PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Columbia fell in a close contest to Brown, 3-2, Friday afternoon in the opener of a three-game series at the Brown Softball Field.
The Lions (9-21, 5-8 Ivy) got another quality pitching performance out of first year
Jordan Hill, who went six innings and allowed just one hit and three walks to go with a pair of strikeouts. Unfortunately, all three of the batters Hill walked came around to score. The Bears jumped ahead on a two-run double by Elayna Tsiouplis in the first, which was Brown's lone hit in the game. After the Lions tied it up, the Bears used a walk, a sacrifice and a dropped fly ball in left to score what proved to be the winning run in the sixth.
Columbia's bats weren't quiet, as every hitter in the starting lineup reached base and the Lions came up with eight hits on the day. Columbia just didn't get the timely hitting it needed, coming up empty after loading the bases with one out in the first, stranding two in scoring position in the second, one in scoring position in both the fourth and fifth, as well two more in scoring position in the sixth. The only inning Brown didn't allow a Lion to reach base was in the seventh, as reliever Jodie Aguirre struck out a pair to close the door and pick up the victory.
Columbia's first chance to score came after
Maria Pagane and
Abby Stuart singled, and
Bubba Gleaves was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out in the first. Starting pitcher Lauren Innerst struck out
Maddy Rifenberick and got
Cami Neal to fly out to end the threat.
Innerst issued back-to-back one-out walks to
Maddie Souza and
Lauren Apollaro in the second. After they advanced to second and third on a passed ball, Innerst again came up big for the Bears, striking out
Jaden Hill and getting a little fortunate on a sharp liner hit by
Maria Pagane that went straight to her left fielder, Kat Clum, to retire the side.
As the Lions kept trying to provide run support,
Jordan Hill was cruising in the circle. She retired 14 straight Brown batters from the end of the first through the fifth innings. The Lions provided the rookie her first run on
Cami Neal's two-out RBI double in the fifth and later tied the game on a sac fly by
Maria Pagane in the sixth. However, the Lions would have liked more out of the sixth, loading the bases with nobody out but having to settle for just the one run.
The tie game headed for the bottom of the sixth, where Hill walked the leadoff batter before Vanessa Alexander successfully sacrificed her to second. The next batter was pinch hitter Meghan Gormley, who fouled off six pitches in a 10-pitch at-bat before flying a ball out to left. Unfortunately for the Lions, it popped out of the glove of Hill, allowing Kim to score all the way from second for the final tally.
The series will conclude with the final two games on Saturday. First pitch from Providence is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET.
For the latest on the Columbia softball program, follow @CULionsSoftball on
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Facebook.com/CULionsSoftball. You can view all the latest with the Lions on the web at
GoColumbiaLions.com/Softball.
