NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – Columbia jumped out to a 5-0 lead before Iona slowly crawled back to take the lead and the win Wednesday afternoon at Donald E. Walsh Field. The Lions drop to 7-14 overall this season with a 3-3 mark in Ivy League play.
 
Columbia got off to a hot start with a five-run first inning. Senior Megan Ryono lined a double down the third base line to lead off the inning and set the tone. Junior Jaden Hill then hit an RBI base hit to left field that scored Ryono for the first run of the frame.
 
Hill advanced to third on a fly out and sophomore Cami Neal drew a walk to put two Lions on with one out. Neal then stole second and moved to third on an error by the catcher that allowed Hill to score. First-year Savanna Messner was then walked and she stole second.
 
Senior Dani Mandichak brought another run home as she hit a RBI single to left field that scored Neal. Messner moved to third and then scored on a Hunter Travers ground out to second base. Mandichak moved over to second on the play before she scored the fifth run of the frame on a Georgia Corey RBI double to left center.
 
Iona responded with a two-spot in the bottom of the first inning to cut into the Columbia lead. A two-run homer off the bat of Jamie Sheeran sparked the Iona offense.
 
The Lions added two more runs in the top of the third. Messner got the inning started with a single up the middle. She then moved to second on a Mandichak sacrifice bunt. Travers came to the plate next and bounced a ground-rule double over the outfield wall that scored Messner. With two outs and Travers on second, sophomore Maddie Souza hit a RBI single to left center that brought Travers home for the team's seventh run of the game.
 
The Iona offense took control in the bottom of the third. A three-run shot to left center highlighted the frame as Sheeran launched her second homer of the afternoon. The Gaels put up another three-spot in the fourth to take the lead for good. Iona capitalized with three runs on five hits. Iona tacked on two more runs in the fifth to seal the win. Jessica Chilcott launched the third home run of the afternoon in the fifth inning.
 
Travers and Corey finished the contest with multi-hit performances. Travers went 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and two RBI. Corey also finished 2-for-4 at the plate. She had one double and one RBI. Ryono also doubled as she was 1-for-3 in the game.
 
Sophomore right-hander Jordan Hill (4-7) was charged with the loss as she allowed three runs on four hits in 1.0 inning of work. First-year right-hander Sarah Mikami got the start in the circle and tossed 2.0 innings. She allowed five earned runs on five hits. First-year southpaw Charlotte Laidler and junior right-hander Raquel Reyes made appearances in the circle as well. Laidler fired 1.2 innings, allowing two runs on two hits. Reyes tossed 1.1 innings and did not allow any hits or runs.
 
UP NEXT
 
The Lions are back in action with a home Ivy League series against Dartmouth this weekend. The originally scheduled Saturday doubleheader has been moved to Friday starting at 12:30 p.m. The series will wrap up with a 12:30 p.m. first pitch Sunday.
 
FOLLOWING THE LIONS
 
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