First-Ever Grand Slam Powers Softball to Sweep

The Columbia softball team won both ends of a doubleheader against urban foe Fordham University at Bahoshy Field in the Bronx yesterday afternoon. The Lions (24-16, 5-7 Ivy) won the first game 4-1 behind strong pitching, before exploding on offense in their 10-1 nightcap triumph. The Rams, who play in the Atlantic 10 athletic conference, fell to 13-36 on the season.

“I guess we just put it all together and fed off of each other at the plate,” junior hurler Allison Buehler said. “Their pitching wasn’t so outstanding, but we have sometimes struggled with getting hits off those types of pitchers in the past, so it was good to see everything come together. I think their pitching staff is very similar to Cornell so that bodes well for next weekend.”

Buehler shut down the Fordham batters in the first game of the set, allowing just one hit and striking out four in seven innings of work. But just when it looked like it was going to turn into a typical Lion softball low scoring, down-to-the-wire affair, the Light Blue tallied three runs on a two-out rally in the top of the fifth inning.

With a runner on base, sophomore infielder Stephanie Reeder delivered an RBI-single, and then junior outfielder April Jarvis drove in two runs with a double. Columbia increased its lead to 4-0 when Reeder scored on junior catcher Courtney Ryan’s single the next inning.

Buehler had a gem going until the bottom of the final inning; the Rams broke up her shutout and no-hitter when Fordham’s Corinne Courtney hit a double. Reeder, Jarvis, and Ryan all had three hits for Columbia in the game. Buehler’s win was her twelfth of the season, moving her win-loss record to 12-7.

Game two was the Nikki Campbell show. The Lions’ senior shortstop, who had two hits in Game one, had three hits and five RBIs, including a grand slam home run in the fifth to lead the Light Blue to victory. The grand slam was the first in the history of Columbia softball.

“I could tell as soon as it left the bat that it was gone,” Campbell said. “It was a huge fence in left field, and it just flew over it. I’ve been swinging the bat well lately, and our team hit well [yesterday], too. Going into the Cornell weekend, it feels good to know we’re swinging the bats so well.”

Columbia got on the board early, scoring a run in the first and then three more in the second, on RBI-singles from Campbell and Ryan, and an RBI-double by Jarvis. Fordham narrowed the gap to 4-1 in the third before Columbia put the game away with six runs in the fifth, highlighted by Campbell’s grand slam home run.

In the game, the Lions totaled 13 hits, while striking out just once.

Sophomore Laura Grant turned in a solid effort from the mound for the Lions in the nightcap, allowing just one run on three hits to improve her personal record to 6-6. Grant struck out four and walked one.

“We set a goal of getting a certain number of wins and we would really like to accomplish that. We had set it at 30, which is in our reach, but mainly we are now just hoping to take as many as we can,” Buehler said.”

The Lions’ next game is against Colgate in Hamilton, N.Y., on Friday.