Light Blue splits with Penn in season finale

Columbia and Penn entered the weekend with their hopes of winning the Gehrig Divison already dashed, yet the Lions and Quakers still put on quite a show with four long and wild battles to end their seasons and send off the seniors. Columbia’s pitching may have been its strength this season, but it was the two offenses that dominated this weekend, as the teams split Friday and Saturday’s doubleheaders in a series that included 63 runs, 88 hits, and 41 walks.

The Lions played their final home games of the year on Friday, with a 7-4 win over Penn in game one followed by a 13-7 loss in game two.

The opener had additional meaning, as it officially knocked the Quakers out of contention for a division title, ensuring Princeton a spot in the Ivy Championship series.

In the win, the Lions were able to knock around senior Paul Cusick in his final start for Penn.

“I think we took advantage of Cusick there, their number one and pitcher of the year candidate in the league,” head coach Brett Boretti said. “He was wild and we took advantage of the walks and had some key hits in big situations.”

Pat Lowery—and all Columbia’s pitchers this weekend—struggled. He could not make it out of the fourth inning, allowing four runs (three earned) in his final start of the season, nearly relinquishing the 5-0 lead. However, the Lions’ bullpen impressed, as freshman David Speer got the Lions out of the jam and combined with sophomore Tim Giel to shutout the Quakers for the remainder of the seven-inning contest.

Columbia’s pitching quickly regressed once again in game two, as sophomore starter Stefan Olson allowed eight earned runs in under three innings of work. After Penn rallied for a seven-run third inning, the Lions put forth a valiant effort to try and come back, cutting what was an 8-2 deficit to 10-7 in the seventh, but the Quakers held on.

The Lions hit four homers in the loss, including two by sophomore Dario Pizzano, who smacked a pair of his three blasts in the doubleheader into the water beyond the outfield fence.

The other two long-balls belonged to senior outfielder Jason Banos and senior third baseman Kevin Roberts, who earned loud ovations after delivering in their final Columbia home games. Roberts’ home run was even more special since it was the first of his collegiate career.

“Kevin’s a kid that was the glue for the four years he was here,” Boretti said. “He’s the ultimate teammate.”

Boretti liked the resiliency he saw from his bats.

“Our guys were battling. We realize…they were thin in the bullpen and [Penn junior pitcher Vince] Voiro, their starter is one of the best starters in the league and we hit him, we got seven earned runs off of him in seven innings, so offensively we did our part,” Boretti said. “We just had that bad inning.”

On Saturday in Philadelphia, both offenses would explode again with a walk-off 6-5 Penn victory in the opener and an 11-10 Columbia comeback win in game two.

The Lions pulled out in front on senior shortstop Alex Ferrera’s solo blast in the second inning. In his next at-bat, Ferrara blasted yet another home run to center field, this time a three-run shot that regained the lead for the Lions at 5-3.

“It definitely felt good,” Ferrera said. “I struggled a little bit at the plate this year early on and to end strong like that was definitely a good feeling.”

Senior starter Dan Bracey would hold Columbia’s lead into the final inning. Bracey escaped a jam in the previous inning and easily retired the first two batters of the seventh. However, after allowing a base-hit, Bracey’s final pitch as a Lion was deposited over the right field fence for a walk-off home run by sophomore first baseman Spencer Branigan. Visibly distraught, Bracey lingered on the mound before walking off the field to several hugs from his teammates.

“Danny pitched his ass off and we gave him the ball in the seventh after he got out of it in the sixth and he’s fired up,” Boretti said. “This yard plays small to right field. That’s just the way it goes.”

Fellow senior Geoff Whitaker did not fare any better in the season finale, allowing nine runs, although only three were earned, in four and two-thirds innings of work.

“Whit goes out and he doesn’t have his stuff and we didn’t make plays behind him,” Boretti said. “And I give Geoff credit, he doesn’t walk guys, he didn’t put guys on base and he hung up a couple zeros until we got him out of there, taking the lead back, and I give our offense a lot of credit.”

The offense powered the Lions to a win, rallying back from a 6-0 deficit. Banos and junior designated hitter Alexander Aurrichio led the charge with a combined six hits and nine RBIs. Aurrichio’s three-run homer brought Columbia back to a 6-6 tie and the Lions would not look back from there.

Reliever Giel and freshman pitcher Zack Tax held the lead in over four innings of relief to close out the 2011 season.

“They [the relievers] did a nice job in pressure situations and coming in and getting the job done,” Boretti said.

The Lions will have to replace the admirable work of both Bracey and Whitaker.

“Dan Bracey and Geoff Whitaker have been go-to guys for four years here,” Boretti continued. “Both of them as freshmen were key components of the championship season and they’ve taken every role that we’ve asked them.”

Offensively, the Lions will lose several key components of its lineup, such as outfielder Nick Cox, probably the Lions’ most valuable player this season.

“We’re going to miss them, there’s no question about it,” Boretti said. “It’s middle of the field guys which are very hard to replace. Nick Cox is a guy that I think is one of the best players Columbia has probably ever had, he’s an outstanding athlete, he’s in the top ten of all these offensive categories and he missed a ton of games because of injuries last year and some this year, his hamstring just wasn’t at 100 percent, and the kid gives everything he’s got.”

Key contributors in their final weekend, Banos and Ferrera will also have to be replaced.

“Jay Banos is one of the best pure hitters that I’ve ever had the pleasure to coach,” Boretti said. “Al Ferrera defensively has been a standout for four years. He had a good weekend with the stick and that’s good to see. I know he’s probably been putting a lot of pressure on himself.”

The seniors will especially miss their college baseball experiences, which began in an Ivy Championship.

“Tough day today, having to finish up like this, but you know, along the way we’ve been a family, it’s a great group of guys, I love all these guys, I’ve had great experiences and I know that all the seniors have as well,” Banos said.

For a season that started with title aspirations, it was disappointing the Lions could not return to the Championship series, but Boretti is optimistic moving forward.

“I think we've got a really good recruiting class coming in,” Boretti said. “It’ll be great competition as it is in the fall and we feel good about the roster.”