Game One
Game Two
PORTLAND, Ore. - The Lewis & Clark baseball team dropped game one of its Northwest Conference double-header to Willamette on Saturday afternoon, falling 10-3.
The Pioneers scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the first on an RBI double from Nick Lavin. The double allowed senior Michael Ball to score from second after reaching base on a double down the left line.
Willamette put up four runs in the top of the second, starting with a double from Hunter Gallant that sent two Bearcats home. The lead was extended to 3-1 following an RBI single from Dylan Summers, followed shortly by a sacrifice bunt that scored Gallant.
Sky Kelley extended the Bearcat lead to 7-1 in the top of the sixth with a three-run homerun off the Pioneer scoreboard. The Pioneers earned a run back in their half of the inning with Mike Kinkenon knocking in Andrew Traver who led-off the inning with a triple to right center.
The Bearcats tacked on two more runs in the eighth, before finishing the scoring in the ninth with a solo homerun by Gallant.
In the second game the Pioneers came back from a 16-run deficit in the first six innings to challenge Willamette, ending up with a loss of 25-16.
Willamette began scoring in the first inning with a homerun by Tyson Giza to send in Tiras Koon for two runs. In the bottom of the third, Bearcat Mitchell Rowan singled to get on base and sent in two runners, followed by a double by Koon for a single RBI, and then a fly ball to left field by Gallant to send Rowan home. By the end of the third, the Bearcats were up 7-0.
The fourth and fifth innings saw much of the same, as the Pioneers went scoreless but Willamette continued to hit runners home. Rowan swung for a homerun in the fourth for two RBI, and in the fifth Sky Kelley hit a triple, followed by a sacrifice fly by Rowan to make it the final leg around the bases. Later, after both Giza and Gallant made it on base, Oates hit a double for two RBI.
In the top of the sixth, Willamette extended the lead even more, scoring two more runs on one hit.
It wasn't until the bottom of the sixth inning that Lewis & Clark was able to get on the scoreboard. Lavin hit a double followed by a homerun by Traver to get the Pioneers rolling. After the Pios were able to get three men on base, singles by both Jake Costantino and Eric Hyun garnered a couple more runs.
After a walk advanced another runner home, L&C's batting order started over again as Lavin hit a single for an RBI, followed by another single by Traver. All in all, the Pioneers earned 10 runs on seven hits in the sixth inning to bring the score to 17-10.
Willamette answered with another three runs in the seventh inning on homerun by Andrew Wilson and a double hit by Michael Oliver to send in two runners.
However, the Pios came out big in the bottom of the seventh. Hyun and Gray both made it on base and advanced on a wild pitch, then Lavin reached on a pitching error to send Hyun home. Lewis & Clark was able to get five more runs in on two hits, bringing the score to 20-15 headed into the eighth.
The Bearcats earned two more runs in the eighth, scoring when Dylan Summers hit a homerun after Oates had already earned a single to reach first. Lewis & Clark didn't score in the eighth, and the teams went into the final inning with Willamette up 22-15.
Willamette secured the win with three more runs in the ninth, with Oates reaching on an error to send in Gallant, and Summers hitting a single to give Giza and Oatea a chance for the score. Despite the Pios scoring one more run on a sacrifice fly by Gray, the game finished with the Bearcats ahead 25-16.
For Lewis & Clark (2-21, 1-10 NWC), Traver and Davis both had three runs, three hits, and three RBI. Lavin scored three runs as well, on four hits, earning two RBI, and Hyun had two runs with three hits and one RBI.
T.J. Whidby earned the win for Willamette, while Ryan Strombom took the loss for the Pioneers.
Lewis & Clark and Willamette (7-14, 5-6 NWC) will finish out the weekend's series on Sunday with a single game beginning at noon.
