NEW YORK – Columbia Baseball (30-16) outscored Army (31-23) five runs to one over the final five innings to comeback once again, beating the Black Knights, 8-5, in one final tune-up before the NCAA Regionals which get started on Friday, June 3 on a beautiful day at Robertson Field at Satow Stadium.
The Ivy League Champion Lions scored two in the fifth, one in the sixth and got a two-run home run from
Weston Eberly for a few insurance runs in the eighth to cap off strong pitching from five different Lions.
Griffin Palfrey (4-0), who came in to pitch in the seventh got the win and for the second-straight outing
Billy Black (3) got the save, pitching the final two frames without giving up a hit or a run.
"It was great to get back on our home field today and play a very good Army team," said head coach
Brett Boretti. "I thought we responded well to being down early and were able to create a lot of opportunities on the offensive side. All are pitchers coming out of the bullpen did a great job filling up the zone and giving us an opportunity to comeback."
Columbia's heart of the lineup did the most damage on the day, getting a perfect 4-for-4 day from Eberly, including four runs scored, the two-run home run and one walk. At the five spot,
Hayden Schott went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and
Anton Lazits added a 3-for-4 day in the six hole, scoring a run and knocking in an RBI, giving the Lions nine hits, five RBIs and six runs scored from their four-through-six hitters.
Eberly's late two-run home run, coupled with Black's shutdown pitching over the final two frames gave Columbia its 30th win of the season, only the second time the Lions have reached that milestone in program history, and a solid final victory over the Patriot League champions ahead of NCAA Regionals.
HOW IT HAPPENED: Army did most of its scoring in the first inning off Columbia starter,
Andy Leon. Getting four runs on five hits during the opening frame, but the Columbia pitching over the next eight innings would allow just one more run and only two hits to slam the door on any chances the Black Knights might have thought they had after the first inning.
After Leon was taken out,
Sean Higgins came in and pitched two innings, striking out three and giving up only two hits.
JD Ogden came in after Higgins' two innings of work and added two scoreless and hitless innings of his own, striking out two along the way.
Army got its final run on a solo home run given up by Palfrey, the lone hit and run he gave up over his two innings of winning work and after Black's two innings of shut down pitching Army was left sitting behind Columbia who had worked its way past Army through the middle innings.
Columbia got on the board in the second, with the two-run inning starting thanks to an Eberly leadoff walk. Schott then advanced him with a single to the right side and Eberly came around to score on the Lazits RBI double to right. The Lions then worked the bases loaded and with Lazits at third,
Austin Mowrey drew a walk to score Lazits and put the score at 4-2 in Army's favor.
In the fourth the Lions added another run on a
Cole Hage RBI single through the left side, scoring
Joshua Solomon who had reached with a one-out single to the shortstop. The Lions then took the lead for the first time in the fifth, scoring two runs on four hits, leading off the inning with four straight hits.
Eberly led it off with a single, advancing to second on a throwing error and he was knocked in by Schott who followed Eberly up with a double to right. Lazits singled to advance Schott to third and Kreutzmann banged a single to right center to score Schott, giving the Lions a 5-4 lead.
Army tied it up in the sixth on a solo home run, but in the bottom of the sixth the Lions retook the lead, and it was again started by Eberly who smacked a one-out double down the left field line to get it started. He then advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Schott sacrifice fly to center.
Neither side would score over the next inning and a half until Eberly put the finishing touches on Columbia's solid win, bringing home
Tyler MacGregor, who led off the bottom of the eighth with a walk, on a two-run blast to right center. Eberly's insurance runs were all that Black needed, shutting down the Black Knights to end the top of the ninth and lock up the save to go along with Columbia's 8-5 win.
GAME NOTES:
- The Lions now sit tied for second all-time in team wins, getting their 30th win …
- It's only the second time in program history the Lions have reached at least 30 wins …
- Columbia has scored runs 374 so far this season, setting a program record …
- The Lions set a program record in doubles, smacking 110 over the course of the season ...
- Columbia's 494 hits places them second all-time in program history …
- With 332 RBIs, Columbia has set a program record for RBIs in a single season …
- The Lions set another single-season program record with 814 total bases collected this season …
- Hage has reached base in all 44 games he has played in …
- MacGregor and Schott's 17 doubles this season places them in a tie for third all-time in program history …
- Schott is tied for fifth all-time in program history with 50 RBIs this season …
UP NEXT: The Lions will now wait until the NCAA sets the tournament bracket. Columbia will find out where they will be headed for the NCAA Regionals at 12 p.m. on Monday, May 30. Fans can watch the selection show on ESPN2.
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).
