FRESNO, Calif. – Three players homered on the day for Columbia, but the Lions dropped a pair of decisions to Fresno State during a doubleheader Saturday. The Bulldogs picked up a 7-4 triumph in the opener, followed by a 10-2 victory in the nightcap to improve to 6-4 on the year.
The Lions (0-3) received long balls from Joshua Solomon and Andy Blake, both the first of their careers, in game one and Julian Bury in game two. Bury also posted hits in both contests, bringing his career-high hitting streak up to 18 games.
Despite trailing throughout, Columbia tried to mount late rallies in each contest. Trailing by five in the top of the ninth of the first game, the Lions scored twice and brought the tying run to the plate before Fresno State closed the door. Despite another early deficit in game two, Columbia put runners on base in each of the final four innings and did not go down without a fight.
The Lions and Bulldogs will wrap up their series, Sunday, March 1 at 4 p.m eastern time. The game will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network.
GAME 1 | Fresno State 7, Columbia 4
In addition to his four hits, Josh Nicoloff had an RBI to lead the Lions. Solomon compiled a noteworthy performance at the dish as well, going 2-for-4 with the aforementioned big fly.
The Lions were trailing 2-0 in the fifth inning when they first put runs on the board. Columbia got an RBI single from Nicoloff, scoring sophomore Tyler MacGregor from second base.
The Bulldogs expanded their lead to 5-1 before the Lions offense got back to work, cutting into that lead in the sixth.
Columbia picked up a run on Blake's two-out solo home run off of junior Oscar Carvajal, which brought the Lions within three.
However, Fresno State built their lead to 7-2 before the Columbia offense got back to work, reducing that lead to 7-4 in the ninth. Columbia scored two runs, including one the solo dinger from Solomon.
West throws 8 strikeouts in Columbia's 10-2 loss to Fresno State
GAME 2 | Fresno State 10, Columbia 2
Senior Will West punched out eight Fresno State hitters over four innings of relief in his first appearance since the 2018 campaign. In addition, West went four innings, giving up three runs, all of them earned, on two hits and walking three for Columbia.
Bury led the way offensively for the Lions, going 2-for-3. Senior Liam McGill provided a standout performance as well, going 3-for-4 with an RBI. Nicoloff added two more hits in game two, going 2-for-4.
For the third consecutive game, the Bulldogs took the lead in the bottom of the first and built up a 6-0 advantage before the Lions first put runs on the board in the fourth inning.
Bury led things off with his first homer of the season off junior Jamison Hill.
The Lions deficit grew to 7-1 before their offense got back on the scoreboard, cutting into that deficit in the sixth inning.
Columbia scored once on an RBI single off the bat of McGill, which tightened the Bulldogs lead to 7-2. The Lions were unable to get any closer, as Fresno State added three runs to their tally on the way to a 10-2 final.
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