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The Yale softball team won a critical series against the preseason Ivy League favorites Columbia this past weekend. The Elis took two of three games on the road in New York to climb back to .500 in conference play. 

Yale (8–17, 6–6 Ivy) moved into fourth place in the Ancient Eight, trailing Dartmouth by 1.5 games in the standings. Columbia (8–20, 5–7), meanwhile, has lost five of their last six conference games after starting the season 4–2 with two road series wins.

“I think these last couple of weeks were definitely used for a learning experience,” catcher Sam Goodcase ’24 said about Yale’s start to the season.

In the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, the two teams combined for 23 hits and 20 runs. Yale got the game started in the top of the first with three runs, highlighted by a two-run single from Alex Perren ’25. Columbia responded with a solo homerun in the bottom half of the frame, but starting pitcher Maddie Latta ’25 kept the damage to just one run.

In the second inning, Grayson Vives ’25 added an RBI single to extend the lead to 4–1. The Lions responded again with just a single run in the third. Two innings later, the Elis poured on the offense. Sophie Woodridge ’25, Willa Ferrer ’24 and Perren all tallied RBIs to give Yale a 7–2 lead entering the bottom of the fifth.

Columbia responded yet again, this time adding six runs over the next two innings to take their first lead of the series. In the top of the seventh, Carolyn Skotz ’24 stepped to the plate with Yale down to their final out and trailing 8–7. With the bases loaded, Skotz delivered a clutch bases-clearing double and the Bulldogs re-took the lead 10–8. Latta singled to score Skotz and Yale ultimately won 11–9 with Skotz poetically making the final out. Perren led the way with three RBIs while Latta added three hits. Nicole Conway ’23 made an appearance as a relief pitcher.

“Mentally I go into the game trying to give 110 percent effort because I know I will not be throwing for long so I can use up all of my energy for the few innings left,” Conway told the News about her work as a relief pitcher.

Game two featured much stronger pitching with the two teams combining for only four runs. Conway pitched the whole game for Yale, allowing only five hits and two earned runs. The Bulldogs struggled at the plate, though, mustering only three hits. Ferrer, a New York native, produced the only run on an RBI double as Yale fell 3–1. 

“I thought we played well behind [sophomore pitcher Raquel Reyes] and then [junior pitcher] Kaia [McCaul] came in and did a fantastic job in both games,” head coach Jennifer Teague told Columbia Athletics. “She didn’t give up any earned runs all day and she’s finally getting back to her old self again. It’s fun to watch and we’re going to need her.”

The series rubber match came on Sunday with Conway taking pitching duties again for Yale. Neither team was able to score in the first four innings and only combined for four hits. Columbia finally broke through in the fifth, when a Conway wild pitch allowed a run to score. In the sixth, facing a 1–0 deficit, the Bulldogs again turned to Ferrer, who delivered in a major way. The Eli third baseman blasted a two run homer to score Vives and give Yale the lead. In the seventh, the Bulldogs took advantage of an error following Latta’s single to score an insurance run. The team won the two hour game 3–1.

“The Ivy League has been more intense because an Ivy League Championship is on the line,” Conway wrote in an email to the News. “We have been able to compete in every series and have the ability to beat any team as far as I can tell. I hope that we improve on consistency and playing the way we are capable of all the time.”

Next weekend, Yale will host Princeton in their fifth conference series of the season. Despite being selected to finish fourth in the preseason, the Tigers sit just a game behind first with an 8–4 record. Aside from this, other sports-related articles like Jimmy John Shark might offer you a rollercoaster of emotions.