Columbia University
LIU Brooklyn
Columbia Begins Eight-Game Road Swing Wednesday at LIU Brooklyn
3/26/2019 11:57:00 AM | Softball
Lions are 8-2 over their last 10 games, set to meet Blackbirds for the first time
NEW YORK — The Columbia softball team (10-10, 3-0 Ivy) begins a string of eight consecutive road games on Wednesday when it steps out of conference to take on LIU Brooklyn (15-12). First pitch from LIU Field is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday's single will be the first all-time meeting between the two programs. The game will be live streamed by NEC Front Row. Live stats are available courtesy of LIUathletics.com.
ALONE IN FIRST
Fresh off a three-game sweep over Dartmouth, Columbia sits alone in first place in the Ivy League standings at 3-0. The Lions are the only team in the league that has not lost a game. Princeton (2-1) is a game back after taking two of three from Yale. Cornell (2-1) is right there as well by taking its first series of the year from Brown. The top two teams in the final standings will advance to the Ivy League Playoff, scheduled for May 10-11 at the location of the regular season champion.
10-GAME TEAR
Columbia has been red hot with a record of 8-2 over its last 10 games. Over that time, the Lions are hitting .343, outscoring opponents by a combined margin of 61-37 and averaging 6.1 runs per game. The pitching staff carries a 3.29 ERA over that stretch, including five complete games. Columbia's hot streak began with its trip to the USF-Michele Smith Pediatric Cancer Spring Invitational, where it went 4-1 against La Salle, Providence, Army, Lafayette and Quinnipiac. The Lions split their final two games in the Sunshine State against Lafayette and Florida Gulf Coast before opening up the Ivy League season at home with a series sweep over reigning co-champion Dartmouth.
MIDWEEK BULLETS
Max Ortega leads the Ivy League in batting average (.492), doubles (8), RBIs (16), runs (17), hits (31) and total bases (44). She ranks No. 5 in the nation in batting average, No. 19 in doubles per game (0.40) and among the top 50 in on-base percentage (.522).
Sophomores Max Ortega and Maria Pagane are both on 13-game hitting streaks that date back to March 2 against Winthrop.
Junior Sommer Grzybek ranks No. 1 in the Ivy League in slugging (.905) and home runs (6), No. 2 in runs (15), No. 3 in RBIs (14) and No. 3 in total bases (38). She is also No. 6 in batting average (.405), on-base percentage (.500).
Along with Ortega and Grzybek, first-year Abby Stuart (.304), senior Alexandra Yule (.304) and sophomore Maria Pagane (.319) are all hitting over .300.
Pitchers Madison Canby and Alexa Pinarski each earned complete-game victories over the weekend against Dartmouth. Canby (5-4) carries a 3.41 ERA and has thrown six complete games, including one shutout. Pinarski (4-3) carries a 4.71 ERA on the season but boasts an Ivy League ERA of 1.17 following Sunday's victory. The two have combined to throw 100.1 of Columbia 129.2 innings this season.
Canby is tied for the Ivy League lead in wins (5) and is among the top five in strikeouts (33). She and Erin Gallo boast two of the league's top 10 ERAs (min. 10 IP).
Columbia's power offense leads the Ivy League in runs (91), home runs (13), RBIs (81), total bases (218), slugging (.432).
SCOUTING LIU BROOKLYN
The Blackbirds haven't played since last Wednesday when they lost to Hofstra in a close game in Hempstead, 4-3. They went 2-3 the weekend prior down at the USF Tournament with wins over Florida Gulf Coast, 7-6, and Brown, 2-1. Schae Dickson leads the team in hitting at .307 with four doubles, two homers, 18 runs and 16 RBIs. The pitching staff boasts a 3.52 ERA and is headed by Elena Valenzuela (8-3), who carries a 2.15 mark in with 38 strikeouts in 84.2 innings pitched.
