RIVERDALE, N.Y. —  Columbia softball rallied for four runs in the seventh to erase a one-run deficit and defeat Manhattan College, 6-3, Wednesday evening at Gaelic Park.
Columbia (13-12) scored the final six runs of the game after trailing 3-0. Sophomore Maria Pagane socked a two-run homer to trim the margin to a single run in the fifth. First-year pitcher Alexa Pinarski kept Manhattan (11-16) off the scoreboard over three innings of relief work and the Lions took advantage of three seventh-inning errors by the Jaspers to plate four runs and steal the victory.
"I'm always proud of the fight we show. We're never out of a game," head coach Jennifer Teague said. "We worked on a lot of things at the plate and on the mound. I was happy with our effort and happy we were able to pull out the win, but now it's time to focus on a big weekend ahead."
Junior Genny Soltesz impressed by reaching base in all four plate appearances, going 3-for-3 with a run and a walk. Pagane was 1-for-4 with the big two-run homer while first-year Abby Stuart went 1-for-3 with a two-run single to cap off the seventh-inning rally. Sophomore Max Ortega went 1-for-4 with a run and her team-leading 18th RBI of the season.
Pinarski took the win to improve to 7-4, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out three over the final three innings. Junior Erin Gallo got the start lasted four-plus innings, surrendering three runs on five hits and two walks. She also struck out a pair.
The Lions turned a double play to eliminate Manhattan's leadoff single in the first but the Jaspers were still able to squeak out a run. Gallo walked Adriana Gambino and hit Daniela Chiorazzi to bring up Christine Gebhardt, who laced an RBI, ground-rule double down the line and under the breakaway fence in right. Gallo escaped further damage by getting Morgan Sgarlata down swinging.
Manhattan added to its lead In the fourth. Morgan Sgarlata hit a one-hopper off the left-center field fence before Victoria Alonso hit one just far enough to clear the boundary and make it a 3-0 game.
The Lions got two runs back in their next trip to the plate. Amanda Nishihira started things off with a walk before Hailey Wetherill grounded into a fielder's choice and brought up Amber Swinarski. The junior successfully sacrificed Wetherill to third with the second out to bring Maria Pagane to the plate, who crushed a pitch off starting pitcher Jessie Rising over the fence in left.
Manhattan went to the pen in the sixth for Kayla McDermott, who kept the Lions off the board before it all unraveled in the seventh. A pair of errors at short put two on with one out for Soltesz, who beat out a dribbler to third to load the bases for Max Ortega. Columbia's leader in RBIs took an 0-1 pitch the opposite way to tie the game and bring up Sommer Grzybek, who walked on five pitches to force in a run put the Lions in front for the first time.
Columbia wasn't done there as Abby Stuart came to bat and padded the lead with a two-run single to center. All four runs charged to McDermott in the inning were unearned, who finally worked her way out of it by striking out Townsend and Nishihira. She went on to take the loss to fall to 3-8.
Pinarski polished off the win in the seventh, working her way around back-to-back two-out hits by getting Gebhardt to fly out to Swinarski to end the game.
First-place Columbia (5-1 Ivy) heads to Harvard (4-2 Ivy) for a three-game set this weekend. The series begins Saturday with a doubleheader at 12:30 p.m. All three games will be available on ESPN+.
