Columbia
Penn
Baseball Wins Extra-Innings Thriller to Force Gehrig Division Playoff
4/26/2015 8:33:00 PM | Baseball
Game One Box Score Game Two Box Score
PHILADELPHIA - Logan Boyher hit an RBI double in the top of the tenth inning to score the go-ahead run and lead Columbia to an 8-6 win over Penn in the regular-season finale for both teams.
After Columbia lost the first game of Sunday's doubleheader 2-0 in a pitchers duel between Kevin Roy and Jake Cousins, game two became a must-win for the Lions. A loss gave the Gehrig Division Championship to Penn, a win would force a one-game playoff to determine which team would represent the Division in the Ivy League Championship Series.
Both pitchers threw fantastic games in game one. The Lions mustered just one hit off of Cousins, who struck out six, while Roy only gave up five hits in the seven innings. The game was tied 0-0 until the bottom of the fourth when Mitch Montaldo hit a one-out solo home run.
Roy gave up just one other run in the bottom of the sixth for the 2-0 final.
It was evident from the first inning that the second game would be very different from the first. There was an intensified playoff atmosphere, with both teams fully aware that the Division title was on the line. Columbia jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Jordan Serena was hit by a pitch to lead off and Robb Paller singled to right field advancing Serena to third. Joey Falcone hit a sac fly to center field to score Serena and give the Lions a 1-0 lead. Gus Craig was hit by a pitch and David Vandercook doubled down the right field line to clear the bases. Randell Kanemaru reached on an error, and with the Lions leading 3-0, with two on and one out, Penn went to the bullpen. Dan Gauteri replaced Penn starter Connor Cuff, who got the final two outs of the inning.
Penn added a run in the bottom of the second on three hits, but tied the game in the bottom of the third inning on one hit and one error. The Quakers got another run in the fourth when Ryan Marks came into pitch for Columbia starter Mike Weisman. The run came off of a solo home run by Austin Bossart.
Trailing 4-3, Columbia got a two-out rally of their own in the top of the fifth when Gus Craig hit a double to center field and Penn intentionally walked Vandercook to pitch to Kanemaru. The rookie shortstop roped a single to left field to score Craig and tie the game at 4-4.
Savage walked to lead off the sixth. Boyher hit a sac bunt to move Savage into scoring position and a groundout put him at third with two outs. Paller doubled to right center to score Savage and give the Lions a 5-4 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth.
Penn knotted up the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the sixth. Columbia added a run in the seventh after a bases-loaded walk by Savage to take a temporary 6-5 lead, but the Quakers answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning to even the score at 6-6.
The teams managed just one hit for the eighth and ninth, sending the game into extra innings.
With one out in the 10th, Savage hit an infield single and Boyher doubled to left to score him. Serena singled to center to score Boyher and the Lions took an 8-6 lead into the bottom of the 10th.
Ty Wiest relieved Harrisen Egly after Egly pitched 3.1 innings, giving up two hits, one run and one walk. Wiest struck out the first two batters he faced, but Penn threatened with a walk and a double down the right field line. But Wiest got McGarry to ground out to Vandercook for the final out.
Egly got the win for the Lions and Wiest earned his second save in as many days.
The Lions will host a one game playoff with Penn with the time and date to be determined.
Columbia finishes the regular season 26-14, 16-4 in the Ivy League, while Penn is 22-14, 16-4 Ivy League.
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