Saturday, May 20
Philadelphia, Pa.
Princeton University
13
vs
11
No. 4 Seed Columbia
Kyle Vinci and Caden Shapiro
Photo by: Sideline Photos, LLC
Baseball Wins A 13-11 Thriller Over Columbia To Keep Season Alive
May 20, 2023 | Baseball
PHILADELPHIA – Matt Scannell's RBI single in the bottom of eighth proved to be the game-winner in a wild and thrilling 13-11 comeback victory for the Princeton Baseball Team over the Columbia Lions at Meiklejohn Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
With the win, Princeton will take on the loser of Penn and Harvard in another elimination game on Sunday at 3 p.m. Penn and Harvard were supposed to play today but got pushed to tomorrow at 11 a.m. because of the length of Princeton and Columbia (45-minute rain delay along with 3:47 of game action).
Columbia scored three times in the first inning on an RBI groundout from Griffin Palfrey and two-run single by Anton Lazits. The Lions scored on a balk in the second frame and a Lazits home run in the third.
With two out in the third, Scott Bandura ripped a home run over the fence in right centerfield. After a Jake Bold single and Kyle Vinci double, Nick DiPietrantonio blistered a ball that was only stopped from reaching the highway by a netting over the fence.
With two out in the next at-bat, Kyle Vinci put Princeton in front, 8-5, with a towering grand slam. It was his 21st home run of the season, giving him 61 RBI. He is one of only three players in Ivy League history to reach 60+ RBI in a campaign (Devin Thomas – 64, Brown, 2007, Gene Larkin - 62, Columbia, 1984).
Columbia got one back on an RBI double from Skye Selinsky in the top of the seventh.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Lions intentionally walked Bandura with two out to load the bases for Jake Bold. The freshman catcher made Columbia pay with a bases-clearing double to extend Princeton's advantage to five, 11-6.
Columbia scored five times in the top of eighth with a two-run single from Cole Fellows tying the score at 11-all.
In the Princeton half of eighth, Scannell singled home Noah Granet to regain the lead for the Tigers, 12-11, while Brendan Cumming added on with a sacrifice fly.
Columbia brought the winning run to the plate in the last half-inning, but Reece Rabin got a flyout to end the game and collect the save.
Scannell finished with three hits and three runs while Cumming, Bandura, Bold (three hits) and Vinci each scored twice.
With the win, Princeton will take on the loser of Penn and Harvard in another elimination game on Sunday at 3 p.m. Penn and Harvard were supposed to play today but got pushed to tomorrow at 11 a.m. because of the length of Princeton and Columbia (45-minute rain delay along with 3:47 of game action).
Columbia scored three times in the first inning on an RBI groundout from Griffin Palfrey and two-run single by Anton Lazits. The Lions scored on a balk in the second frame and a Lazits home run in the third.
With two out in the third, Scott Bandura ripped a home run over the fence in right centerfield. After a Jake Bold single and Kyle Vinci double, Nick DiPietrantonio blistered a ball that was only stopped from reaching the highway by a netting over the fence.
With two out in the next at-bat, Kyle Vinci put Princeton in front, 8-5, with a towering grand slam. It was his 21st home run of the season, giving him 61 RBI. He is one of only three players in Ivy League history to reach 60+ RBI in a campaign (Devin Thomas – 64, Brown, 2007, Gene Larkin - 62, Columbia, 1984).
Columbia got one back on an RBI double from Skye Selinsky in the top of the seventh.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Lions intentionally walked Bandura with two out to load the bases for Jake Bold. The freshman catcher made Columbia pay with a bases-clearing double to extend Princeton's advantage to five, 11-6.
Columbia scored five times in the top of eighth with a two-run single from Cole Fellows tying the score at 11-all.
In the Princeton half of eighth, Scannell singled home Noah Granet to regain the lead for the Tigers, 12-11, while Brendan Cumming added on with a sacrifice fly.
Columbia brought the winning run to the plate in the last half-inning, but Reece Rabin got a flyout to end the game and collect the save.
Scannell finished with three hits and three runs while Cumming, Bandura, Bold (three hits) and Vinci each scored twice.
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1B
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