Saturday, May 2
New York, N.Y.
12:30 PM
Columbia
19-20, 11-8
3
vs
9
Harvard
2-02-01, 11-8
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 19 | 0 |
| Columbia | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 2 |
Photo by: Rolling Rivers Photography
Softball Takes Nightcap Against Harvard
5/2/2026 8:33:00 PM | Softball
Lions rebound from tough loss in opener, Lily McCord is stellar out of the bullpen
NEW YORK – The Columbia softball team fell in thirteen innings to Harvard in game one, 9-3, but rebounded to take the nightcap, 9-6, of a doubleheader at home on Saturday afternoon at the Columbia Softball Stadium.
Columbia (20-20, 12-8 Ivy) finished the afternoon with 12 runs on 21 hits. Juju O'Brien clubbed a pair of home runs on the day and drove in seven to pace the Lions on offense.
The Crimson (20-21-1, 11-9 Ivy) finished the day with 15 runs on 29 hits. None bigger than the bases-clearing grand slam from Sophie Sun in the top of the 13th inning to give the Crimson the lead.
With their win in game two, the Lions have won 20 or more games under Head Coach Jennifer Teague for the sixth time in 10 full seasons.
GAME ONE RECAP
Columbia and Harvard went seven consecutive scoreless innings before a six-run 13th inning for the Crimson.
With Mads Lawson (13-7) on the mound for Columbia, the Crimson broke the ice in the top of the second after a walk, a wild pitch, and a passed ball allowed Alexa Muller to score the opening run.
Harvard struck again in the top of the third as Quinn Salazar-Stewart hit an RBI single just before Lawson struck out the next two batters to end the inning.
In the bottom of the third, Juju O'Brien drilled a 3-run homer to left field to snatch a 3-2 lead for the Lions. Eleni Katsivalis and Sarah Mikami reached home as O'Brien racked up her sixth home run of the season.
A home run from Sophie Sun evened the score at 3-3 in the top of the fifth.
After Lawson pitched back-to-back 1-2-3 innings in the sixth and seventh, the Lions had the chance to walk off with the win, but Ryan pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh to take it to extra innings.
The battle of the pitchers continued through the eighth as Lawson retired her eleventh straight batter and Ryan her ninth. The Lions and Crimson breezed through scoreless innings through the twelfth.
Lawson narrowly escaped disaster in the eleventh with the bases loaded and two outs, giving Columbia another chance to take it home, but nothing materialized.
In the thirteenth inning, Sun hit the go-ahead grand slam to give Harvard a 7-3 lead. Charlotte Laidler came in to relieve Lawson, but an RBI single and a throwing error allowed the Crimson to add two more runs for insurance.
Lawson threw her 18th complete game of the season and threw 221 pitches in 12.1 innings.
GAME TWO RECAP
Columbia came back from an early deficit in Game 2 with a six-run sixth inning.
Tatum Hubble struck first for the Lions in the second inning as she homered to deep left field.
A wild pitch by starting pitcher Caylene Nguyen allowed Audrey Szollosi to score the tying run in the third. Sun scored the go-ahead run on a sac fly to left field by Alexa Muller.
Harvard racked up two more runs in the fifth as Finley Payne hit a home run and ended Nguyen's time on the mound.
Lily McCord (3-8) took over the mound for the Lions and recorded the win.
Nguyen hit an RBI single in the fifth, allowing Savanna Messner to cross home plate and cut the deficit to 4-2. With bases loaded and only one out, a sac fly from O'Brien allowed Katsivalis to score before Marzouca grounded out to short.
McCord threw a 1-2-3 inning in the sixth. Messner tied the score with an RBI single.
A fielding error gave Columbia loaded bases, allowing Payton Shimansky to score the go-ahead run on a sac fly by Katsivalis.
Nguyen hit another RBI single to make it 6-4 Columbia. O'Brien crushed her second three-run homer of the day, giving the Lions a convincing 9-4 advantage.
In the seventh, Harvard scored two runs before a groundout gave Columbia the third out they needed to go home.
The loss was charged to Nicolette Hunter (8-8), who went 2.1 innings, allowing eight hits, seven runs, and a walk.
Eight of Columbia's nine batters all collected hits in game two, with five recording two.
UP NEXT
The Lions will look to end the 2026 regular season with a win in the rubber match on Sunday. First pitch set for 12:30 p.m.
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).
Columbia (20-20, 12-8 Ivy) finished the afternoon with 12 runs on 21 hits. Juju O'Brien clubbed a pair of home runs on the day and drove in seven to pace the Lions on offense.
