Softball Pitches Its Way to Friday Sweep

Friday, March 13

Arlington, Texas

2 PM

Columbia

3-11

South Dakota State

15-13

South Dakota State

Columbia

3/13/2026 7:39:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 South Dakota State Box Score (PDF)UT Arlington Box Score (PDF)Highlights

Stellar pitching and timely home runs extend the Lions' winning streak to five games

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – The Columbia softball team extended its winning streak to five in a row after opening the Maverick Invitational with a pair of wins. The Lions opened Friday's doubleheader with a 3-2 win over South Dakota State before downing host UT Arlington 5-3 in the nightcap at Allan Saxe Field.

Columbia (5-10) got a pair of masterful pitching performances from Mads Lawson in the opener and Lily McCord in the nightcap. The duo held the Lions' opponents to four hits in 19 at-bats with runners on base and just two hits in 17 at-bats with two outs.

Offensively, the Lions got some timely hitting. Home runs from Savanna Messner and Alicia Marzouca provided plenty of thrills, while Oliva Madkins, Kyra Mason, and Sarah Mikami all notched clutch RBI base hits.

"I thought it was a great day for our team," head coach Jennifer Teague said. "We stayed locked into our process and competed really well against two very good teams that can really swing it. Our pitchers did a great job containing their offenses, and offensively, we were able to get on base, move runners over, and come through with timely hits. I'm really proud of how our team competed today, and it feels like we're starting to find our groove. We know we'll have two more tough games against those same teams tomorrow, and we're looking forward to the challenge."

Game One Recap
Columbia capitalized on timely hitting and a complete-game effort from pitcher Mads Lawson (3-4) to edge South Dakota State (15-13).

Lawson worked all seven innings for the Lions, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out seven. The right-hander retired the first seven batters she faced before giving up a one-out single in the top of the third.

The Lions struck first in the second inning. Mikami reached after being hit by a pitch and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Caylene Nguyen. Madkins followed with an RBI single through the left side, scoring Mikami for a 1–0 lead.

South Dakota State tied the game in the fourth on a solo home run by Bria Riebel, her first of the year, but the Lions answered in the bottom half. Mikami reached on an error and advanced on another sacrifice bunt by Nguyen before Madkins delivered again with a run-scoring single to center, restoring Columbia's advantage at 2–1.

The Jackrabbits evened the score in the sixth when Amanda Vacanti hit a solo homer to left. Columbia responded in the bottom of the inning as Eleni Katsivalis singled and later scored on Mason's RBI double down the left-field line, giving the Lions the decisive run.

Lawson closed the door in the seventh, retiring two of the final three hitters to secure the win. Madkins led Columbia with two hits and two RBIs, while Mason added a double and an RBI. Marzouca also doubled for the Lions, who went 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

South Dakota State starter Tayler Baker allowed two runs over four innings before Hailey Herman took the loss in relief after surrendering the go-ahead run in the sixth.

Game Two Recap
The Mavericks (8-14) scored all three of their runs in the first inning against starter Emmy Davis, but the Lions responded in the second when Messner launched a two-run homer to left, scoring Nguyen to cut the deficit to 3–2.

The home run was Messner's second of the year and 14th of her career. She is now tied with Amanda Nishihira (2017-20) for eighth all-time in Columbia history.

In the fifth, the Lions once again capitalized thanks to the long ball. Tatum Hubble reached after being hit by a pitch and stole second before Marzouca delivered a two-run home run to left, giving the Lions a 4–3 advantage. The home run was Marzouca's third in the last four games.

The Lions added an insurance run in the seventh when Mikami doubled to center to score Juju O'Brien, extending the lead to 5–3.

In the circle, Lily McCord earned the win in relief, tossing six scoreless innings while scattering three hits and striking out five. The five strikeouts are a new career-high for McCord, who improves to 1-4 on the year.

UP NEXT
The Lions return to action on Saturday when they take on South Dakota State at 2 p.m. ET. They wrap up Saturday's doubleheader at 7 p.m. when they take on UT Arlington under the lights.

FOLLOWING THE LIONS
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