That’s what happens when you win in baseball

Less than a week after the Lions repeated as Gehrig Division champions, they reaffirmed their place atop the Ivy League.

The Lions put bat to ball and took down Dartmouth in today’s Ivy League Championship Series double-header, winning 6-2 and 4-1 respectively to earn their second straight Ivy League title.

David Speer set the tone in the first game, continuing his streak of dominant pitching. Although the senior lefty saw his complete-game streak end, letting up two earned runs on six hits, he struck out seven Big Green batters in eight innings to notch the win. Jordan Serena was a spark in the lead-off position, collecting two hits and stealing two bases, as well as scoring one of Light Blue’s six runs.

The first six hitters in the Lions’ order provided all the offense, with each batter scoring one run. The combination of David Vandercook and Robb Paller accounted for four hits, two runs and four RBIs in the third and cleanup slots. George Thanopolous closed out the game for the Lions’ first win.

In the second contest, Kevin Roy took the mound for Columbia and pitched six innings, letting just one earned run across the plate on four hits. Gus Craig accounted for two of the Lions’ three runs with his two-run shot towards the Bronx.

Thomas Crispi entered in relief after a lengthy rain delay, getting into and out of a jam by inducing two straight outs with men on second and third to preserve the score. A Big Green base hit to right would have likely tied the game.

In the final inning, Vandercook led off with a homer to increase the Lions’ lead to 4-1. Thanopolous was also good to go for Game 2, closing out the series after 1.2 innings, five batters, a strikeout and no hits on his record. Bwog is sure he got mobbed on the mound.

The newly crowned Lions now wait to see who they will take the field against in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The six seniors on the team, including standout performers Speer and Aaron Silbar, will look to lead Light Blue to more, and better, triumphs in the coming weeks.

Congratulations to the team on an amazing season so far. Here’s hoping, in the midst of finals hopelessness, that this Championship victory is just the first on the way to Omaha for the College World Series. In order to celebrate while still getting work done, listen to this ’70s Queen classic:

 Storming the field via Ivy League Digital Network