PHILADELPHIA — Senior
Griffin Palfrey etched his name into the Columbia baseball record books on Sunday, breaking the program's all-time RBI record during a doubleheader split against Penn. Palfrey drove in four runs on the day, surpassing the previous mark of 135 held by Bart Teal '95CC. He now sits at 136 career RBI.
The Lions dropped a tightly contested opener, 9-8, before bouncing back to defeat the Quakers, 11-3, in the nightcap to earn a series win.
Columbia (21-17, 13-5 Ivy) currently holds a half-game lead over Yale (12-5) and a full-game advantage over Penn (19-16, 12-6) for first place in the Ivy League standings as the regular season winds down. Yale is set to complete its series against Princeton on Monday, while Columbia heads to Harvard next weekend for a crucial three-game set, beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday, May 3.
GAME ONE RECAP
Columbia struck early in the opener as Hunter Snyder led off with a single and Palfrey followed with a double off the right-center wall, bringing Snyder home to give the Lions a 1-0 lead in the top of the first.
Penn responded quickly, putting up three runs in the bottom of the second. With Gavin Collins in scoring position, Connor McCabe hit a ball off the leg of Columbia starter Thomas Santana, allowing Collins to come around and tie the game at 1-1. Two batters later, Ernie Echevarria launched a two-run homer down the left field line to put the Quakers ahead, 3-1.
Columbia closed the gap in the fourth on an RBI groundout by Skye Selinsky, but Penn answered immediately. After the Quakers put two aboard, Nick Spaventa doubled and an error in the field restored their two-run cushion. Echevarria added another RBI with a single to left, stretching the lead to 5-2.
In the fifth, the Lions battled back. Palfrey tied Columbia's all-time RBI record (135) with a one-out double to cut the deficit, and two batters later, Cole Fellows ripped a double into right-center to even the score at 5-5. However, Penn quickly regained control with a leadoff walk and a double, setting up a sac fly to make it 7-5.
Both teams missed chances in the sixth. Columbia left runners on second and third, while the Lions' defense turned a crucial 6-4-3 double play to escape a jam and keep the game within reach.
The Lions loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh but came up empty after a clutch Penn strikeout. In the ninth, Columbia mounted one final rally. Fellows and Selinsky each homered to cut the deficit to 9-8. With two outs, Snyder reached third following a dropped fly ball by the left fielder, but Penn shut the door with a game-ending strikeout.
Fellows led the Lions offensively, going 3-for-4. Santana dropped to 4-3 after being charged with seven runs on seven hits across four innings.
Game Two
Columbia scored in five straight innings and used a balanced offensive attack to earn a convincing win over Penn in the nightcap.
Jack Kail led the charge, going 3-for-5 with three RBI, one of four Lions to record multiple hits in the game. On the mound, Will Harrigan tossed 3.1 strong innings in relief, allowing just one run on four hits to pick up the win. Tomas Lopez closed things out, facing the minimum over the final two frames while striking out three.
Penn struck first in the second inning with a triple from Gavin Degnan, who came home on a sacrifice fly. Columbia quickly answered in the third when Hunter Snyder crushed a solo homer — his second of the season — to tie the game. The Lions kept the pressure on, stringing together back-to-back singles before Cole Fellows drove in two with a hit to the opposite field. Kail followed with an RBI single to bring in Fellows, giving Columbia a 4-1 lead.
After a shutdown bottom of the third by starter Jagger Edwards, Anthony Temesvary blasted a two-run homer to push the Lions' lead to 6-1. Penn trimmed the deficit with a solo shot in the fourth, but Kail answered with another RBI single in the fifth to make it 7-2.
Columbia put the game out of reach with a three-run sixth inning, highlighted by Griffin Palfrey's record-setting RBI knock that plated Snyder. An error in the seventh tacked on one more for the Lions before Penn scored once in the bottom of the frame to close out the scoring.
Follow The Lions
For the latest on Columbia baseball, follow @
CULionsBaseball on X and Instagram, and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
