NEW YORK — The Columbia softball team put up 15 runs in a pair of wins over Cornell, today at Niemand-Robison Field in Ithaca. With the victories, the Lions improve to 21-18 overall and 13-7 in Ivy League play.
Columbia picked up a 15-10 win in game one, before coming back to beat the Big Red 15-7 in game two. With the total of 30 runs on the afternoon, the Lions set a program record for the most runs in a doubleheader, besting the 21 runs that were scored twice, most recently in 2017. The 15 runs in a single game was the most since Columbia defeated Brown, 16-1, during the 2011 season.
The Lions are still alive in the title hunt, currently sitting in third at 13-7, behind Dartmouth (12-5), and Harvard (14-6).
Game 1 - Columbia 15 - Cornell 10
An eight-run third inning propelled Columbia to a 15-10 victory in game one, powered by home runs from four different players.
Trailing 2-1 going into the top of the third after a Max Ortega homerun got the Lions on the board in the second, a two-run double by Alexandra Yule moved Ortega over to third. Olivia parker then singled, scoring Ortega, before Maria Pagane cleared the bases with a two-run shot to left. In total, the Lions tallied eight runs on seven hits in the frame.
Columbia then added three runs in the fourth, as Taylor Troutt led off the inning with a solo homer to left-center. Three batters later, Amanda Nishihira doubled down the left field line, plating Ortega, while Yule scored later in the inning on a sacrifice fly from Krystin Wong. In the seventh, a leadoff homerun by Madison Gott paved the way for another three-run inning. Cornell was able to add five runs in the bottom half of the seventh, but it would not be enough as the Lions held on for the 15-10 win.
Madison Canby got the win in the circle, giving up seven earned runs while striking out a pair over six innings, and improving to 11-8 on the season.
Game 2 - Columbia 15 - Cornell 7
The Lions put up a crooked number in four different innings, including a seven-run third, leading to a 15-7 victory in game two.
Columbia led 2-1 after the first inning, with sac fly's from both Gott and Troutt scoring a pair of Lions. Trailing 5-2 going into the top of the third, the offense exploded for seven runs on four hits, including a two-run homer from Troutt, and a bases-clearing triple from Amber Swinarski that plated Pagane, Nishihira, and Yule.
The bats stayed hot in both the fourth and the seventh innings, with a two-run shot from Yule going over the left field fence in the fourth, and a matching effort from Ortega to right field in the seventh.
After a four-run second inning for the Big Red, Maura Lynch came in to replace Erin Gallo, allowing only two runs over the final five innings to get the win.
