NEW YORK — The Columbia softball team came up just short of its first Ivy League sweep of the season, going nine innings with Yale in Sunday's series finale but coming out on the losing end, 8-6.

Allison Skinner delivered the winning blow for Yale (5-17, 2-4 Ivy) in the ninth with a two-out, two-run homer off the left-field foul pole. Both runs were unearned as Shelby Kennedy reached on an error to lead off the inning.

Columbia (9-12, 4-2 Ivy) put its first two runners on in the bottom half as it tried to put together another rally. The Lions loaded the bases with one out with the help of two Bulldog errors. First-year Maria Pagane stepped up and hit a grounder to second, but Yale threw it home for the force to bring Madison Gott to the dish with two down. The senior laced a 2-1 pitch to right center, but it was chased down and caught, ending the ball game.

The Lions had a chance to walk-off in the eighth. Yale scored a run in the top half to take a 6-5 lead, but Columbia put the leadoff runner on in the bottom half and Pagane drove her home to tie it back up. Gott followed with a double to the wall in right center and Pagane rounded third, but hesitated and was thrown out in a rundown. The Lions had another chance after Yale walked the next two batters to load the bases with two down for first-year Max Ortega, but she grounded out to second to end the inning.

Despite the loss, Columbia took its second straight series to begin the Ivy League season. The Lions won two of three last weekend on the road against Penn, including two wins in extra innings.

Columbia put together 12 hits in Sunday's loss, including two-hit performances by Pagane, Gott, junior Alexandra Yule, junior Krystin Wong and sophomore Amanda Nishihira. Pagane and Yule drove in two apiece.

Starting pitcher Madison Canby lasted into the eighth inning, allowing 10 hits and fighting her way through most of the day to keep Columbia in the ball game. Only four of the six runs she allowed were earned. Senior Maura Lynch relieved Canby after Carlin Hagmaier put Yale on top in the eighth. Lynch was charged with the two unearned runs in the ninth, along with one hit, Skinner's two-run homer.

Columbia responded to Yale's opening tally with back-to-back RBI doubles by sophomore Sommer Grzybek and senior Taylor Troutt in the first. The Lions increased the lead to 3-1 in the second when Pagane doubled home pinch-runner Genny Soltesz with two down.

Yale scored twice to level the score in the third. An errant throw from short cut the lead in half and put the tying run 60 feet away. Giovy Webb brought it home on a bunt play.

Sydney Grobman led off the fourth inning with a home run to give Yale the lead. Hagmaier later tripled and was driven in with two down on a single by Kortney Ponce, increasing the lead to 5-3.

Gott doubled to lead off the Columbia fifth and the Lions were in business. A walk and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases with nobody out, but Yale's Miranda Papes struck the next two Lions out to bring up Yule. The junior from Queens pulled through, singling down the line in right to drive in two and tie the game 5-5.

The Lions were never able to recapture the lead, battling back in extras but eventually succumbing in nine.

Columbia returns home for a midweek game against Fairfield on Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.