Stony Brook Seawolves edge Columbia Lions behind early offensive burst

Stony Brook scored four runs in the first inning and held on to defeat Columbia 4-3 at Robertson Field at Satow Stadium on Saturday. The Seawolves withstood a Columbia rally that cut the deficit to one and improved to 11-12 on the season, while the Lions fell to 11-28 with the loss.

Stony Brook wasted no time setting the tone, sending a crooked number on the scoreboard before Columbia could even record an out. Chanz Doughty delivered the first blow with an RBI in the opening frame, and James Schaffer drove in a run as well. Nick Zampieron added an RBI in the same inning, and Mike Villani capped the first-inning outburst with another run batted in, staking the Seawolves to a 4-1 lead before the Lions had a chance to respond.

Columbia answered immediately. Hunter Snyder delivered the biggest swing of the Lions' half of the first, bringing home two runs with a single at-bat to pull Columbia within 4-3. Cole Fellows then added an RBI of his own in that frame, keeping the Lions within striking distance. Despite generating traffic throughout the contest, Columbia never managed to complete the comeback.

Dylan Henshaw started on the mound for Stony Brook and worked 3.1 innings, allowing four hits and two earned runs. Nicholas Rizzo took over from there, throwing two innings and giving up three hits and one earned run while striking out one. Ty Panariello closed it out with two-thirds of an inning of scoreless work, stranding whatever threat remained and preserving the one-run victory.

On the Columbia side, starter Will Harrigan was roughed up early, surrendering five hits and all four Stony Brook runs in just 1.1 innings. Brendan Murphy provided significant relief, tossing 2.2 innings of hitless ball and keeping Columbia's deficit from growing. Jack Korthas followed with two shutout innings before Evan Kleinhans entered and induced the final out. The Lions' pitching staff allowed no additional damage after Harrigan's early exit, but the offense could not manufacture the tying run.

Individually, Mike Cervoni went 2-for-3 for Stony Brook to lead the team in hits, while Doughty reached base three times on one hit and two walks and scored twice. For Columbia, Anthony Temesvary and Hunter Snyder each recorded multiple-hit games, with Snyder's two-RBI performance standing as the Lions' most impactful at-bat of the afternoon. The loss drops Columbia further below .500 at 11-28 in Ivy League play, while Stony Brook returns to .500 territory at 11-12 in the Colonial Athletic Association.