Columbia
PENN*
Baseball Sweeps Ivy Rival Penn
3/26/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
In the continuation of the postponed game from the evening before, the Lions lost 8-7 in the bottom of the ninth.
In the first game of the doubleheader, the Lions went ahead 3-0 in the bottom of the third inning, combining for five hits. Malfettone singled to start off the inning and was dirven home on a double from first-year Mike Roberts. Sophomore Henry Perkins singled to send Roberts to third and then went to second himself as the Quakers tried to throw Roberts out at third. First-year Brett Joss sent Roberts home on a single to left field and Perkins scored in the next at bat as senior Marc Gold hit into a double play.
Penn took a 6-3 lead in the top of the fourth inning, scoring six runs off of four hits and two Columbia errors. Penn went up by two more runs (8-3) in the top of the fifth inning, getting on hit and capitalizing on two more Lion errors.
Columbia did not back down and tied up the game in the fifth inning, scoring five runs on four hits and one Penn error. Junior Andrew Ward led off the inning with a single and then moved over to third on a double from senior Michael DeFazio. The two runners scored on a double from Malfettone, who went to third during the next at bat on a passed ball. Roberts walked on a full count and Perkins singled to score Malfettone and put runners at first and second. Joss moved the runners to second and third on a sacrifice bunt and in the next at bat, senior Noah Cooper reached first on an error, allowing both Perkins and Roberts to score and tie the game. With the score still tied going in to the bottom of the seventh inning, Perkins singled his way on but Joss hit into a double play, clearing the bases. The Lions were not discouraged and Cooper drew a walk on a full count to give Columbia another baserunner and he was moved over to second on a single by junior Craig Rodwogin. Designated hitter Dan Neczypor stepped up to the plate and with a 2-2 count, hit a long single to right center to score Cooper and win the game, 9-8.
Sophomore Alex Lewis (1-1) recorded the win for the Lions, pitching 2.1 innings allowing no hits or runs while striking out three batters. Malfettone finished the game going 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBI and a double while Perkins also went 3-for-4 from the plate with one RBI and two runs scored.
In the second game, the Lions started off hot, gaining a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, Rodwogin singled and then Neczypor hit his second home run of the season over the right field wall to clear the bases. With two outs and one person on base, DeFazio hit the second home run of the inning, this time over the centerfield fence to clear the bases again.
The Lions struck again in the third inning, scoring seven runs off of three hits and two Penn errors. Rodwogin led off the inning with a walk, Neczypor hit a single to center field and Ward walked, loading the bases to start off the walk. Malfettone scored the first runs of the inning, scoring two with a double to right center. DeFazio caused a Penn error, scoring Ward and then Malfettone scored in the next at bat as DeFazio stole second and caused another Quaker error as the ball went into the outfield, scoring Malfettone. After a Roberts walk, DeFazio scored on a sacrifice fly by first-year Jon Tasman. After another Lion walk, Perkins hit a double to left center to score two more runs.
Penn managed to score a run in each of the fourth and fifth innings as the Quakers scored on a sacrifice fly and a home run. The Lions put one run across in the sixth as Tasman hit in Cooper and then Penn scored another run in the eighth to make the score 13-3. Columbia hit in two more runs in the bottom of the inning to win by a final score 15-3. With one out, first-year Spencer Silverstein doubled to right field and then Tasman hit them both in on a long home run over the center field fence.
Sophomore Bill Purdy pitching the win for Columbia, finishing all nine innings, allowing seven hits and three earned runs while striking out six Penn batters. Tasman led the Lions with four RBI despite only having one hit and DeFazio finished the game going 2-for-3 with three RBI.
In the continuation of the postponed game from the day before, the Lions came up to bat in the top of the ninth inning with the score tied 7-7. Columbia had a base runner in scoring position, but could not score him so the game remained tied. Penn led off with a double and the runner moved over to second as first-year second baseman Joey Mizzoni dropped the ball during a pickoff attempt, allowing the runner go to third. Perkins was able to strike out the next two batters and got the third batter to hit a grounder to second base, but Mizzoni committed another error, letting the winning run score.
Columbia faces St. John's on Tuesday, March 28 in Queens, N.Y. Game time is 3 p.m.
