Baseball Splits First Ivy Playoff Games

John Baumann’s first Ivy League start of the season was a one-run complete game victory over Dartmouth. In his final league start, with a chance to clinch the Ivy Championship, Baumann was pounded for 12 hits and 10 runs in the Columbia baseball team’s 16-15 loss Tuesday in Hanover.

Head coach Brett Boretti started Baumann after both Joe Scarlata and Bill Purdy led the Lions to a win in their opening Ivy playoff game. Baumann, who posted a 2.79 ERA on the season, gave up three runs in the first inning, two in the second and another in the third putting as the Lions fell behind 6-3 .

In the fifth, Baumann started the inning by hitting junior Jack Monahan for the second time in the game. After the next two hitters got out, freshman Jeff Onstott singled and both sophomore Nick Santomaruo and junior Michael Pagliauro homered to extend the Big Green lead to 10-3.

Boretti then replaced Baumann with freshman Max Lautmann who failed to record an out before being taken out.

Down 14-3, Columbia rallied with five runs in the bottom of the fifth, four in the sixth, one in the seventh and two in the eighth to tie the game. First baseman Ron Williams and catcher Dean Forthun led the Light Blue with nine hits combined, more than half of the team’s output.

With the game tied at 15, Joey Mizzoni, who relived Lautmann in the fifth, gave up a single to Dartmouth’s leading hitter senior Damon Wright to start the top of the ninth. Boretti then brought Clay Bartlett out of the bullpen. After Wright advanced to second on a passed ball, James Wren singled for his fifth hit of the game.

With runners on the corners, Jason Bydell grounded out to second base, scoring Wren. The Lions threatened in the top of the ninth as Williams doubled but Noah Cooper popped out to third to end the game.

In the first game, Columbia rode a 5-run fifth inning to an 11-7 win. Junior Joe Scarlata threw over 100 pitches in five innings, allowing four runs on nine hits, striking out five and walking only one to earn the victory.

The Lions never trailed en route to the victory, striking first in the second inning. Dartmouth immediately tied the game back up in the bottom of the inning, but the Light Blue was undeterred, chalking up two runs in the third. Big Green runs in the third and fourth innings tied the game going into the fifth inning.

With the game tied at 3 in the top of the fifth, leadoff hitter Nick Cox got the inning started with a single up the middle. Next up, the designated hitter Jason Banos singled and was able to advance to second on a throwing error. As Banos took second, Cox came around to put the Lions up 4-3.

The Light Blue quickly got another run, as second baseman Henry Perkins doubled to left field, plating Banos. After first Williams was hit by a pitch, third baseman Mike Roberts singled and Perkins scored, putting the Lions up 6-3. Blair Bat winner Noah Cooper flied out for the first out of the inning and after Cooper’s out, right fielder Mike Malfettone bunted for a single, loading the bases.

With three ducks on the pond, Forthun singled, scoring Williams and Roberts. There would be no more runs in the inning, though, as Alex Ferrera and Cox went down to end the inning, but not after the Lions lengthened their lead to 8-3.

After allowing his fourth run of the game in the bottom of the fifth, Scarlata exited the game in the sixth, giving way to senior Bill Purdy. Purdy—who will likely not start for the rest of the playoff series—was immediately effective, taking down the Big Green in order in the sixth.

In the seventh, Cooper—who had been 0-3—proved yet again that he is one of the best hitters in the Ivy League, driving a solo home run over the 350-foot sign in right field. Later in the inning, Cox recorded his fourth hit of the day, driving in the 10th run of the game for the Lions.

The eighth inning saw Columbia’s 20th and final hit of the game, a double by Williams, and a sacrifice fly by Roberts brought the Lions’ lead to 11-4. With two outs in the inning and Malfettone at the plate with Williams on third, the Big Green too out starting pitcher Russell Young and replaced him with freshman Dan Ternowchek, who was able to get Malfettone out to end the inning. Young had a rough outing, giving up 11 runs—10 of them earned—on 20 hits in 7 2/3 innings.

In the bottom of the eighth, Purdy ran into some trouble of his own, as he loaded the bases with only one out in the inning. Erik Bell hit a two-run single and Jeff Onstott followed with an RBI single to narrow the lead to 11-7. Purdy then allowed the bases to get loaded again as he faced Michael Pagliarulo, the number three hitter in the Big Green lineup. In a six pitch at-bat, Purdy struck out Pagliarulo with a changeup, bringing up Dartmouth’s cleanup hitter, Damon Wright who already had a homer on the day. Purdy was able to force the Big Green best hitter to ground out to the shortstop, ending the inning and limiting the damage to only three runs.

After the Lions went down in order in the top of the ninth, Purdy trotted out to the mound to try to seal the win. There was odd delay of about five minutes due to a tow truck flashing its lights on the street behind the center-field fence. The umpires held play, as the flashing lights could effect the vision of the batters. After the delay, Purdy struck out the first batter he faced, and allowed a single to the second batter Jason Blydell. Purdy negated that single by forcing Jack Monahan into a 6-4-3 game-ending double play.

The Lions’ offense was stellar in the win as eight of their nine batters had at least one RBI, as Ferrera was the only batter not to drive in a run. Cox went 4 for 6 with two runs and an RBI and Perkins finished up 4 for 5 with two runs and an RBI as well. Roberts and Forthun led the Lions with two RBI each.

The final game, which will decide the Ivy Championship, will take place May 7 at Dartmouth.