Lions head to Jersey for midweek matchup at Rutgers

After a weekend split at Yale and Brown capped by two heartbreakers in Providence on Sunday, the Columbia baseball team heads for New Jersey today for a matinee at Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights (12-16) were most recently swept by St. John’s in a three-game set this weekend, dropping their record to 2-7 against Big East opponents.

The Lions (6-21, 4-4 Ivy) should be wary of a Rutgers offense that is hitting .293 on the season. The Scarlet Knights are led by shortstop Dan Betteridge and outfielder Michael Lane who both sport .351 averages and have combined for 19 doubles and five home runs in 2009. Pat Biserta, Rutgers’s designated hitter, provides power for the Scarlet Knights—in 26 games of action this season he has notched four homers and a team-leading 22 RBI. Biserta only played three innings in Sunday’s loss to St. John’s, but his seventh-inning pinch-hit homer to deep center knocked in three late runs in a 15-5 loss.

Pitching has not been a strong point for Rutgers in 2009. The team has been burdened by an overall ERA of 6.76 and opponents have hit .323 against its pitchers, but Columbia would do well not to fall behind late and face closer Ryan Beard. Beard, a senior, has six saves and an ERA of 3.27.

The Light Blue hopes to avoid the sort of late-inning meltdowns that plagued them at Brown this weekend. After bringing out the brooms on Saturday at Yale, the Lions got off to a fast start in both Sunday games against Brown, but they failed to maintain their defense.

In game one, Columbia ousted Bears starter Josh Feit in the third inning and held early leads of 5-0 and 7-5, but a sixth-inning Brown rally proved decisive. Reliever Pat Lowery hit a batter, and Alex Ferrera committed an error at shortstop, paving the way for two Brown runs for the final margin of 9-7.

Game two was a slugfest, as Columbia erased an early 7-2 Brown lead, rallying behind Bobby O’Brien’s sixth-inning grand slam. With the game tied at 10 in the top of the ninth, Ferrera partially atoned for his game-one error with a go-ahead homer to center, but reliever Joey Mizzoni could not put the Bears away. A two-out double and Matt Colantonio’s dramatic walk-off home run handed Brown a thrilling 12-11 victory.
This afternoon’s matchup against Rutgers will be Columbia’s final tune-up before a four-game weekend set at Princeton opens division play.

Although the Lions, one year removed from the Ivy League title, are only 4-4 in league play so far, they continue to hold onto first place in the Gehrig Division. In general, Rolfe Division teams have been getting their way against the Gehrig Division. Columbia is currently the only team in the Gehrig Division at or above the .500 mark.

Today’s game will take place at Rutgers’s Bainton Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.