Nine Plays Northeastern Today In Attempt to Win Fifth Straight

Yesterday's overdose of humidity gave the Varsity baseball team an unexpected day of rest for this afternoon's encounter with Northeastern, at 3 p.m. at Soldiers Field.

Either Dave Brigham or southpaw Gerry Emmet, prospective starters at Boston University yesterday, will take the mound against the Huskies. The Varsity, unbeaten in Eastern Intercollegiate League competition, is lodged in fourth place among Greater Boston teams--with a record of one win, one loss, and one tie.

Northeastern, sixth in the G.B.I., has yet to win in League play. "I haven't seen them play, and I haven't heard much about them," said Crimson Coach Norman Shepard last night.

The Varsity rides into the game on a four-game winning streak--including three one-run victories over Columbia, Princeton, and Brown. In early season Greater Boston games, it tied Tufts, 2 to 2, massacred Brandeis, 20 to 8, and was whitewashed by M.I.T., 2 to 0.

Since those early April jitters, and a disillusioning Spring training trip to the South, the Crimson nine has come into some heavy hitting on the part of left-fielder Kent Hathawey and first baseman Frank Saia, plus an ability to push across that leading run in the late innings. Saia currently ranks second among Greater Boston batters with a .637 percentage.

Brigham, fast becoming the iron man of the Varsity's pitching staff, has won four games and lost none this season. He has pitched the full nine innings on three occasions. Emmet distinguished himself in hitless relief against Princeton last Friday.

Undefeated, once-tied Tufts leads the Greater Boston League, followed by B.U.,. Boston College, and the Crimson. Winless Brandeis and Northeastern share the cellar. The Varsity, a second division also-ran in the Eastern Intercollegiate League last year, is defending champion of the G.B.I.