The softball team (15-20, 7-8 Ivy) took on Columbia (14-20, 8-7 Ivy) this past weekend in a three-game series in Providence. After dropping the first game to the Lions, the Bears reversed the result, winning the next two and taking home their seventh win out of the last 10 games.
“This series was a big one,” Pitcher Alexis Guevara ’25 wrote in an email to The Herald. “We want to win every game, but this weekend was a huge step for setting us up to make the Ivy League tournament.”
The first game was slow for both teams offensively. Both were held to “three-up, three-down” innings in the first, unable to establish a base runner. But in the third, Guevara conceded a lead-off triple to give the Lions a runner in scoring position.
Guevara rallied to strike out the next batter and pop up the second, earning two outs, but conceding a sac fly RBI in the process. After a ground-out to second ended Columbia’s second inning threat, the Bears were down 1-0 with five to play.
Bruno continued its slow offensive start, unable to get a hit during the first four innings. They managed three base-runners — all coming off walks — but the Bruno hitting unit left them stranded and unable to get on the scoreboard.
The Bears finally managed to open the game up in the bottom of the fifth, after Leah Carey ’25 managed a single on an 0-2 count to get the Bears’ first hit of the game. Vanessa Alexander ’25 made contact next and, though unable to reach first, she advanced Carey into scoring position.
With two outs against the Bears, Laurel Moody ’25 launched a double to left center, scoring Carey for the Bears’ first — and only — run of the game.
“This weekend, I focused on sticking to my plan when I went up to the plate and trusting all of the work I had put in,” Moody wrote in an email to The Herald. “I knew that if I got on base my teammates would have my back and if I came up with runners in scoring position, I knew I needed to step up for the team.”
The score stayed locked up until the top of the seventh, when Guevara conceded a leadoff solo shot to give the Lions the advantage. Guevara gave up one more single before getting the third batter on a pop-up. Just as the inning was turning around, the Lions launched a two-run blast, taking the game out of the Bears’ hands and prompting Guevara’s removal from the mound.
Despite Jodie Aguirre ’24 taking out the last two batters in the top of the seventh, Bruno was unable to strike back in the bottom of the seventh. They sent three batters to the plate and none reached base, closing the first game out with a Bruno loss.
Later that afternoon, the Bears and Lions squared off on the diamond once again. After their first loss, the Bears would have to win the next two games to take the home series.
Bruno opened up the second game much stronger, with the top of the order notching two early base-runners in Moody and Lily Berlinger ’26. And after Cameron Zytkewicz Ray ’26 was hit by a pitch, Bruno had the bases loaded with one out.
Dara English ’24 managed a single on a fielder’s choice, scoring Moody for Bruno’s first lead of the weekend. But Brianna Rodrgiuez ’24 hit into a double play, ending the inning with only one run for Bruno, stranding two baserunners.
After a scoreless second, Columbia fought back, as Aguirre allowed two runs before Bruno grabbed two late outs to shut down the Columbia attack.
Bruno was held behind for three innings, before they got their chance in the bottom of the fifth. After immediately giving up two outs, the Bears rallied to go on a scoring run to take the lead back from Columbia. Berlinger reached on a walk and then stole second to get into scoring position. Jasmine Hsiao ’26 launched an RBI single to score Berlinger and tie the game. Hsiao stole second and English slammed another single to right-center to notch the go-ahead run.
“Even though we lost the first game, we gained momentum during the second game on Saturday, where Jodie (Aguirre) and Macy did a great job working to get us a win,” Guevara wrote.
Neither team managed to score again, giving Bruno the victory without having to play the bottom of the seventh.
In the third game, Bruno managed to reverse the first game’s result, coming from behind late to snatch the game from the Lions’ grasp.
With Guevara back on the mound, the Bears were looking to close out the home series with a much-needed victory. Guevara let up two solo shots in the second and third innings to give Columbia a 2-0 advantage, but beyond those two at-bats pitched a complete game only conceding five hits total.
“After Saturday's loss, I felt motivated. I wanted the ball and wanted the chance to come back and attack Columbia's hitters,” she wrote. “I felt like I learned from my performance on Saturday, and used that to keep their offense down on Sunday.”
It wasn’t until the bottom of the sixth when Bruno managed to get their bats going. After Moody launched a double on a 0-2 count to lead-off the inning, Berlinger walked to put runners on first and second with no outs.
“Going into the sixth inning, our team was determined and fired up to make a comeback in this game,” Moody wrote. “Leading off in this situation is stressful and pressurized, but as a player, I know that I have to be there for my team.”
Hsiao flew out, giving Columbia a breath, but was followed up by a Zytkewicz Ray single to load the bases. English knocked a sac fly into play, advancing the runners and scoring Kaicee Klus ’27 — who was pitch-running for Moody — to bring the game within one. With two outs and two players on, Rodriguez belted a first pitch double to left center scoring Alyssa Villarde ’27 — pitch-running for Zytkewicz Ray — and Berlinger for the winning run.
Guevara let up two baserunners early in the top of the seventh, but managed to get three clutch outs late in the seventh to get Bruno the game and series win.
“It felt great to get that win and take the series,” Guevara wrote. “Our energy and drive were unmatched, so I did not doubt that we were going to do what was needed to win.”
Next weekend, Bruno heads to Princeton for their penultimate Ivy series. “We are intent on giving all we can at Princeton this weekend and in our last weekend against Penn,” Moody wrote. “These games are huge for us to go to the Ivy League tournament and every person on our team is committed to that process.”
Dennis Carey is a Sports editor who enjoys playing volleyball, listening to and collecting vinyl records and poorly playing the guitar in his spare time.
