Softball Looks to Remain Hot at the Plate, Host Yale

Saturday, April 11

New York, N.Y.

12:30 PM

Columbia

Yale

Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Lem Photography

Softball Looks to Remain Hot at the Plate, Host Yale

4/9/2026 9:43:00 AM | Softball

Saturday’s game will be the Lions' annual Pride Game

NEW YORK – The Columbia softball team returns home for a three-game Ivy League series against the Yale Bulldogs this weekend. The Lions and Bulldogs will play a doubleheader Saturday and a single game Sunday. All three games will be streamed on ESPN+.

LIVE COVERAGE
All three games between the Lions (13-16, 5-4 Ivy) and the Bulldogs (11-23, 3-9 Ivy) will be streamed on ESPN+. Fans can also follow the action via live stats on Statbroadcast.com. Saturday's twin-billing begins at 12:35 p.m. Game two is scheduled to begin 30 minutes after the completion of game one. Sunday's opener begins at 12:35 p.m.

Game 1 – Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+)
Game 2 – Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+)
Game 3 – Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+)

GAMEDAY PROMOTION
Saturday's game against Yale will be the Lions' annual Pride Day. This will be the team's fourth annual Pride Game, celebrating the University's and the surrounding community's LGBTQ+ communities. Pride bracelets will be available for fans until they run out.

LAST TIME OUT
The Lions completed the road sweep over Dartmouth with a sensational 8-0 win in six innings. Columbia supported Mads Lawson with plenty of offense, who twirled a 2-hit complete game shutout, as the Lions beat the Big Green 8-0. For the weekend, Columbia blasted Dartmouth, scoring 30 runs on 36 hits. The Lions' power was on display throughout the series, clubbing 12 extra base hits, including seven home runs.

IN THE CIRCLE
Over the weekend, Columbia's pitching staff saw its team ERA, which was already the third-best in the Ivy League, lower. The Lions boast a staff ERA of 4.02 after holding Dartmouth to seven runs over 18 innings. As a team, Columbia is holding its opponents to a .276 average, which is tops in the Ivy League.

AT THE DISH
The Lions offense is coming to life. Columbia raised its batting average 19 points over the weekend and is now hitting .269 as a team. It's not just the hits, the power is coming back too, the Lions are slugging .416 as a team, up 40 points from the previous week. Columbia is averaging 4.34 runs per game, over half a run better than they were the week prior.

MOVING UP THE HOME RUN LIST
Savanna Messner went yard twice in the 18-9 win over Dartmouth. In doing so, she moved into a tie for fifth all-time with Maggie Johson (2008-11). One more home run from Messner will see her tied with former teammate Cami Neal (2022-25). Fellow senior, Sarah Mikami, is also in the top-10 all-time with 13 career home runs, which is currently ninth.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK…AND…Co-Rookie of the Week (AGAIN)
On Monday, first-year pitcher Mads Lawson was named the Ivy League Pitcher of the Week. She becomes the first Columbia pitcher to earn the weekly award since Raquel Reyes on April 27, 2023. Lawson is just the third Lion pitcher to earn Pitcher of the Week in the last 15 years. Lawson was also named Co-Rookie of the Week. Lawson was sensational, going 2-0 with a 0.54 ERA and a pair of complete games, including a 2-hit complete game shutout as the Lions swept Dartmouth on the road last weekend. It is the first time in her career that she has earned Pitcher of the Week honors; she was named Co-Rookie of the Week on March 23.

BOMBS AWAY
Against Dartmouth, the Lions slugged seven home runs over the three-game series, four in the 18-9 win on Saturday. The four-homer day is the most since the Lions went yard four times at home over Cornell on April 27, 2025. Tatum Hubble, Caylene Nguyen, Juju O'Brien, Alicia Marzouca, Savanna Messner, and Kyra Mason all slugged home runs in the series, with Messner hitting two in game one on Saturday. For the year, Messner leads the team with six home runs, which is tied for fourth most in the Ivy League.

SCOUTING YALE
Yale enters this weekend's series with an 11-23 overall record. In the Ivy League, they are 3-9. On Wednesday, they defeated Fairfield 12-3 to snap a three-game skid, but overall, they have lost three of their last seven. Away from New Haven, they are 3-14 on the year and 1-6 in true road contests. As a team, they are hitting .278, which is sixth in the Ivy League and averaging 4.34 runs per game. Senior infielder Libby Peoples leads the team with a .402 average (33-for-82). She is tied for the team lead with one home run. In the circle, the Bulldogs boast a staff ERA of 5.02, which is fifth in the league; opponents are hitting .324 against them, which is seventh in the league. Senior Emma Tayler leads the Bulldogs in innings pitched, at 80.2. She is also the team leader with five wins. Against Columbia last season, she made two starts and went 0-1, allowing 20 hits, 10 earned runs in 12 innings pitched.

THE SERIES
Saturday will be the 54th meeting all-time between the Lions and Bulldogs. Yale boasts a 30-23 advantage in the series that dates back to 2001. At home, Columbia is 12-15 against Yale. Last year, the Lions took two of three on the road from the Bulldogs, but lost in the finale 6-5. Over the last 10 games, the Lions are 4-6 against the Bulldogs.

ABOUT YALE
Schedule | Stats | Roster

FOLLOWING THE LIONS
Stay up to date on all things Columbia Softball by following the Lions on X (@CULionsSoftball), Instagram (@culionssoftball) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaSoftball).