Pitching, Defense Key in Wins

There's an old adage in baseball stating that pitching and defense win championships. This weekend, the Columbia baseball team proved this belief true and demonstrated the influence that one aspect of the game has on the other.

On a day in which the Lions played a doubleheader in only their second day on their home field, two different Lions teams showed up. The first had a defense that dropped some balls and, as a result, dropped game one, as the Light Blue lost to the Crimson 9-4 behind three errors that led to four unearned runs. Starter Henry Perkins suffered the loss despite giving up only three earned runs in 5.1 innings. Harvard took a 4-1 lead with a four-run third inning that saw two throwing errors and two unearned runs. After Columbia came back to tie the game 4-4 in the bottom of the fourth, another Lions error in the top of fifth led to two more unearned runs, and the Crimson took over the lead 7-4.

Perkins pitched better than the box score will show. When his defense made the plays-a double play in the first and a caught stealing in the third-his pitches were equally effective.

Lions head coach Brett Boretti liked what he saw from Perkins and recognized the mistakes made by his defense. "Hank did a good job," Boretti said. "We kicked it around a little bit behind him. Anytime you give a team like Harvard some free bases and some extra opportunities they're going to make you pay for it. He battled in typical Henry Perkins fashion."

While game one was a showcase of errors and poor throwing, game two featured a masterful performance by starter John Baumann. Baumann pitched a five-hit, one-run complete game for a well-deserved win. The junior had seven strikeouts en route to a 5-1 Lions victory. Behind him, the defense played a flawless game in stark contrast to the previous outing. The Columbia infield converted 11 groundouts, including a double play in the top of the ninth inning. Baumann attributed part of his Sunday success to the prowess of his defense.

"I think the big thing was I was able to throw strikes and the defense behind me did an awesome job," Baumann said. "We had some crucial points in the game, and defensively, we just made the plays, and that made it easy to get out of a jam."

Because he had confidence in his defense, Baumann was able to go to his slider often. Baumann's slider is an exceptionally versatile pitch; its lateral movement can induce groundballs when a double play is needed, but its sharp break can also stymie a hitter, causing him to strike out.

Baumann's success this season has been due largely to his slider, which he has been able to use effectively because of the solid defense behind him. Of the 20 runs he has given up this season, only one of them has been unearned.

Boretti highlighted the importance of defense and pitching in preparation for next week's games against Brown and Yale. "We've just got to play consistent defense, and that's something that we've been able to do," Boretti said. "We're fortunate. We're turning a lot of double plays, and it just gives our pitchers a whole lot more credit."

Last year's champion, Princeton, won with only the fifth-best offense in the League because it had the best combination of pitching and defense-the lowest staff ERA in the league and the second highest fielding percentage.

Boretti and his coaching staff recognize the need for a fundamentally sound ball club built around defense and pitching. "That's something that we really try to emphasize over and over," he said. "If we can bring our defense every day, it gives us a chance."