CU Depends on Clutch Hitting to Turn Around Doubleheaders Against Tigers

Last Tuesday, with runners on first and second and two out in the bottom of the 11th, first baseman Ron Williams struck out, and the Columbia baseball team walked off the field 5-4 losers.

Fast-forward five days to yesterday’s doubleheader against Princeton. In game one, the Lions and Tigers were tied at one run apiece heading into the bottom of the fifth. Light Blue ace John Baumann, in the midst of a complete-game three-hitter, had struck out Princeton second baseman Matt Connor with a runner on second in the top of the fifth.

In the bottom half of the inning, after catcher Dean Forthun flied out, shortstop Alex Ferrera walked. Center fielder Nick Cox followed with a single, and two batters later, Henry Perkins singled to plate Ferrera and give the Lions a 2-1 lead. One inning later, after Baumann shut down Princeton in the top half of the sixth, right fielder Noah Cooper knocked in Mike Roberts with a single to center field, sealing a 3-1 victory.

Head coach Brett Boretti tried to play down the importance of this weekend for the Lions. However, the Light Blue entered the weekend up two games on Princeton, facing its last full home stand of the year—six of the Lions’ last eight league games are on the road. Two wins would keep Columbia two games up and three would expand its lead. Then the Lions dropped the first two games of their doubleheader as starters Joe Scarlata and Geoff Whitaker were hit hard by the Tiger offense.

Even on Saturday, the Lions got timely hits. Down four in the first game of the day, a walk by Cooper began what would be a four-run sixth, only to have Clay Bartlett surrender the deciding run in the top of the seventh.

Entering the weekend, Boretti said that situational hitting would be the key against Princeton’s strong pitching staff. While the Tigers’ staff did not pitch as well as most people expected it would, allowing 26 runs in four games, Boretti’s squad exhibited clutch hitting all weekend. The two runs knocked in late in the first game were followed in the second game by a five-run seventh inning.

Starter Bill Purdy had settled down after being knocked around for three runs in the first inning. The Lions entered the bottom of the seventh trailing by two runs, 4-2. They had left seven runners on in the previous four innings, blowing many opportunities to score. Then, much like in the day’s first game, the bats came out. Jason Banos walked and Perkins doubled. After Williams struck out, Roberts singled. With two outs, designated hitter Jake Summerhays singled and Forthun tripled.

What was a two-run deficit turned into a three-run lead.

Entering the weekend, Boretti asked for more consistent pitching.

“I think we are one of the better offensive teams in the league,” he said. “Statistically we’re not.”

Sunday, Borletti’s team may have proved him right. Coming off the two losses on Saturday, the Lions were tied with the Tigers for the Gehrig Division lead. With its two-game lead gone and a four-game trip to Cornell waiting this weekend, the team was in need of a few wins.

Sunday, its offense delivered.

The Lions scored late in both games of the doubleheader and only one of the late-game hits came from Perkins, Cox or Banos—the team’s three leading hitters. This is especially encouraging for Boretti who has praised his team’s chemistry and depth, calling the Lions a “family type of a team.”

With this weekend’s set coming at Cornell, which took three of four at Penn, the family will get another chance to prove Boretti right.