HANOVER, N.H., May 14--The Crimson baseball team, whose string of one-run victories has left its followers in varying states of nervous collapse all season, ventured tantalizingly close to the brink of defeat this afternoon, but held on to beat a highly-rated Dartmouth squad, 5 to 4.

The win gave the varsity, undefeated in six league contests, a full-game lead over the second-place Indians in the Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League, and, with the season's end at hand, makes the Crimson a solid favorite to capture the EIBL title alone, for the first time in league history. The Crimson has tied for the championship twice, in 1936 and 1939.

Facing ace Indian pitcher Art Quirk, the Crimson batters scored all five runs in the third inning and then sat back almost helplessly to watch Dartmouth peck away at their lead. The Green came back with two tallies in the bottom of the third, added one in the fifth and one in the eighth.

In the eighth inning, with one Dartmouth run in, the tying run on first, and one out, lefthander Gerry Emmet came in to relieve starter Dave Brigham and quelled the Indian attempt to score the tying run. Emmet did not give up a hit or a walk in the next inning and two-thirds.

Meanwhile, Quirk handcuffed the Crimson offense for eight of the nine innings. The lefthanded junior, who has pitched practically all of Dartmouth's games this spring, was handicapped by a sore throwing arm and had to take some speed off his usually formidable fast ball.

The speed he did manage, however, coupled with a very effective change-up, was enough to strike out 12 Crimson batters.

He faltered only in the eventful third frame. Mouse Kasarjian led off by knocking a long triple to right center which centerfielder Bill Dickson reached but failed to hold. After Brigham had struck out, Tom Bergantino tapped a slow roller down the third base line, and Kasarjian just beat the throw to the plate with a head-first slide.

Captain Bob Cleary was then hit by a pitch, to put men on first and second. Frank Saia, who accounted for three of the varsity's hits, followed with a single past shortstop to score Bergantino.

At this point, cleanup batter Kent Hathaway stepped into one of Quirk's fastballs and belted a high drive over the center fielder's head. Two runs scored as the hit went for a stand-up triple, and Hathaway came home himself with the fifth run a few moments later