Baseball Splits With Columbia

Saturday, March 31

New York, N.Y.

12:00 PM

Dartmouth College

3-11-1, 0-1

Columbia

9-11-1, 4-1

Dartmouth

Columbia

3/31/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Dartmouth

Game One Boxscore

Game Two Boxscore

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Big Green baseball team (4-11-1, 1-1) split a two-game doubleheader against Columbia Saturday afternoon in the team's league opener in New York City.

Dartmouth came out of the gates ready to pounce on the Lions early in the seven-inning contest. The Big Green led off the game loading the bases on a hit and two walks in the top of the first, but two straight outs by Columbia pitcher Bill Purdy got the Lions out of the early jam.

After a scoreless first few innings, Columbia took the lead. An RBI-triple by Jason Banos, followed by an infield error by Dartmouth shortstop Erik Bell (Sierra Madre, Calif.), gave the Lions a 2-0 lead at the end of three.

Columbia cushioned its lead in the fourth inning, scoring four more runs on five hits off Dartmouth hurler Robert Young (Cleburne, Texas) to jump to a 6-0 lead.

Damon Wright (Dallas, Texas) ruined Columbia's chance at the shutout in the sixth inning, when he belted a solo shot over the right-centerfield wall for his first homerun of the season and fifth of his career. Wrights mark was the only run the Big Green could produce, as they still trailed the Lions, 6-1.

Dartmouth loaded the bases with no outs in its last at bats, but a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Ezra Josephson (Key West, Fla.) was the only run the Big Green could produce as they dropped Game One of the days doubleheader, 6-2. The win marks the first time Columbia has beaten the Big Green since 2004.

The start of Game Two was a pitching duel, as both Daniel Bajger and Jeff Wilkerson (Walnut Creek, Calif.) opened the day throwing three scoreless innings.

Andrew Nacario's (Carlsbad, Calif.) RBI single in the top of the fourth broke the silence and gave Dartmouth its first lead of the day, as Wright crossed the plate for his team-high 12th time this season.

The Big Green spread it on in their next plate appearances scoring four runs on four hits to take a commanding, 5-0, lead midway through the fifth inning.

Columbia tried to mount a comeback late in the sixth inning, but scoring only one run in the sixth, eighth and ninth couldn't cap off the dramatic finish.

Dartmouth's Raymond Allen (Longwood, Fla.) blasted a two-run shot in the ninth inning for his second homer of the season to put away the Lions, 8-3, and give the Big Green their first win in nine games, and first league win of the season.

Wilkerson pitched a complete game striking out seven batters and only walking one in the Big Green victory.

The team finishes off its long road trip taking on Penn tomorrow in another Ivy league doubleheader. The first game is scheduled for noon.