NEW YORK — It had been over 1,000 days since Columbia Baseball (6-10, 0-0 IVY) played at Robertson Field at Satow Stadium, but the wait was well worth it in the 2022 home opener, with Columbia taking down Manhattan (8-10, 0-0 MAAC) in a dominating offensive showing winning the late afternoon showdown, 14-5.
It was more than just a home opening win, it was also head coach
Brett Boretti's 300th win as Columbia's head coach, becoming only the second head coach to ever reach that milestone and it keeps him slotted second all-time in program history.
Columbia got great days at the plate from
Joshua Solomon (2-5 2 2B),
Andy Blake (1-2 3 RBI),
Weston Eberly (3-3 2 R 1 RBI) and
Austin Mowrey (2-3 1 RBI) to go along with solid pitching out of the pen that started with
Griffin Palfrey (1-0) and finished by
Derek Yoo. The Lions were also extremely aggressive on the bases, recording four steals from Solomon,
Anton Lazits, Eberly and Mowrey, putting the pressure on Manhattan's defense forcing them into three errors on the day.
"We took advantage early to get some runs on the board," said Boretti. "And got some strong pitching throughout the game today."
The Lions scored early, getting nine runs over the first two frames, and added to their lead throughout the game as Manhattan, who scored a few in the middle innings, was kept off balance by the Lion pitching. Columbia also had a solid day in the field, working around the Manhattan runs thanks to top defensive plays throughout the game, locking up the 14-5 win.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Lions got right to work in the bottom of the first inning, putting up a seven spot, the most runs scored in the first inning for Columbia this season, with all the scoring coming with two outs. It started with a
Cole Hage leadoff walk, and following another walk, this time from Blake, the Lions were in business with two runners on.
Tyler MacGregor moved the runners over and with two outs,
Hayden Schott stepped to the plate. He smacked a single up the middle which scored Hage and Blake, with Blake scoring on a throwing error to give Schott an RBI on the play.
With Columbia already up 2-0, Lazits walked and Eberly quickly smacked a single past the shortstop to load the bases.
Jacob Phelps then knocked in a pair of Lions with a single to the left side, scoring Lazits and Schott to put Columbia up 4-0.
A Mowrey single scored Eberly and after Hage was hit by a pitch, batting the Lions around, Blake smacked a single to left to score two more, collecting a pair of RBIs and putting the score quickly at 7-0.
Palfrey gave the Lions two strong innings to open the game, and he would be joined by
Phil Healy (2.0 IP),
JD Ogden (1.0),
Justin Tucker (1.0) and Yoo (1.0) in tossing scoreless frames throughout the game to keep Manhattan quiet offensively.
In the bottom of the second, aggressive base running added to Columbia's lead, thanks to a double steal that scored Solomon and put Lazits on second. Eberly would steal second as well in the inning, and when the bottom half of the second frame was complete the Lions held a 9-0 lead.
Manhattan got on the board in the fourth, and the Jaspers' one big blow came on a two-run home run in the fifth, but Columbia answered each run and added a few more to continue to put a stamp on the win. And when the final out was recorded on a pop up to short, the Lions had locked up their home opening win, 14-5, and Coach Boretti got his 300th win as Columbia's head coach.
GAME NOTES: Solomon and Lazits both advanced their hitting streaks to seven games … Schott now has a four-game hitting streak … The 14 runs are the most scored by Columbia this season … Columbia knocked in a season high 10 RBIs … The Lions have now won three straight against Manhattan.
UP NEXT: The Lions then begin Ivy League play when they welcome Penn to the tip of Manhattan with a three-game series starting with a doubleheader on Saturday, Mar. 26 at 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., before wrapping up with a Sunday, Mar. 27 matchup at 12 p.m.
FOLLOWING THE LIONS: Stay up to date on all things Columbia Baseball by following the Lions on Twitter (@CULionsBaseball), Instagram (@culionsbaseball) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).
