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Columbia baseball defeats No.18 Alabama on March 10, 2023
Alabama Athletics Photography
10
Winner Columbia COL 3-5
7
Alabama UA 14-1
Winner
Columbia COL
3-5
10
Final
7
Alabama UA
14-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Columbia COL 0 2 0 3 2 0 2 1 0 10 11 0
Alabama UA 0 0 1 1 0 0 3 1 1 7 12 2

W: Leon, Andy (2-1) L: Grayson Hitt (2-1) S: Tucker, Justin (1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Stuns Undefeated No. 18 Alabama, 10-7

Lions hand Crimson Tide first loss of season

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Columbia bats were hot Friday night, scoring 10 runs on 11 hits to down previously undefeated No. 18 Alabama, 10-7 in the series opener at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.

With Columbia holding a three-run lead in the bottom of the ninth, Alabama had the bases loaded and two outs. Justin Tucker got Mac Guscette to fist one into shallow left-center field and shortstop Andy Blake made an incredible catch to reel in the final out and secure the victory. Tucker got the final two outs to earn his first career save.
 
The win marked the Lions' first victory over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 14 Gonzaga last season twice in the NCAA Regionals. 

Columbia (3-5), the defending Ivy League champions, scored two runs in the second inning, three runs in the fourth, two runs in the fifth, two runs in the seventh and one run in the eighth to take the win over the Crimson Tide (14-1) in the first of three games between the two teams.

Sophomore infielder Anton Lazits walked to start the top of the second inning. Junior infielder Seth Dardar stepped up to the plate and tripled to center, allowing Lazits to score the first run of the game. Dardar then scored on a wild pitch to put the Lions up, 2-0. After taking the lead, the Lions would not look back.
 
The Crimson Tide responded with one run in the bottom of the third. A one-out single off the bat of outfielder Tommy Seidl put an Alabama runner on with one out. Seidl moved to second on a wild pitch and scored shortly after on an RBI single.

Columbia tacked on three more runs in the fourth. Dardar walked to start the inning. Sophomore Skye Selinsky singled to left field and sophomore Griffin Palfrey followed with an RBI double down the right field line to bring Dardar home and move Selinsky to third. Selinsky then scored as first-year infielder Jack Kail grounded out to second. Palfrey scored the third run of the inning when senior infielder Andy Blake hit an RBI double to left center to put the Lions up, 5-1.
 
Alabama's Caden Rose answered with a solo home run in the bottom of the frame to trim the Columbia lead to 5-2.

The Lions responded right back with a two-spot in the fifth to further extend the lead. Lazits walked to lead off the inning and he moved to second on a wild pitch. Dardar was then walked to put two Lions on base with no outs. Dardar stole second and moved to third on an error as Lazits stole third and then scored on a throwing error by the catcher. Dardar scored later in the inning on an RBI groundout by Kail to make it 7-2.

Columbia added two more runs in the seventh when Dardar scored on a wild pitch and Selinsky scored on Kail's RBI single. Alabama chipped away at the lead from Hodo's three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh. 

In the eighth, Hayden Schott smacked his fourth home run of the season to double the lead, 10-5.
 
The Crimson Tide would add a run in the bottom of the inning to make it 10-6. Lions starting pitcher Andy Leon went five innings, gave up six hits and two runs while striking out five.

The series wraps up on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. ET from Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
 
For the latest on Columbia baseball, follow @CULionsBaseball on Twitter and Instagram, and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
 
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