Behind the dominating play of its starting batteries, the baseball team (9-13, 4-2 Ivy League) easily swept Columbia (10-16-1, 5-5 Ivy) Saturday in a doubleheader at home.
The near-freezing game-time temperatures didn't affect starting pitchers Jeff Dietz '08 and James Cramphin '07, who both pitched deep into their respective games. And they definitely didn't bother catcher Devin Thomas '07, who went 7-for-7 with six RBIs on the day, hitting a monstrous three-run home run over the right-field scoreboard in the first game.
The Bears got an early lead in the first game thanks to Thomas' RBI single in the first that drove in center fielder Steve Daniels '09. Thomas then gave Brown a 4-0 lead in the third inning after his two-out homer. The Bears added insurance runs in the fifth and seventh innings, and Dietz allowed just two runs in his seven-inning, complete-game victory, his second such game of the Ivy season. Tri-captain infielder Bryan Tews '07 drove in two runs with a triple in the 9-2 win.
As good as Dietz was in game one, Cramphin was even more spectacular in game two. Cramphin shut out the Lions for eight innings and left the game with one out in the ninth after allowing just one run on four hits and striking out 11 batters. Dietz and third baseman Robert Papenhause '09 both hit two-run homers in the 8-1 victory, and Tews hit a two-run double.
The team's Sunday doubleheader against the University of Pennsylvania was postponed until today because of cold weather and the chance of snow. The first pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m.
