If you happened to pick up the Spectator today and read that Columbia defeated Dartmouth behind a solid performance by John Baumann, you might think you were reading a basketball article.

Fortunately for the Lions’ baseball squad, however, the senior, who was recently named a First Team All-Ivy League forward, also dons the Light Blue uniform on the mound. The double threat of Baumann lends both Columbia teams an extraordinary athlete who never fails to make his presence known on the court and on the field.

Baumann’s most recent contribution to Lions athletics came in yesterday’s win over the Big Green in the first game of a Monday doubleheader. The six-foot seven-inch righthander evened his season record at 1-1, pitching a complete game and picking up his first Ivy League victory of the 2008 season at Dartmouth’s Richard Emerson Field.

On the other side of the ball, the Lions exploded to score seven runs in the third and fourth innings, which accounted for all of their offense in game one. A two-run triple by senior Henry Perkins in the third broke a scoreless tie, driving in Nick Cox and Jason Banos and putting Columbia up 2-0. That would be all the support Baumann needed, as he surrendered just one run in seven innings while striking out five.

The Lions added five more runs in the fourth behind a two-run single by Banos and a double by Perkins, extending the lead to 7-0. Perkins led the Light Blue offensively, going 2-for-4 with a double and a triple along with four RBI.

Unfortunately, Columbia’s momentum did not carry over into the nightcap. In the second game of the doubleheader, Lions ace Bill Purdy (1-3) got shelled for eight runs, seven earned, over 6 1/3 innings in a losing effort.

The Big Green broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the third behind an RBI double down the right-field line by junior Michael Pagliarulo. After Dartmouth took a 5-2 lead by converting two runs off a bases loaded, no out situation, Purdy managed to escape further trouble by getting senior Erik Bell to ground into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning. Bell would atone, however, driving in a run in the sixth on a single up the middle and scoring a run in the eighth after doubling down the left-field line to lead off the inning.

Dartmouth starter Chase Carpenter (3-2) pitched 8 2/3 solid innings, shutting down the Columbia offense and giving up just two earned runs en route to a 9-3 victory. Though the Lions could not benefit from sustained pressure on the opposing pitcher, they still managed to make contact with the ball, as Carpenter struck out none of the 36 batters he faced and walked just one.

Despite the loss in game two, Columbia (10-17, 6-2) is off to its best start in Ancient Eight play since 2002 and sits atop the Gehrig Division standings, two games ahead of Princeton. The Lions will have a chance to fine tune their game on Tuesday against nonconference foe Rutgers before hosting four games against the Tigers this weekend in a series that will be crucial to the division standings.