Columbia
Lehigh
Baseball Sets Single-Season Record for Wins In Sweep of Lehigh
5/23/2015 7:34:00 PM | Baseball
NEW YORK – The Columbia baseball team swept Lehigh by scores of 14-3 and 8-3, respectively, Saturday in its final tune-ups before NCAA Regional play begins next weekend. The Lions improved to 31-15 overall, breaking the previous program record of 29 set last season.
The 64-team field for the NCAA Tournament will be announced on Monday, May 25 at noon. The selection show will be broadcast by ESPNU.
GAME ONE
COLUMBIA 14, LEHIGH 3
BOX SCORE (.html) | BOX SCORE (.pdf)
Columbia erupted for six runs in the fourth inning to break a 1-1 tie and cruise to the record-setting win.
David Vandercook led the charge in the opener, going 3-for-4 with a homer and five RBI. All nine positional starters reached base in the game. On the hill, George Thanopoulos evened his record at 5-5 after tossing five innings of two-hit ball, allowing just one earned run and striking out five.
The Lions took the lead in the bottom of the first despite not recording a hit. Jordan Serena reached on a wild pitch after striking out and two walks loaded the bases with no outs. Gus Craig grounded into a double play to bring in Serena to give Columbia the early 1-0 advantage.
Thanopoulos faced the minimum amount of batters through the first three innings, but Lehigh's Justin Pacchioli extended his on-base streak to 62 games with a leadoff walk, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch with no outs. Justin Nalesnik followed with a sacrifice fly to even the score before Columbia's bats erupted in the fourth.
Vandercook doubled down the rightfield line to score the go-ahead run. After a single and walk loaded the bases, Will Savage poked a base-hit through the right side and Logan Boyher stayed hot with a two-run double to extend the margin to 5-1. The Lions added two more to the lead on a Robb Paller sac fly and an error to secure a six-run cushion.
Columbia sent 12 men to bat during the frame and capitalized on four bases on balls to blow the game open.
In the sixth, Vandercook jacked his sixth homer of the season, a three-run blast. Mark Patrick Flynn then came off the bench with two on in the seventh and notched his first career longball over the high fence in center to make it 13-2 after the Mountain Hawks (25-29) brought in a run in the top of the inning.
Both teams traded runs in the eighth inning to cap the scoring.
GAME TWO
COLUMBIA 8, LEHIGH 3
BOX SCORE (.html) | BOX SCORE (.pdf)
The nightcap followed a similar story to the opener. Kevin Roy pitched a perfect first three innings before the Lions put up a five-spot in the third and never looked back.
Gus Craig was 2-for-4 with four RBI, including his eighth homer of the season to lead the attack. Roy earned his sixth victory after throwing five shutout innings. He allowed just two hits, struck out five and walked none.
Lehigh starter Nick Stephens also started the game strong, retiring the first six batters he faced, but Randell Kanemaru singled to start the bottom of the third for the first hit of the ballgame for either side. Stephens then plunked John Kinne and a sacrifice bunt set the stage for Serena, who tripled to knock in the first two runs.
The next batter was Paller, who extended his own on-base streak to 31 games, with an RBI double and scored on Craig's big fly.
Craig, the Ivy League Co-Player of the Year, just missed his second homer of the day in the fifth inning with a double off the wall in center to plate Paller and Joey Falcone. Kanemaru added on last insurance run by dropping a single into short right-center.
The Mountain Hawks scored twice in the seventh and once in the ninth, but never quite posed a serious threat as the Lions went on for their fourth straight win.
