TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Columbia baseball dropped the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, 6-2, before crushing No. 18 Alabama 15-3 in game two to win the series at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
The victory in game two on Saturday marked the first time in program history that Columbia won a series against an SEC team. Columbia (4-6) earned its second and third win over an SEC team in program history in the series after Friday night's 10-7 win and Saturday's game two triumph. The first win over an SEC team in program history came in 1989 at Tennessee. The Lions handed Alabama (15-2) its first two losses of 2023.
"It's a credit to the guys and how they've been preparing," said head coach Brett Boretti. "This unit specifically, we've got a veteran group. I think it was really good to see them have the opportunity to come down here and compete with a ranked program. They did a good job of not worrying about who was in the other dugout but worrying about playing their game as best as they can."
The last time the Lions defeated a ranked team twice in a regular season series was in 2015 when Columbia split a four-game set with No. 3 Houston to open that season. Columbia beat No. 14 Gonzaga twice in last season's NCAA Regionals.
Several Lions had big days at the plate on Saturday. Andy Blake went a combined 4-for-9 with three runs and three RBIs. Blake, Hayden Schott, Weston Eberly, and Anton Lazits all had three-hit games in the series finale. Griffin Palfrey drove in a career-high five RBIs in game two of the doubleheader.
"With the bat, Griffin has improved," Boretti said. "He's stronger, he's worked on his swing quite a bit. He's been a tremendous asset defensively as well as making the most of his offensive opportunities."
Schott totaled a team-best five hits over the two games, raising his batting average to .442 this season. That mark ranks tied for 68th in the country.
Behind the plate, Eberly caught his third and fourth runners stealing in Saturday's games.
Game 1 Recap:
Jack Kail carried over his hot bat into the first game of the doubleheader for Columbia. After driving in three runs in the series opener on Friday, the first-year got the Lions on the board first in the third inning with an RBI single.
After being shut out through the first four innings, the Crimson Tide offense came alive in the fifth. Alabama exploded for a six-run inning on two home runs. Colby Shelton launched a two-run home run to put Alabama in front and then later in the inning Ed Johnson hit a grand slam off Jafar Vohra to make it a 6-1 ballgame.
Lions starting pitcher JD Ogden pitched five innings and was tagged with five runs on three hits. Ogden struck out three but walked seven on 93 pitches and departed in the sixth. Vohra worked three innings in relief and allowed just one run on three hits. Brandon Madrigal pitched a scoreless eighth inning.
Columbia added a run in the sixth inning when reigning Ivy League Player of the Week Seth Dardar singled through the right side to score Blake. The Lions left two runners on the corner to end the inning when Riley Quick struck out Skye Selinsky looking.
The Lions didn't go easy in the ninth inning. Palfrey led off with a single and then Cole Hage walked but Columbia couldn't capitalize and Zane Probst put on the finishing touches in game one for the Crimson Tide.
Game 2 Recap:
The Lions offense churned out 17 hits (five for extra bases) and drew seven walks in the second game of the doubleheader. Every player in the starting lineup reached base and six players came off the bench to pinch hit in the win.
"It's awesome," Boretti said. "Our starters take pride in being able to offer that opportunity to those guys in a situation like that. As a coach, you always get excited when you play a game and almost everyone is getting an opportunity to play. It's a sign that things have gone really well, that's for sure."
Columbia got off to a fast start in the series finale, taking a 3-0 lead before the Crimson Tide came to bat. Blake walked and Schott singled to put two on with one out. Eberly laced a double to left-center to score Blake for the game's first run. Two batters later Palfrey doubled Eberly and Schott home to cap off the inning. The Lions got on the board first in all three games of the series.
The Lions scored another run in the third inning when Palfrey hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Eberly and give Columbia a 4-0 lead.
The game was completely blown open in the fourth inning when Columbia sent 15 batters to the plate and scored 11 runs on eight hits. The first run of the inning came on a Hage sacrifice fly to make it 5-0. Eberly then plated two with a double to make it 7-0. Palfrey's big day continued when he singled to left field to bring in two more runs.
Lazits and Kail each recorded RBI singles in the inning to make it 12-0 with the bases still loaded. Blake then doubled down the line to empty the bases and give the Lions a 15-0 lead.
Alabama scored a run in the fourth, fifth, and six but never got close to coming back into the game. Sophomore Joe Sheets continued his solid start to the season on Saturday. The right-handed starter tossed six innings and allowed three runs on eight hits while walking two and striking out two. Derek Yoo closed out the win with three scoreless innings that included four strikeouts.
"Joe continues to go out and give us a great opportunity to win," Boretti said. "Derek coming out of the bullpen today was great. He's throwing with more conviction. Hopefully he continues to gain confidence."
Columbia continues its spring break trip on Tuesday when the Lions take on Troy at 7 p.m. ET. For the latest on Columbia baseball, follow
@CULionsBaseball on Twitter and Instagram, and the web at
GoColumbiaLions.com.
