NEW YORK – The Lions cruised past Manhattan, 5-0, on Tuesday afternoon at the Columbia Softball Stadium to close out the non-conference slate with a win.
 
Mandy Pelatowski got the scoring started in the second inning as she hit her first career home run with a solo shot to left center field. The Lions followed that up with two more runs in the third inning. Maddie Souza hit a triple to right field that scored Cami Neal before Maddy Rifenberick hit a sac fly to center field that allowed Souza to score.
 
Columbia added another pair of runs in the fifth to finish off the 5-0 win as Savanna Messner belted a two-run homer over the right field wall. The home run scored Sarah Mikami after she got the inning started with a triple.
 
Mikami (6-8) also had an impressive showing on the mound, firing a 7.0 inning shutout. She allowed just three hits and tallied four strikeouts to earn the win.
 
ON DECK
Columbia hits the road this weekend for the final Ivy League series of the season. The Lions will face Dartmouth in a doubleheader Saturday starting at 12:30 p.m. before finishing the series with a single game Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Columbia will be looking for a sweep on the road for a chance to earn a spot in the Ivy League Tournament.
 
FOLLOWING THE LIONS
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