Game One
Game Two
PORTLAND, Ore. - The Lewis & Clark baseball team earned an 8-5 win in the first game of its Northwest Conference series against Whitworth on Saturday, picking up its first home win of the 2011 season. The Pirates bounced back to earn a tight 4-3 decision in the second game of the double-header.
The Pioneers move to 3-13 on the season and 2-9 in conference action. The Pirates are now 7-11 overall and 2-3 in the NWC.
Game one started with the Pirates putting up four runs in the third inning. The Pioneers earned three of those back in the bottom half of the inning with junior Michael Ball and senior Tucker Laurence earning RBI's. Lewis & Clark was able to get another run home on a Pirate balk.
Leading 4-3, the Pirates tacked on their final run of the contest in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by JR Jarrell that scored Landon Scott.
The Pioneers rallied back in the bottom of the seventh, scoring five runs on six hits to take an 8-5 lead. Senior Giuseppe Baffaro started the scoring with an RBI single to left center that scored Nick Lavin. Ball picked up Geoff Wertz and Parker Dane with the next Pio at bat with a double to left field. Both Baffaro and Ball came around to score with a hard hit shot to the third baseman by Roland Greene. The Pirate third baseman nearly caught the ball in mid-air, but instead it hit off the top of his glove and into left field.
Sophomore Will King earned the victory for the Pioneers, pitching seven complete innings. Senior Alex St. Pierre, who came in in relief in the eighth inning, picked up the save. Ben George was the losing pitcher.
In the second game, the Pirates posted two runs in the top of the first inning on a two-run homerun by Scott to take the early advantage. Once again the Pioneers answered back, scoring two runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Greene knocked in two runs with a double to tie the contest.
Tyler Pfeffer gave the Pirates a 3-2 lead in the third inning with an RBI single. The Pirates added their final run of the game in the fifth inning on a Nick Ashley single.
The Pioneers closed the gap to 4-3 in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single from Ball. With the bases loaded the Pioneers were in position to earn their first lead of the game, but the Pirates were able to get out of trouble.
Nathan Johnson earned the complete game victory for the Pirates, facing 36 batters and striking out six. Adam Rager earned the loss for the Pios.
The two sides meet again on Sunday, March 20 to finish the three game series with the first pitch set for 12 p.m.
