BOX SCORE
SALEM, Ore. – The Lewis & Clark baseball
team dropped an 11-7 decision to the Willamette Bearcats in the
final game of the three-game Northwest Conference series on Sunday
afternoon. The Pioneers fall to 3-7 on the year and 2-4 in
conference play. The Bearcats are now 4-6 overall and 2-1 in NWC
play.
The Pioneers scored first, posting a run in the first inning on a
Sami Morgan homerun over the left field fence on the second pitch
he saw. The Pios carried their 1-0 lead into the bottom of the
third inning, when the Bearcats managed to tie things up on a RBI
single by Tim Schilf.
Jim Bray made the game 2-1 Pioneers in the top of the next inning,
doubling to center field, bringing Nate Grisham into score. Bray
would come around to score with the next Pio batter, Sam Holman,
who singled up the middle to make the game 3-1 L&C.
A three-run home run by Doug Bloom in the bottom half of the
fourth, helped the Bearcats take their first lead of the game,
changing the score in their favor 4-3. Michael Ball hit a home run
of his own in the top of the next inning, taking the ball yard over
the right field fence on a 2-0 count. With the game tied 4-4,
Mitchell Rowan swayed the momentum in the Bearcats favor in the
bottom of the inning, leading off with a double to left. Rowan
moved to third with the next Willamette batter, before being driven
home by Derek Collins, handing the Bearcats the lead once
again.
The Pioneers made the game 5-5 in the top of the sixth inning, with
Tucker Laurence crossing the plate as the tying run. Laurence
reached base on a lead-off, first pitch single to left field. His
teammates did their job throughout the inning, allowing Laurence to
steadily move around the bases and eventually home.
Two runs in the bottom of the seventh for the Bearcats handed them
a 7-5 lead, before picking up four runs in the eighth. The Pioneers
picked up one run in both the eighth and ninth innings, but it
would not be enough to knock off the Bearcats.
Laurence finished the day 2-for-4, scoring twice for the Pios,
while Morgan capped off a solid series with a 2-for-5 performance
today. Morgan came in to score once, while driving in two runs.
The Pioneers return to action on Saturday, March 13 when they host
Whitman in a doubleheader. The first pitch of game one is set for
11 a.m.
