Columbia
FIU
Baseball Advances to Regional Final After Outlasting FIU, 4-3
5/31/2015 5:05:00 PM | Baseball
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CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Columbia rallied from a two-run deficit to defeat FIU 4-3 to reach the NCAA Coral Gable Baseball Regional Final. The Lions (33-16) will face Miami at 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 31 on ESPN3.
Columbia (2-1 in the regional) has to win to force an additional game on Monday since Miami is undefeated in regional play. The Lions are the first Ivy League team to win two games at a Regional since Harvard did so in 1998 and the first Ancient Eight club to do so since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1999.
FIU applied some early pressure loading the bases on a walk, error and base hit with one out in the top of the first. Starting pitcher Ty Wiest buckled down, inducing two fly outs to limit the Panthers to just a single run.
In the second, a single and wild pitch put a runner in scoring position for leadoff man Zack Soria, who found room in right-center for an RBI to make it 2-0.
The Lions evened things up in the bottom of the third, notching a trio of singles to load the bases. Robb Paller pushed his on-base streak to 34 games, dropping a double to left to score Will Savage and Jordan Serena. Columbia had an opportunity to add to the rally, but Cody Crouse came up with a strikeout and fly out to limit the damage.
Paller struck again in the fifth, knocking in Will Savage with a single. Later in the inning with runners on first and second, David Vandercook hit a ball that the FIU baseman could not field cleanly. John Kinne was aggressive on the base paths and scored from second to give Columbia more breathing room at 4-2
Columbia starter Ty Wiest went 4.2 innings for the Lions, giving up two runs, one earned on three hits. Harrisen Egly pitched 2.2 innings in relief of Wiest, giving up one run on two hits.
Egly left the game with the bases loaded, and one out in the top of the eighth for Adam Cline. Cline, who notched a save in game one, retired the next two batters and left Columbia with a 4-3 lead.
Egly earned the win (4-1) and Cline earned his second save in his second appearance of the regional.
Savage went 3-4 with two runs scored, while Paller went 2-4 with three RBI.
