Wednesday, April 17
Fairfield, Conn.
4:00 P.M.
Columbia University
at
Fairfield
Abby Stuart was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week for the first time on Monday.
Photo by: Columbia University Athletics/Mike McLaughlin
Lions Begin Four-Game Road Swing Wednesday at Fairfield
4/16/2019 2:45:00 PM | Softball
Columbia set to play four straight this week in Connecticut
NEW YORK — Fresh off a weekend sweep over Cornell, the Columbia softball team (17-15, 9-3 Ivy) begins its final road swing of the regular season on Wednesday when it travels to Fairfield (18-17, 4-6 MAAC). First pitch from Alumni Softball Field is scheduled for 4 p.m.
Wednesday's game will be streamed live on the Stags Sports Network. Live stats will be provided through FairfieldStags.com. Fans can also keep up with the action on Twitter by following @CULionsSoftball.
LAST TIME OUT
The Lions outscored Cornell 32-4 to earn three mercy-rule victories over the weekend. Columbia battered the Big Red pitching for 29 hits while putting 23 more on base via the walk. First-year Sommer Grzybek homered twice and drove in nine runs while Max Ortega drove in eight and first-year Abby Stuart drove in five. Grzybek and Stuart went on to be named Ivy League Player and Rookie of the Week. Pitchers Madison Canby and Alexa Pinarski each threw a shutout and combined for a 1.24 ERA through the series. Canby did not allow an earned run over 7.2 innings.
IVY LEAGUE LEADERS
Columbia enters the week tied atop the Ivy League standings with Harvard. The 9-3 start is Columbia's best in league play in program history and marks just the second time they've won at least nine Ivy games in a season (13-8, 2018). Princeton sits a game behind the Lions and Crimson at 8-4. Columbia holds the tiebreak over the Tigers should they wind up tied in the standings. Harvard holds the tiebreak over the Lions.
PLAYER / ROOKIE OF THE WEEK SWEEP
Junior Sommer Grzybek and first-year Abby Stuart took home Ivy League Player and Rookie of the Week honors, respectively, on Monday. Grzybek hit .462 over four games, including a .600 batting average, .667 on-base percentage and 1.200 slugging percentage in a three-game series sweep over Cornell. The slugger homered twice against Big Red and racked up nine RBIs, launching a three-run shot in the series opener and adding a two-run blast in Sunday's finale. Stuart, a first baseman, hit .500 on the week, going 6-for-12 with a triple, a home run, five runs scored and five RBIs. She slugged .917 with a .571 OBP, blasting her fifth long ball of her rookie campaign as part of a 2-for-4, 3-RBI performance in game two of the Cornell series.
COLUMBIA BULLETS
- Columbia either leads or shares the Ivy League lead in home runs (21), runs scored (155) and RBIs (141). The Lions rank No. 2 in the Ancient Eight in batting average (.286), doubles (45), slugging (.431) and on-base percentage (.370).
- Sommer Grzybek is one home run away from 24 in her career, which would tie her with Taylor Troutt '18CC for second all-time. Grzybek has eight home runs on the season, which leads the Ivy League, and is two shy of tying the program's single-season record.
- Sophomore third baseman Max Ortega leads the Ivy League in doubles (10), runs (24) and RBIs (29), while also ranking top three in hits (40) and batting average (.404).
- First-year Abby Stuart ranks among the top five in the Ivy league in RBIs (23) and home runs (5), while also ranking top 10 in slugging (.584).
- Columbia boasts three of the Ivy League's top four players in RBIs (Ortega, Grzybek, Stuart).
- First-year pitcher Alexa Pinarski (10-6) shares the Ivy League lead in wins and has thrown six complete games this season, tied for second-most in the league. She tossed her first shutout Sunday against Cornell.
- Junior pitcher Madison Canby (6-6) leads the Ivy League in complete games (7) and leads the Columbia pitching staff with a 3.28 ERA, 43 strikeouts and 81.0 innings pitched. She shut out Cornell Saturday and has two on the season. Canby also has 29 career wins and is one shy of becoming the fourth pitcher in program history to earn 30.
SCOUTING FAIRFIELD
Fairfield dropped 3 of 4 over the weekend at home against MAAC competition, getting swept in a doubleheader by Niagara and splitting a Saturday set with Canisius. Amanda Ulzheimer leads the way with a .414 batting average and 41 hits. Mikayla Rubin is hitting .376 with a team-high 24 RBIs. Courtney Hankins has powered four homers to go with 21 RBIs. The pitching staff carries a 3.55 ERA. Katie Kudlacik (9-3) has tossed 72.1 innings with a 3.10 ERA across nine starts and 18 appearances. Karissa Hughen has pitched an inning more but boasts a team-worst 4.10 ERA.
