Light Blue Swept by Bears on the Road

After an auspicious start to the Ivy season, the Columbia baseball team took a step back this weekend in its push toward a league title, as the Lions (10-16-1, 5-5 Ivy) were swept by the Brown Bears on Saturday in a doubleheader.

Clay Bartlett started the first game and struggled to find the strike zone, walking four batters in three innings. The freshman had been very effective coming out of the bullpen this season, maintaining the lowest ERA on the pitching staff. After giving up a run in the first, Bartlett retired the side in the second and seemed to be on his way to a solid outing. But after a two-out walk set up first and third in the bottom of the third inning, Bartlett surrendered a three-run home run to Brown catcher Devin Thomas, and the submariner was chased from the ball game.

Bartlett was outpitched by his Brown counterpart Jeff Dietz, who shut down the Lions in a seven-inning, complete-game performance. Columbia managed only two runs on five hits, highlighted by first baseman Ron Williams' first career home run, a solo shot to left field in the top of the fourth. The Lions went on to lose the first game 9-2 as the bullpen surrendered another five runs over the next four innings.

Lions ace Bill Purdy started game two and pitched well through his first five innings of work, giving up only one run. But the junior seemed to tire in the sixth, giving up three runs on four hits, including a two-run blast by Dietz. Although he struck out seven and walked none, Purdy left the game after seven and one-third innings, giving up 10 hits and 7 earned runs.

The Columbia offense continued to struggle, with the team dropping the second game 8-1. The Light Blue was held to only one run in another good pitching performance by a Brown starter, and Columbia exhibited poor patience at the plate as 12 Lions went down on strikes. The lone run came from an RBI single off the bat of second baseman Henry Perkins in the top of the ninth inning. That was the end for Brown starter James Cramphin, who finished with 11 strikeouts and gave up only four hits and one earned run in eight and one-third innings of work.

With the losses, Columbia falls to third in the Lou Gehrig division standings, one game behind first-place Cornell (11-14, 5-3 Ivy). The Lions were scheduled to play a doubleheader at Yale on Sunday, but the twin bill was postponed due to inclement weather in New Haven. The teams will play both games today.

Columbia will try to get back in the playoff race next weekend when they travel to New Jersey to take on defending Ivy League champion Princeton in a two-day, four-game series. The Lions can make up for their poor showing this weekend with a solid effort against the Tigers as the team tries to climb back atop the division standings.