RIVERDALE, N.Y. -- The Columbia softball team pounded out a season-high 15 hits and took home a 4-1 victory over Manhattan in the nightcap of a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon. In the first game of the twinbill, a three-run home run by the Lady Jaspers proved to be the difference in a 3-1 defeat. First-year Emily Caruthers went 5-for-8 over the two games and recorded two stolen bases, putting her one away from tying Columbia's single-season record in steals.

Game Two
Columbia tallied eight hits over the first four innings of play but could not push across a run, as Manhattan pitcher Erika Sullivan did a nice job of working out of trouble. In the first, the Lions stranded a pair after first-year Emily Snodgrass and senior Karen Tulig reached base.

The second inning saw Columbia load the bases to no avail, as sophomore Alison Lam and first-years Morgan Cook and Snodgrass all notched singles before Sullivan got a ground ball to end the frame.

In the third, senior Anne Marie Skylis singled with one away. After an out was recorded by Sullivan, sophomore Christie Taylor drilled a pitch to right field for a base hit. Skylis rounded third and headed for home but was thrown out at the plate to keep the contest scoreless.

Cook singled to start off the fourth frame, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and advanced to third on a bunt base-hit from first-year Emily Caruthers to put runners on the corners and two out. Caruthers stole second to put a pair in scoring position but another ground out closed the scoring threat.

On the other side of the ball, first-year Prophet Gaspard was tremendous in the early going, and held the Lady Jaspers hitless through the first four innings. In the fourth, Gaspard issued a one-out walk and hit Kate Bowen with a pitch to put a pair on. But the righthander was able to record a pop out and a fly out to keep Manhattan off the board.

A pair of seniors teamed up to finally get the Lions on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth. Skylis doubled to left with one out, and came around to score on classmate Maggie Johnson's second home run of the season. The round-tripper by Johnson further extends her all-time career home run record to 15.

Staked with a two-run advantage, Gaspard lost her no-hitter in the top of the fifth as Meghan McDevitt led off with a single. Jen Keller followed with a double to put a pair in scoring position with nobody out. Gaspard was able to limit the Lady Jaspers to just one run in the frame, as a bases-loaded walk to Jaci Rahey pushed across a tally and halved Columbia's lead to 2-1.

The score remained the same until the top of the seventh, when Cook came through with an RBI single to score first-year Tristin Moone, who had reached earlier in the inning on a pinch-hit double to right. A suicide squeeze that resulted in a bunt single by sophomore Jennifer Bergeron padded Columbia's lead to 4-1, before Gaspard mowed down Manhattan in order to finish off the win.

Game One
Columbia opened the scoring in the first, as first-year Emily Snodgrass led off the game with a single up the middle. A sacrifice moved her over to second, and senior Karen Tulig followed with a double to center to score Snodgrass and give the Lions a 1-0 lead.

In the same inning, senior Anne Marie Skylis walked and classmate Maggie Johnson reached on an infield single to load the bases with only one out. But a strikeout and groundout ended the threat and kept the Lady Jaspers to within one run.

The Lions held the lead until the fourth, when Kate Bowen smashed a two-out, three-run homer to right field to give Manhattan a 3-1 advantage.

Columbia threatened in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings but could not get the big hit to draw them closer. In the fifth, first-year Emily Caruthers, who went 3-for-3 in the contest, led off with a single. Snodgrass reached base on a sacrifice bunt attempt in which the pitcher tried to get the lead runner at second but could not.

Another fielder's choice, this time a forceout at third, gave the Lady Jaspers the first out of the inning, and a strikeout and foul out finished out the inning with the Lions holding runners on first and third.

Johnson led off with a single in the sixth, then sophomore Alison Lam gave Columbia two runners on with no outs as she reached on an error. Manhattan pitcher Ashley Rampino wiggled out of trouble, however, as she induced a double play groundout and a pop up to close the frame.

After the Lady Jaspers went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the sixth, Caruthers opened the final inning with an infield single. But Rampino was up to the challenge, getting the next three Lion batters in order to end the game.

Columbia opens up Ivy League play on Friday, April 1 with a doubleheader against Dartmouth at Baker Athletics Complex. The twinbill with the Big Green will begin at 2 p.m.