THE SERIES
Columbia cut Fairfield's all-time series lead down to 6-5 after defeating the Stags in extra innings, 11-10, last season in New York. Madison Gott '18CC went 3-for-4 and delivered the walk-off hit in the eighth. Columbia's last visit to Fairfield came in 2017, where the Stags swept a doubleheader by scores of 4-2 and 2-1.
Wednesday's game will be streamed live on the Stags Sports Network. Live stats will be provided through FairfieldStags.com. Fans can also keep up with the action on Twitter by following @CULionsSoftball.
LAST TIME OUT
The Lions outscored Cornell 32-4 to earn three mercy-rule victories over the weekend. Columbia battered the Big Red pitching for 29 hits while putting 23 more on base via the walk. First-year Sommer Grzybek homered twice and drove in nine runs while Max Ortega drove in eight and first-year Abby Stuart drove in five. Grzybek and Stuart went on to be named Ivy League Player and Rookie of the Week. Pitchers Madison Canby and Alexa Pinarski each threw a shutout and combined for a 1.24 ERA through the series. Canby did not allow an earned run over 7.2 innings.
IVY LEAGUE LEADERS
Columbia enters the week tied atop the Ivy League standings with Harvard. The 9-3 start is Columbia's best in league play in program history and marks just the second time they've won at least nine Ivy games in a season (13-8, 2018). Princeton sits a game behind the Lions and Crimson at 8-4. Columbia holds the tiebreak over the Tigers should they wind up tied in the standings. Harvard holds the tiebreak over the Lions.
PLAYER / ROOKIE OF THE WEEK SWEEP
Junior Sommer Grzybek and first-year Abby Stuart took home Ivy League Player and Rookie of the Week honors, respectively, on Monday. Grzybek hit .462 over four games, including a .600 batting average, .667 on-base percentage and 1.200 slugging percentage in a three-game series sweep over Cornell. The slugger homered twice against Big Red and racked up nine RBIs, launching a three-run shot in the series opener and adding a two-run blast in Sunday's finale. Stuart, a first baseman, hit .500 on the week, going 6-for-12 with a triple, a home run, five runs scored and five RBIs. She slugged .917 with a .571 OBP, blasting her fifth long ball of her rookie campaign as part of a 2-for-4, 3-RBI performance in game two of the Cornell series.
COLUMBIA BULLETS
- Columbia either leads or shares the Ivy League lead in home runs (21), runs scored (155) and RBIs (141). The Lions rank No. 2 in the Ancient Eight in batting average (.286), doubles (45), slugging (.431) and on-base percentage (.370).
- Sommer Grzybek is one home run away from 24 in her career, which would tie her with Taylor Troutt '18CC for second all-time. Grzybek has eight home runs on the season, which leads the Ivy League, and is two shy of tying the program's single-season record.
- Sophomore third baseman Max Ortega leads the Ivy League in doubles (10), runs (24) and RBIs (29), while also ranking top three in hits (40) and batting average (.404).
- First-year Abby Stuart ranks among the top five in the Ivy league in RBIs (23) and home runs (5), while also ranking top 10 in slugging (.584).
- Columbia boasts three of the Ivy League's top four players in RBIs (Ortega, Grzybek, Stuart).
- First-year pitcher Alexa Pinarski (10-6) shares the Ivy League lead in wins and has thrown six complete games this season, tied for second-most in the league. She tossed her first shutout Sunday against Cornell.
- Junior pitcher Madison Canby (6-6) leads the Ivy League in complete games (7) and leads the Columbia pitching staff with a 3.28 ERA, 43 strikeouts and 81.0 innings pitched. She shut out Cornell Saturday and has two on the season. Canby also has 29 career wins and is one shy of becoming the fourth pitcher in program history to earn 30.
SCOUTING FAIRFIELD
Fairfield dropped 3 of 4 over the weekend at home against MAAC competition, getting swept in a doubleheader by Niagara and splitting a Saturday set with Canisius. Amanda Ulzheimer leads the way with a .414 batting average and 41 hits. Mikayla Rubin is hitting .376 with a team-high 24 RBIs. Courtney Hankins has powered four homers to go with 21 RBIs. The pitching staff carries a 3.55 ERA. Katie Kudlacik (9-3) has tossed 72.1 innings with a 3.10 ERA across nine starts and 18 appearances. Karissa Hughen has pitched an inning more but boasts a team-worst 4.10 ERA.
THE SERIES
Columbia cut Fairfield's all-time series lead down to 6-5 after defeating the Stags in extra innings, 11-10, last season in New York. Madison Gott '18CC went 3-for-4 and delivered the walk-off hit in the eighth. Columbia's last visit to Fairfield came in 2017, where the Stags swept a doubleheader by scores of 4-2 and 2-1.
Players Mentioned
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3B/1B
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2B
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