Columbia
Penn*
Penn Pulls Off Comeback, Dealing Baseball 12-11 Loss
3/25/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The Lions got on the board early in the first game, going ahead 4-0 in the top of the first off of four hits. Senior Marc Gold led off the inning with a single and was moved over to third on a double by junior Craig Rodwogin. With one out, junior Andrew Ward walked to load the bases and then first-year Ron Williams hit a single to score Gold and load the bases again. Senior Mike DeFazio scored the three base runners on a double to right center to give Columbia the lead.
Penn cut the lead by one run (4-1) as the leadoff batter hit a solo homerun to put the Quakers on the board. Penn had big inning in the third, scoring five runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a 6-4 lead. The Quakers combined for four hits and two walks to take the two-run lead.
Columbia took the lead back in the fifth inning, scoring seven more runs to go ahead 11-6. Senior Noah Cooper reached first after getting hit by a pitch and with one out, Rodwogin joined him on the base paths after singling to right field. Sophomore Dan Neczypor singled to load the bases and Ward reached first on a Quaker error to keep the bases loaded and score Cooper. Williams sent to runners home on a double to centerfield and after a Penn pitching change, DeFazio was hit by a pitch to once again load the bases. Sophomore Henry Perkins singled to send Ward to the plate. First-year Mike Roberts came up to the plate after another Quaker pitching change and hit a double down the left field line to score two more runs and put runners at second and third. The Lions got their final run of the inning on a sacrifice fly to score Perkins. The Lions held the lead until the seventh inning as Penn scored four runs in the sixth inning and another run in the seventh to tie the game. In the bottom of the ninth with one out, Penn drew two walks and then Joey Boaen hit a single to right field to score the winning run to give the Quakers the 12-11 victory.
Senior Nick Oleksak (1-1) took the loss for Columbia, pitching 1.1 innings, allowing one hit and one run. Williams and DeFazio both finished with two hits and three RBI each with Roberts racking up two RBI on one hit and Perkins finishing with two hits and one RBI.
In the second game, Penn started out with a 4-0 first inning lead, tagging first-year started Joe Scarlatta for five hits and four runs. The Lions took a 6-4 lead in the top of the third, having another high-scoring inning on the day. Senior Andrew Hooker led off the inning with a bunt single and moved over to third on a single to right field by first-year Brett Joss. Gold hit a triple to score the two runners then came across the plate on a single from Rodwogin. Sophomore Mike Malfettone drew a walk to put runners on first and second and Ward singled to load up the bases. Rodwogin scored on a ground out to the shortstop from Williams and Perkins walked in the next at bat to once again load the bases. First-year Spencer Silverstein reached first base on an error by the second baseman, earning an RBI. The Lions capitalized on another Penn error to score their final run of the inning on a ground ball from Joss.
The Quakers put up one run in the bottom of the third, but Columbia went up by another run (7-5) in the top of the sixth inning as Ward singled in Rodwogin to the plate. Penn, however, came back for the second time, tying the game 7-7 in the bottom of the eighth inning, scoring two runs after loading up the bases against Perkins, who moved to pitcher.
The game was postponed due to darkness at the end of the inning and play will resume from that point tomorrow, Sunday, March 26th at Andy Coakley Field in New York, N.Y. The game will begin at 11:30 a.m. and the regularly scheduled doubleheader will begin at the conclusion.
