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The Yale softball team will travel to New York this weekend, hoping to end a two-game skid and climb above 0.500 in conference play. The Bulldogs (6–16, 4–5 Ivy) are coming off a series loss at home against Brown that pushed them into a tie for fifth in the conference standings.

“Brown put up a good fight and never took an out for granted,” catcher Sam Goodcase ’24 said. “They were never out of the game, and it was a fight until the very end. A couple of innings just did not go our way, but I am confident in our ability to bounce back and be ready for our series against Columbia.”

Columbia (7–18, 4–5 Ivy) entered the year as the Ivy League’s pre-season favorite. The Lions started the season off against No. 12 Kentucky but lost the game 8–0 in five innings. The team’s nonconference slate continued to progress poorly — the Lions entered conference play with a 2–12 record. 

Columbia got off to a better start against Ancient Eight foes. In mid-March, the team traveled to Philadelphia and won their opening series against the conference’s preseason second place team, Penn. A week later, the Lions stayed in state and won their second series against Cornell. Senior infielder Abby Stuart earned Ivy Player of the Week honors after a dominating performance at the plate.

“[I’m] super proud of Abby, she’s just kind of in a zone right now. I would be terrified to pitch against her,” head coach Jen Teague said to the Columbia Spectator.

Last weekend, though, the train came off the tracks. Columbia hosted Harvard for its conference home opener. Harvard, who is now tied for the league lead with six wins, entered the season as third in the pre-season poll, but received the most first place votes of any team. The Crimson swept the Lions, including two wins in only five innings, overtaking them in the standings and catapulting to a first-place tie with Princeton despite entering the series at 3–3.

Stuart, who has been the star of the team, was kept relatively quiet. She leads the team in most offensive statistics, with a 0.372 batting average, 0.628 slugging percentage and six home runs.

For Yale, the series offers a chance to get back in the win column. The Bulldogs were set to face off against Quinnipiac University on Wednesday before the game was rained out. To some, the unexpected rest has been welcome.

“We are having a very focused week this week,” pitcher Nicole Conway ’23 said. “We can spend the whole week preparing for Columbia which gives our body a chance to rest and mentally we can take a step back and focus on the little things in practice that will result in better game play.”

Yale’s last game at Columbia ended 8–6 in extra innings in favor of the Elis.