NEW HAVEN, Conn. — First-year pitcher Alexa Pinarski tossed a two-hit shutout as the Columbia softball team moved back into a tie for first place in the Ivy League by defeating Yale, 3-0, Tuesday afternoon at DeWitt Family Stadium. The game was a makeup from Saturday, which was postponed due to inclement weather.
The win improves Columbia to 19-17 overall and 11-4 in the Ivy League. The Lions are tied with Harvard (11-4) atop the league standings with two weekends left in the regular season. Penn (12-6) is a half-game back in third. The Lions and Quakers go head-to-head this weekend in New York.
Pinarski (11-7) was outstanding, taking a no-hitter into the sixth before Olivia Vinyard sent a two-out single to center. She allowed just one more hit in the seventh and worked around three early walks to earn her seventh Ivy League victory of the season. Pinarski also struck out a pair.
"Lex was lights out today and our pitching as a whole in this series was excellent," head coach Jennifer Teague said. "Cassie Vondrak did a great job calling and containing their big hitters because Yale can swing it. We had to grind this game out and sometimes you have to do that. We left a lot of runners on but pushed some across where we needed them. We are very proud of their effort and are excited to take the momentum into tomorrow and the weekend."
Columbia cracked Yale starter Miranda Papes (3-5) for a run in the fourth before adding two more unearned tallies in the fifth. Papes went 5.0 innings, allowing five hits, striking out five and walking three.
The Lions had chances to get on the board in the first two innings. They stranded runners at the corners in the first before loading the bases with nobody out in the second. Papes got Swinarski and Pagane to ground into consecutive force plays at home for the first two outs. Wetherill struck out swinging to end the Columbia second.
Pinarski didn't allow a hit through the first two innings, working around a two-out walk to Vinyard in the first and Ponce in the second. She tossed her first 1-2-3 inning of the afternoon to keep it scoreless entering the fourth.
Columbia finally broke through in the fourth. Yule walked and Nishihira hit a one-out single to right to put two on. Amber Swinarski successfully advanced them into scoring position for Pagane, but her bat was not needed. A 2-2 pitch that was low and away got by the catcher Grobman and scored Wong from third for the first run.
Pinarski continued her excellent work in the circle, retiring the heart of Yale's lineup in order in the fourth and striking out Carlin Hagmaier to end the inning. She was rewarded with two insurance runs in the fifth. Wetherill hit a leadoff triple down the left-field line and scored on a grounder to the pitcher. The throw home went to the backstop, sending Ortega to second. The Columbia third baseman then stole third and later scored on a double play hit by Stuart.
Yale spoiled the no-hit bid with two down in the sixth but it did little to spoil Pinarski's day. She stranded Vinyard on third after a two-base wild pitch to retire the side and worked around a two-out single in the seventh to lock down the victory.
Columbia plays its final seven games of the regular season at home. The Lions host Wagner in their non-conference finale on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Penn comes to town for a three-game set this weekend.
