Baseball Looks for First Win on 10-Day Road Trip

After dropping three of its first four games of the year last weekend, the Columbia baseball team kicks off a 10-day road trip on Friday in search of its first win of the season.

The Lions lost its season opener to St. Mary's College 12-1 in Moraga, Calif. last Saturday. The second game of the doubleheader ended in a 3-3 tie when the game was called in the 10th inning due to darkness. Columbia then dropped both games of Sunday's doubleheader, losing the first 12-7 before being shut out 3-0 in the second.

The Lions will play a three-game set against The Citadel Military College of Charleston, S.C. beginning March 9. The Citadel is in the midst of a four-game winning streak, with the latest victory coming last Saturday over Kent State. Senior Justin Smith no-hit the Golden Flashes through 5.1 innings en route to a 13-9 victory. With the win, The Citadel improved to 8-4 for the season.

Columbia then travels to Buies Creek, N.C. to take on Campbell University on March 12-13. The Camels swept both their games against Holy Cross on Monday and Tuesday to improve to 4-10, outscoring the Crusaders 23-11.

The third leg of the road trip will bring the Light Blue to Boiling Springs, N.C. for a two-game set against Gardner-Webb University starting March 14. The Bulldogs, 7-9, have lost to three ranked teams this season, including a 4-2 loss to top-ranked UNC last Tuesday. Gardner-Webb's latest game was a disappointing 5-4 loss to Wake Forest, a contest in which the Bulldogs led 4-0 heading into the bottom of the ninth. Junior Webster Beal gave up the winning run and suffered the loss.

Columbia will wrap up its 10-game road trip with a three-game series against Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C. on March 16-18. The Catamounts defeated East Tennessee State 7-4 on Tuesday to improve their season record to 7-4. Freshman southpaw Chris Masters earned the win, holding the Bucks scoreless through the fourth inning and surrendering only one run on five hits through the sixth. Sophomore Corey Martin earned his first career save, giving up three runs in three innings.

Columbia's schedule has the team playing its first 14 games of the season on the road against tough non-conference opponents. If the Lions can hold their own in the next ten days, they can build some momentum heading into Gehrig Division play later this month. Senior co-captain Andrew Walther believes pitching is the key to making a serious run at an Ancient Eight championship. "If we can step up as a staff, we have a good shot at doing some really great things in the Ivy League," the lefty said.

The road trip will begin Friday against The Citadel in Charleston, S.C. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.