Lions Head To New England For First Ivy Road Trip
4/7/2016 6:12:00 PM | Softball
THE STORYLINES
After playing the last nine games at home in New York City, the Columbia softball team (7-20, 2-2 Ivy) will hit the road up to New England for its first Ivy road trip to take on Harvard and Dartmouth this weekend.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The trip to New England kicks off a 10-game road trip for Columbia as the Lions take a two-week hiatus from playing at the Columbia Softball Stadium.
TALKING ABOUT TROUTT
Sophomore Taylor Troutt has been the offensive story for the Lions this year, heading into the weekend with a team-leading .350 average and .688 slugging percentage with six doubles, seven home runs and 26 RBI. When leading off an inning this year, Troutt has managed a way to get on base nearly half of the time, going 10-for-22 (.455) as the first batter of an inning.
WATCH OUT FOR WU
Tonia Wu has come alive in her last three appearances in the circle for the Lions, posting up a 0.58 ERA after only allowing two earned runs in 24.0 innings of work for a 3-0 record. In that time, the junior southpaw has posted up 17 strikeouts while only allowing one walk.
WONG HAS COME ALONG
Since the start of Ivy League play, Krystin Wong has come alive as she leads the Lions with a .417 batting average in conference action this season. The rookie picked up her first collegiate home run in memorable fashion during the opening weekend of Ivy League play as she blasted a two-out, ninth-inning, walk-off shot over the left-field fence to give Columbia its first Ivy League win of the year, 3-2, over Yale.
A LOOK INSIDE THE SERIES: HARVARD
Columbia heads into the weekend with a 9-25 all-time record against Harvard in a series dating back to 2001. Last year, the teams split the series after Columbia was able to seal a 3-0 shutout in game two of the home doubleheader.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE CRIMSON
Harvard heads into Friday afternoon's matchup with a 12-13 record after splitting its first two Ivy League matchups on the road with Cornell and Princeton. The Crimson currently rank 11th in the nation in both doubles per game (1.72) and fielding percentage (.975). Freshman Meagan Lantz has been a key to the Harvard offense this year, posting up a .353 average with four doubles, a triple, four home runs and 17 RBI for a team-leading .618 slugging percentage. In the circle, the Crimson turn to a duo of starters in Cabe Taylor (8-3, 2.85 ERA, 31 K, 54.0 IP) and Morgan Groom (4-3, 3.15 ERA, 48 K, 46.2 IP).
A LOOK INSIDE THE SERIES: DARTMOUTH
Columbia heads into Saturday's matchup with a 13-23 all-time record against Dartmouth in a series dating back to 2000. In last year's meeting, the Big Green was able to sweep the Lions in a pair of six-inning shutouts.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE BIG GREEN
After playing its first 24 games on the road, Dartmouth returns home this weekend for its home opener as the Ivy League leader with a 15-9 overall record and unblemished 4-0 conference mark. The Big Green currently leads the league in runs scored (113) and RBI (102) and has won 12 of its last 13 games. Leading the Dartmouth offense this year has been Katie McEachern who holds a .419 average with a pair of doubles, a triple and a team-leading six home runs while adding 18 RBI and 14 walks for a .716 slugging percentage and .522 on-base percentage. The Big Green relies on a trio of pitchers in Breanna Ethridge (5-3, 2.18 ERA, 39 K, 41.2 IP), Morgan McCalmon (9-3, 3.18 ERA, 69 K, 70.1 IP) and Lauren Stone (1-3, 4.79 ERA, 27 K, 45.1 IP).
PLAYING ON THE IVY LEAGUE DIGITAL NETWORK
All four games this weekend will be available for fans to watch live on the Ivy League Digital Network (ILDN). The network, available at www.ildn.tv/columbia can be viewed on any laptop, desktop, tablet or mobile device. Additional road games may also be available – check schedule listings here: http://www.ivyleaguedigitalnetwork.com/columbia/schedule?sid=SB&tid=4.
The ILDN is a subscription service. Packages for the League-wide channel, which features everything the network has to offer, are $49.95 for four months and $15.95 for one month. Packages for the Columbia-only channel are $34.95 for four months, $10.95 for one month and $9.95 for a single day.
COMING UP NEXT
The Lions will continue their 10-game road trip next week as they head across the river to Jersey City, New Jersey, to take on Saint Peter's in a Thursday afternoon doubleheader on April 14 starting at 2 p.m.
