Softball used two wins to win a doubleheader against Dartmouth

NEW YORK – It took 18 innings, but Columbia grinded out two straight shutout wins in extra innings to sweep a doubleheader against Dartmouth on Friday afternoon at Columbia Softball Stadium.

The Lions improve to 9-14 on the season overall in Ivy League play to 5-3. Columbia will look for its first conference sweep of the season Saturday when the series ends with a 1:00 p.m. first pitch. The series finale, originally planned for Sunday at 12:30, has been moved to the end of the weekend.

“We were just nice,” Columbia’s head coach Jennifer Teague said. “We haven’t had a lot of complete games, and to get two complete games in extra innings (from pitchers) shows how much growth we have over the course of the season. That first game, we just hit people. They just kept grinding. It was a great team effort. They had great energy on the bench, which I really appreciate. Our catchers did a great job and Beth (Krysiak) did a great job calling plays.”

GAME 1

The first game of Friday’s doubleheader was a low-scoring pitching battle as the game went into extra innings tied 1-1. Dartmouth scored the first run of the day in the top of the third inning with an RBI single. The Lions answered back in the bottom of the sixth with a run. Neither team scored again until the 10th inning, when the Big Green plated a run and Columbia responded with two runs in the bottom of the frame to walk it away.

Senior Bubba Gleaves reached with one out and moved to second on a throwing error by a Dartmouth pitcher in the top of the sixth inning. Second year student Cami Neal then followed an RBI base hit that tied the game for Gleaves.

A two-out RBI single off the bat of Jenna Brown put Dartmouth in front heading into the home half of the tenth inning. Junior Jaden Hill quickly gave the Lions momentum back with a solo shot to left center that led off the bottom of the frame and tied the game.

Gleaves came up next and was hit by a pitch to get on base. Neal then hit a base hit to left center to put two runners on. Second year student Caroline Palys came to the plate next and hit an RBI single that scored Gleaves and gave Columbia a 3-2 win.

Junior right-hander Raquel Ryes (3-4) turned in one of her best performances of the season, pitching a ten-inning complete game. In 149 total at-bats, Reyes allowed just two runs on 10 hits while striking out four batters.

Game 2

Dartmouth took an early lead in the second game of the afternoon as the Big Green hit in the top of the first inning.

Columbia responded with three runs in the bottom of the second on a three-run homer off the junior’s bat. Maddy Rifenberick. The first year Eleni Katsivalis reached outfielder’s choice before first year Sarah Mikami was picked in the middle to get two Lions on and one out. Rifenberick came up next and hit his first home run of the season to give Columbia a 3-1 lead.

The Big Green added another run in the top of the third before Columbia added a run in the bottom of the fourth. Katsivalis and Mikami hit back-to-back singles to set up Rifenberick’s fourth RBI of the game. Rifenberick stepped up and hit a double that scored Katsivalis and gave the Lions a 4-2 advantage.

Dartmouth came back with two runs in the top of the fifth frame to tie the game. After two scoreless innings, the Lions and Big Green went into extra innings for the second time on Friday.

Still tied in the bottom of the eighth inning, Katsivalis drew a one-out walk to reach base. After Mikami’s popout, Rifenberick came to the plate with two outs. Rifenberick stepped up and hit his second long ball of the game. The two-run shot sealed the Lions’ 6-4 win.

Rifenberick finished the game with six RBIs, accounting for all six of Columbia’s runs scored. He went 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored. He hit a double and two home runs in his best performance of the season.

“My approach today at the plate was to see big and swing big,” Rifenberick said. “I went to the table with a plan. I’m just glad I got to contribute to my team a little bit. Everyone was hitting the right people today. I just happened to be the lucky one who happened to find openings somewhere.”

Sophomore right-hander Jordan Hill (5-7) also played a crucial role in the win, pitching the second complete game of the day for the Lions. Hill allowed four runs on four hits while striking out three in a total of 123 strikeouts.

NEXT

The Lions close out the series against Dartmouth on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Columbia Softball Stadium. The series finale was originally scheduled for Sunday at 12:30 p.m., but was moved to the weekend.

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