Three-Peat!! Baseball Edges Dartmouth for Ivy League Championship – Columbia University Athletics

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NEW YORK – The Columbia baseball team got four homeruns from three different players to defeat Dartmouth College 10-7 in the deciding game of the Ivy League Championship Series and win their third consecutive Ivy League title. The Lions earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournamen

The Lions (29-15) tied the program record for wins in a season, evening the mark set in 2014. Columbia is the first team to “three-peat” since Harvard won three in a row from 1997-99.

Columbia jumped on the board in the bottom of the first inning.   Dartmouth’s Mike Concato had trouble locating his pitches to start the game, hitting the leadoff batter and walking the next. However, Jordan Serena was caught trying to steal second. With Robb Paller on first, Falcone sent a 3-2 pitch over the wall in centerfield to give the Lions the early 2-0 lead.

Dartmouth cut the deficit in half in the top of the second. Kyle Holbrook led things off with a single and a sacrifice bunt moved him into scoring position. Michael Ketchmark followed with a base-hit to get the Big Green on the board.

In the bottom of the frame, Columbia wasted no time adding to its margin. Will Savage laced a triple to the gap in left center to kick things off and Logan Boyher drove in a run for the fifth consecutive game with an opposite field single to restore the two-run cushion.

After a bunt single by Serena, Falcone delivered a monstrous big fly to right to give the Lions a 6-1 advantage.

However, Joe Purritano made it 6-2 with one swing of the bat in the top of the third. The Big Green continued to apply the pressure after a single by Holbrook and an error allowed Nick Ruppert to reach base and put runners on the corners with two outs. Ketchmark came up with his second big hit of the afternoon, a bases clearing triple to trim the margin to two.

Boyher gave Columbia a little more breathing room with a two-run jack in the Lions next turn at-bat, but Dartmouth used a sac fly to bring the score to 8-5. A two out walk made Holbrook the tying run at the plate but reliever Ryan Marks got the Big Green rightfielder to chase strike three in the dirt to wiggle out of trouble.

Dartmouth drew even closer in the fifth, recording back-to-back singles before Marks could record an out. A sacrifice bunt set up Patterson, who hit a dribbler in front of the mound. Marks tried to use his bare hand to make the play, but bobbled it to allow the sixth Big Green run to come across.

Harrisen Egly came in to retire the next two batters via ground out and line out to limit the damage.

The Lions used the Savage-Boyher combo to tack on another run in the fifth. Both players doubled to start the frame to make it 9-6. David Vandercook belted his fourth homer of the year in the sixth to put Columbia in double figures.

Dartmouth added a run in the top of the eighth, but Egly closed the door in the ninth for the 10-7 final.

Egly picked up the win (3-1), allowing just one unearned run in 4.2 innings.

The 64-team field for the NCAA Tournament will be announced on Monday, May 25 at noon. The selection show will be broadcast by ESPNU.