Columbia
Harvard (Game 1)
After Opener Loss, Columbia Thumps Harvard 10-1 in Second Game
4/7/2012 2:15:00 PM | Baseball
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - After dropping the first game 6-2, Columbia put up seven runs in the first two innings of game two on its way to a 10-1 victory over Harvard.
The second game win gave the Lions a split of Saturday's doubleheader and improved Columbia's Ivy League record to 4-2.
Game 1 Recap
The Crimson took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, getting to Columbia starter Pat Lowery on an RBI double by Jeff Reynolds and an unearned run.
Columbia got a run back in the third on a two-out RBI double by Nick Ferraresi to score Jon Eisen, who led off the inning with a single.
Harvard went ahead 3-1 in the bottom of the third on three straight singles to start the inning. Lowery then started a double play on a popup bunt and struck out Marcus Way to end the inning with no further damage.
Trailing 4-1 in the top of the fifth, Eisen was hit by a pitch to start the inning. He ended up scoring without the benefit of a hit, going to second on a wild pitch, third on an advancing fly ball and home on an RBI groundout by Dario Pizzano.
Columbia got the potential tying run on base in the sixth inning but Harvard reliever Zack Olson got the final out of the inning to keep the Crimson ahead 4-2.
Harvard scored twice in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 6-2 lead. In the top of the seventh, Columbia loaded with the bases with one out, getting the tying run to the plate. Alex Black lined into a game-ending double play though, giving Harvard the victory in the opener.
Jon Eisen and Aaron Silbar each went 2-for-3 in the first game. Eisen scored both runs for Columbia.
Game 2 Recap
After going 2-for-3 in game one, Jon Eisen was the catalyst in game two, with four hits in five at-bats to spark Columbia to a 10-1 victory to gain a split on the road.
Eisen started the game with a single into left field. Two batters later, Dario Pizzano drew a base on balls and Eisen and Pizzano promptly executed a double steal to move both runners into scoring position.
Harvard starter Andrew Ferreira walked Nick Ferraresi to load the bases and Alex Black drove a single to center field to score Eisen with the first run of the game. Nick Crucet followed with a two-run double and Jordan Serena drove a two-run single the other way to give Columbia a quick 5-0 advantage.
Columbia starter Tim Giel set the Crimson down in order in the first and the Lions scored twice in the second to take a 7-0 lead. Again, it was Eisen getting it started with a double. Billy Rumpke was hit by a pitch and both runners scored when the third baseman misplayed Nick Ferraresi's ground ball for a two-base error.
Leading 8-0, Giel worked around bases-loaded jams in the sixth and seventh innings to limit the Crimson to just one run. In the sixth, Giel induced a double-play ball with the bases loaded as a run crossed. He got the final out on a fly ball to left field.
In the seventh, Harvard loaded the bases on two singles and a walk. Approaching 100 pitches in the game, Giel struck out Jeff Hajdin for the first out in the inning. He then retired Mike Martin on an infield popup and stuck out Kyle Larrow to end the inning and finish his day in impressive fashion.
George Thanopoulos came on to work two scoreless innings to close out the game as Columbia tacked on two more in the ninth for the final margin.
Giel allowed one run on six hits in his seven innings of work for his second win of the season. In addition to Eisen's 4-for-5 effort, Black and Crucet had two hits apiece for the Lions.
Columbia is back in action tomorrow, Sunday, April 8 in a doubleheader at Dartmouth beginning at noon.
NOTES:
Columbia has won eight of its last ten games ... the win in game one snapped Columbia's nine-game win streak in the series ... Harrison Slutsky retired the only two batters he faced in the sixth inning of game one ... Nick Ferraresi's RBI double in game one was his 10th double of the season ... Columbia turned four double plays in the doubleheader ... the Lions stole six bases in game two, two by Jon Eisen.
