Baseball Edged by Fordham, 9-8

Tuesday, March 31

Bronx. N.Y.

4:00 P.M.

Columbia

5-16

Fordham

13-14

Columbia

Fordham

3/31/2026 7:50:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Late homers from Temesvary and McWilliams not enough in midweek matchup

BRONX, N.Y. — Columbia baseball dropped a back-and-forth affair to Fordham, 9-8, on Tuesday afternoon. The Lions (5-16) rallied from a three-run deficit to tie the game, but a three-run eighth by the Rams (13-14) proved to be the difference.

Jack McWilliams belted his second homer in as many at-bats this season in the ninth inning to pull the Lions within one. Anthony Temesvary was 2-for-3 with a homer and two runs scored. Ben Fishel also posted two hits.

Despite not recording a hit, Columbia took the lead in the top of the third. Fordham walked the bases loaded, and Jack Kail hit a slow roller to second to get Dean Reynolds in from third.

Doubling their advantage in the fourth, the Lions relied on more small-ball. Cole Fellows notched Columbia's first hit of the day with a single up the middle. Two perfectly placed bunts by the next batters loaded the bases again with no outs as they looked to sacrifice. However, after the Fordham catcher missed home on a force play at the plate, Columbia had to settle for one run.

However, the Rams capitalized on the Lions not cashing in, tying the game with one swing of the bat when Joey Donnelly belted a two-run homer over the wall in center. Fordham later used an RBI knock from Matt Dieguez, giving the Rams their first lead of the day, 3-2, after four.

The back-and-forth continued as Caden Young tacked on some insurance with a two-run blast in the bottom of the sixth, but Columbia battled back in the seventh to even things up.

Singles by Jimmy Chadwell and Temesvary, followed by a walk, gave Columbia another golden opportunity. With the infield back, Jackson Brewer cut the deficit to two, breaking up a double play on a groundout. Fellows got the job done with another productive out before Ben Fishel broke through with a knock to bring in McWilliams, who entered as a pinch-runner, to make it a 5-5 game.

Fordham was opportunistic again in the bottom of the frame to regain the lead. A leadoff walk and error put two runners in scoring position, and two wild pitches put the Rams in front, 7-5. Donnelly continued his big day with an RBI double, extending the margin to three.

A free pass and a two-base error on a wild pickoff attempt put Reynolds on third in the top of the eighth. Yet again, a ground ball drove in a run to pull the Lions within 8-6 with one out. Fordham quickly erased that run, scoring on a throwing error to restore the three-run lead.

Temesvary and McWilliams posted homers in the top of the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate, but Aric Berg retired the next two batters to end the comeback bid.

Columbia used five pitchers on the day. Will Harrigan served as the opener, posting a pair of strikeouts in a scoreless first. Jake Taylor was charged with the loss. Fordham's Robbie Stewart picked up the win in relief, tossing 2.0 innings and allowing one unearned run.

Up Next
Columbia will return home and to Ivy League play when Penn comes to Robertson Field at Satow Stadium this weekend. The three-game series is slated to begin with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 4, with game one beginning at 11:30 a.m. and the nightcap at approximately 3 p.m.

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