The Crimson (20-21-1, 11-9 Ivy) finished the day with 15 runs on 29 hits. None bigger than the bases-clearing grand slam from Sophie Sun in the top of the 13th inning to give the Crimson the lead.
With their win in game two, the Lions have won 20 or more games under Head Coach Jennifer Teague for the sixth time in 10 full seasons.
GAME ONE RECAP
Columbia and Harvard went seven consecutive scoreless innings before a six-run 13th inning for the Crimson.
With Mads Lawson (13-7) on the mound for Columbia, the Crimson broke the ice in the top of the second after a walk, a wild pitch, and a passed ball allowed Alexa Muller to score the opening run.
Harvard struck again in the top of the third as Quinn Salazar-Stewart hit an RBI single just before Lawson struck out the next two batters to end the inning.
In the bottom of the third, Juju O'Brien drilled a 3-run homer to left field to snatch a 3-2 lead for the Lions. Eleni Katsivalis and Sarah Mikami reached home as O'Brien racked up her sixth home run of the season.
A home run from Sophie Sun evened the score at 3-3 in the top of the fifth.
After Lawson pitched back-to-back 1-2-3 innings in the sixth and seventh, the Lions had the chance to walk off with the win, but Ryan pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh to take it to extra innings.
The battle of the pitchers continued through the eighth as Lawson retired her eleventh straight batter and Ryan her ninth. The Lions and Crimson breezed through scoreless innings through the twelfth.
Lawson narrowly escaped disaster in the eleventh with the bases loaded and two outs, giving Columbia another chance to take it home, but nothing materialized.
In the thirteenth inning, Sun hit the go-ahead grand slam to give Harvard a 7-3 lead. Charlotte Laidler came in to relieve Lawson, but an RBI single and a throwing error allowed the Crimson to add two more runs for insurance.
Lawson threw her 18th complete game of the season and threw 221 pitches in 12.1 innings.
GAME TWO RECAP
Columbia came back from an early deficit in Game 2 with a six-run sixth inning.
Tatum Hubble struck first for the Lions in the second inning as she homered to deep left field.
A wild pitch by starting pitcher Caylene Nguyen allowed Audrey Szollosi to score the tying run in the third. Sun scored the go-ahead run on a sac fly to left field by Alexa Muller.
Harvard racked up two more runs in the fifth as Finley Payne hit a home run and ended Nguyen's time on the mound.
Lily McCord (3-8) took over the mound for the Lions and recorded the win.
Nguyen hit an RBI single in the fifth, allowing Savanna Messner to cross home plate and cut the deficit to 4-2. With bases loaded and only one out, a sac fly from O'Brien allowed Katsivalis to score before Marzouca grounded out to short.
McCord threw a 1-2-3 inning in the sixth. Messner tied the score with an RBI single.
A fielding error gave Columbia loaded bases, allowing Payton Shimansky to score the go-ahead run on a sac fly by Katsivalis.
Nguyen hit another RBI single to make it 6-4 Columbia. O'Brien crushed her second three-run homer of the day, giving the Lions a convincing 9-4 advantage.
In the seventh, Harvard scored two runs before a groundout gave Columbia the third out they needed to go home.
The loss was charged to Nicolette Hunter (8-8), who went 2.1 innings, allowing eight hits, seven runs, and a walk.
Eight of Columbia's nine batters all collected hits in game two, with five recording two.
UP NEXT
The Lions will look to end the 2026 regular season with a win in the rubber match on Sunday. First pitch set for 12:30 p.m.
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).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hunter, Nicolette (8-7)
L: Lawson, Mads (13-7)
Batting:
HR: Sun, Sophie 2
RBI: Salazar-Stewart, Quinn 1 ; Sun, Sophie 5 ; Ziecik, Hannah 1
SH: Szollosi, Audrey 1 ; Hunter, Nicolette 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Salazar-Stewart, Quinn 1 ; Weinseimer, Elena 1 ; Szollosi, Audrey 1 ; Forbes, Sheila 1 ; Sun, Sophie 3 ; Muller, Alexa 1 ; Ziecik, Hannah 1
SB: Salazar-Stewart, Quinn 1 ; Szollosi, Audrey 2
Batting:
2B: Katsivalis, Eleni 1
HR: O'Brien, Juju 1
RBI: O'Brien, Juju 3
SH: Nguyen, Caylene 1 ; Hubble, Tatum 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Katsivalis, Eleni 1 ; Mikami, Sarah 1 ; O'Brien, Juju 1
CS: Katsivalis, Eleni 1
HBP: Mikami, Sarah 1
Players Mentioned
C/OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P/1B
/ Softball
RHP/INF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
P/UT
/ Softball
P/UT
/ Softball
SS
/ Softball
C/OF
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