SALEM, Ore. -- Playing their first games in 349 days, the Lewis & Clark Pioneers used four home runs, two from senior Sydney Cross, in a 14-11 defeat of the Corban Warriors to split Saturday's season-opening doubleheader at Warrior Field. 

Braylin Jenson hit a grand slam and Samantha Gildersleeve hit the first of her career.

Originally scheduled as a Lewis & Clark home meeting, the game site was switched earlier in the week because of wet weather - rain and snow - that hit the Portland area and affected Huston Sports Complex

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Key Moments

Cross, who was lost early to an injury in the Pioneers pandemic-shortened 2020 season, hit a leadoff home run in the second inning to score the firsts runs of the game. Lewis & Clark (1-1) used scoring spurts of four runs in the third inning and six in the fifth to jump to an early 12-5 advantage.

"Today was great," Cross said, finishing the second game 2 for 3 with three RBI and two runs scored. "The perfect way to start the season. The team meshed so well together, and our defense went all out. In the second game, our bats came alive with four home runs and many more base hits."

In a 3 for 4, five-RBI performance, Jenson's grand slam came with two outs.

"It just made it a little extra special," head coach Shawna Cyrus said. "It was just a laser beam line drive that kept going over the fence. So really proud about the way we came out after losing game one."

Jane Wilson threw three innings for the win, while Cassidy Crushberg faced the most batters in the game. Crushberg threw 2-2/3 innings, walked one and allowed six runs on eight hits. Abe worked 1-1/3 innings in between.

Game 1

Corban's Madison Wyllie hit an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh and prevented the Pioneers a chance in extras during a 3-2 Pios loss. The game was the first of the season for Lewis & Clark, which hadn't played a game since Mar. 8, 2020.

Jenson paid off a leadoff double in the sixth by scoring on Olivia Brackin's single for Lewis & Clark's first run of the game. To tie it at two, Lily Moffitt walked to force in a run for the Pioneers in the top of the seventh.

Key Moments

Trailing 2-0 and with Jenson on from a leadoff double, Moffitt advanced Jenson to third base on a sacrifice. Jenson scored on a grounder by Brackin to third, and Brackin advanced to second to give the Pios a runner in scoring position with one out. She was ultimately left stranded.

In the top of the seventh, Kalea Kaui drew a one-out walk, and in a pinch-hit appearance, Wilson singled to right for two on with one out. Kaylee Brown replaced Corban (5-4) starter Holly Gonzales, but first-year outfielder Alyssa Hoeke picked up her second hit of the game to load the bases. After Jenson popped out, Moffit was walked to force in the tying run. Brackin struck out to the end the inning.

Wyllie's game-winning single followed a one-out walk and a groundout that put pinch-runner Megan Rybar at second for the Warriors.

Deeper Look

• Jenson's five RBI are her most in one game and already puts her one shy of matching her season high from last year's 10-game schedule
• Abe, the starter, pitched 5-2/3 innings in the debut game and struck out four, the only Pios pitcher to throw a strikeout on Saturday
• Crusberg made her collegiate debut in the last inning of game one and faced three batters without allowing a hit
• Brackin and Hoeke were the only Pios with multiple hits in the opener, with Hoeke finishing 2 for 3
• Hoeke had multiple hits in both games after a 2 for 3 performance and two runs scored in game two
• In addition to her home run, Gildersleeve had a double in a two-RBI performance during game two; she finished 3 for 5 with two runs scored as well
• Mari Alvarez replaced Kaui in game two and went 2 for 3 in her collegiate debut
• Lewis & Clark was charged with six errors in the two-game set, while Corban went without one
• The Warriors had multi-hit games from Kaylee Buhrkuhl, Taylor Beasley and Morgan Gleeson in the second game
• "It was very fulfilling to see Sydney back on the field and doing exactly what Syd does. As for Bray, I am super proud of her because I know how much work she puts in on and off the field, and seeing those results makes all the hard work worth it." ~ Merrill

Looking Ahead

The Pioneers are scheduled to host the Bushnell Beacons in a doubleheader on Feb. 27 in what will now be Lewis & Clark's home opener.