RIVERSIDE, Calif.--Playing in the nation's best mid-season tournament, against some of the nation's best teams--all of whom had played games already this year--the Harvard baseball team opened its season with a 3-4 showing at last week's Riverside Baseball Invitational.

The Crimson looked good, very good, for a squad in its first week of outdoor baseball. The three wins included a 13-6 demolition of 14th-ranked Missouri, which entered the game with a 22-7 record.

Along with Harvard, Missouri and host U.C. Riverside, the tournament boasted San Diego State--rated No. 1 in the country midway through last year--and three Pac-10 teams: Arizona State, UCLA, and tournament champion Oregon State.

"We came out here with preconceptions about these teams," said junior pitcher Cecil Cox. We know we could play with anybody in this tournament."

"I'm not trying to take anything away from the other teams. It's just a tribute to the way our program is run," Cox added.

Harvard would "be a real solid hall club anywhere in the country," said UCLA coach Gary Adams. He should know, because teams now in his conference, the Pac-10, have won 14 of the last 20 College World Series. In contrast, only one university from the northeast ever captured a College World Series In contract, only one university from the northeast ever captured a Collage Would Series title (Holy Cross.1952)

Fox Harvard, the seven-team, round robin tournament offered a change from the usual Spring Break trip to Florida. Instead of playing a couple of college games, and facing Red Sox minor leaguers, the Crimson got a chance to square off against the best in college baseball.

"You hear about these teams," said Coach Alex Nahigian. "You like to take a look at them. You like to see how good they are."

For the refugees from the Snow Belt, just playing and coaching against these teams was a thrill.

Being competitive made it even better.

Day in and day out, junior second baseman Bob Kay turned in the best performance, going 14-for-33 (.424) and stealing six bases. Classmate Paul Vallone, batting ninth, quietly went 7-for-16 (.438). In general, though, the hitting was inconsistent.

"A few games we didn't hit," said sophomore catcher Jim DePalo. "Our pitching has been surprising. Being in these games against these great teams is going to be good for us down the road."

MONDAY

Harvard 24, Air Force 1--On a cloudy morning, Harvard was anything but cold. The batsmen hammered five home runs in their season opener, while starter Charlie Marchese scattered seven hits and fanned six in nine beautiful innings of work.

Mickey Maspons and Scott Vierra smashed back-to-back homers in the third. After Elliott Rivera's round-tripper made it 8-1 in the top of the fifth. Falcon pitcher Roch Rhinchart took out his frustration by beaning Tony Decease on the very next pitch. Maspons stepped to the plate and boomed his second straight homer, a 400 ft., monster, to dead center.