Tigers will maltreat the ball in the slugging fashion of the Boston club on its recent sojourn at the Fens.
Slattery Retains New Batting Order
Coach Slattery will use the juggled batting order that he tried at Providence Saturday. Captain Jenkins will lead off and Rogers will bat in sixth place. Jenkins should be a valuable number one man on account of his ability to get on base frequently. The Crimson leader has not been clouting the ball in his last year's form, but he has been on base constantly by virtue of bases on balls and errors. Samborski, who watched Saturday's fray from the bench, will again don the mask and protector.
Princeton's 1 to 0 victory over Yale last Saturday has rekindled the Tigers' hopes for the Big Three title. They will be out for blood this afternoon, eager to humble Harvard and annex their 16th victory in 19 starts.
Read more in News
STUDENTS MAY BECOME FLIERS THIS SUMMER