NEW YORK – The Columbia baseball team will take on Army West Point, Wednesday, May 1 in its last scheduled non-conference matchup of the season. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Doubleday Field. The Black Knights will broadcast the game live on the Patriot League Network.
COLUMBIA'S STATUS
• The Lions (17-19) dropped their first Ivy League series in over a calendar year, falling to Harvard twice after taking the opener.
• Columbia is tied for first place in the Ancient Eight standings with the Crimson at 12-6 with one final regular season weekend to go. The Lions can clinch a berth in the Ivy League Playoff Series for the second consecutive year with just one win at Penn. Columbia also has a chance to earn at least a share of the Ivy League Championship.
• Chandler Bengtson set an Ivy League single-season home run record with his ninth in conference play Sunday at Harvard and went deep again in the game to extend the new benchmark. Already Columbia's all-time leader, Bengtson checks in at No. 5 on the Ivy League list with 31 long balls, three shy of the mark of 34 held by Brown's Pete Greskoff.
• Dan Harrington has saved three of the last four wins for the Lions, closing out a 1-0 win over Monmouth on April 17 and the finale against the Bears Sunday. Harrington has not allowed a run in his last eight appearances and surrendered just six hits in 12.0 innings during this stretch.
ARMY'S STATUS
• The Black Knights (25-20) dropped 3-of-4 at Holy Cross, falling by two or fewer runs in all three defeats and earning a 3-0 win in game one of a twinbill Sunday. Army does host Sacred Heart prior to Wednesday night's matchup.
• Jacob Hurtubise has been the table-setter for the Black Knights, leading the squad with a .322 batting average with 49 runs scored and 32 stolen bases. Trey Martin has a team-high seven homers and is hitting .319, while Anthony Giachin paces the club with 42 RBI, 16 doubles and a .318 average.
• Army's staff ERA is 3.73 and it has compiled 353 strikeouts, compared to 156 walks. Cam Opp has been the most used reliever, appearing in 17 games and has a 3.38 ERA with five saves.
SERIES HISTORY
Columbia is 52-62-1 all-time against Army. The Lions and Black Knights met twice last season, with Army claiming a 3-1 victory on April 24 and an 8-7 triumph on May 27 in a tune-up prior to both teams' NCAA Tournament appearances.
UP NEXT
The Lions will take on Penn three times in Philadelphia on May 3-4. Game one will be on Friday, May 3, at 2 p.m., followed by a doubleheader Saturday, May 4, beginning at 12 p.m.
