Lions Fall to Harvard on Senior Day

Sunday, May 3

New York, N.Y.

12:30 PM

Columbia

20-21, 12-9

Harvard

21-21-1, 12-9

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Harvard	2	0	2	1	0	1	0	6	12	1
Columbia	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	3	3	1

Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Stockton Photo, Inc.

5/3/2026 3:45:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Juju O’Brien slugs eighth home run of the season

NEW YORK – The Columbia softball team lost on Senior Day against Harvard, 6-3, Sunday afternoon at Columbia Softball Stadium.

The Lions honored seniors Georgia Corey, Eleni Katsivalis, Charlotte Laidler, Savanna Messner, and Sarah Mikami in a pregame ceremony.

Harvard (21-21-1, 12-9 Ivy) recorded 12 hits to Columbia's two. The Lions finish the 2026 regular season with a 20-21 record overall and 12-9 in Ivy League play, and will finish third in the Ivy League standings.

Harvard quickly loaded the bases against starting pitcher Charlotte Laidler (1-3) before consecutive RBI ground-outs from Quinn Salazar-Stewart and Hannah Ziecik gave the Crimson a 2-0 lead in the first inning.

Juju O'Brien tied the game in the bottom of the first with a two-run homer to deep left field, her eighth home run of the season, and fourth in the last four games. She finished the Harvard series going 4-for-12 with three home runs and nine runs driven in. Today, she went 1-for-3 with a run scored and two driven in.

In the top of the third, Harvard loaded the bases again before a sac fly by Ziecik gave them a 3-2 lead. A fielding error by Columbia helped make that 4-2.

Ryan Grace (2-5) entered in the bottom of the third and effectively closed the door on the Lions. A sac fly by Mikami allowed Katsivalis to give Columbia their third run.

The Crimson racked up a fifth run in the fourth as Sophie Sun reached home on a sac fly.
Harvard added an insurance run in the sixth on an RBI single by Finley Payne.

The loss went to Laidler, who tossed a season-high 3.1 innings, scattering seven hits and four runs with a pair of walks. Caylene Nguyen went the rest of the way for Columbia, tossing 3.2 innings, scattering five hits and a run.

The win went to Ryan Grace (2-5), who tossed 4.2 innings, scattering a walk with seven strikeouts.

Columbia returns to action on Thursday when they take on Harvard in the opening round of the Ivy League Tournament. The Lions and Crimson are slated to square off at 2:30 p.m. at Cynthia Lynn Paul '94 Field in Princeton, N.J.

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