FOREST GROVE, Ore.—Senior first baseman Olivia Brackin crushed a go-ahead, two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning in game one, to lift Lewis & Clark College softball to their first Northwest Conference win of the season and a split with Pacific University on Wednesday at Sherman/Larkins Stadium. 

Brackin's two-run home run capped off a back-and-forth game one, that saw the Pioneers rally from deficits of 2-0, 5-2 and 8-7.

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GAME ONE KEY MOMENTS 

Brackin, Riley Anderson and Mari Alvarez each homered for Lewis & Clark-who picked up their first conference and road win of the season. 

After going down 2-0 through the first two innings, the Pioneers tied the game in the top of the third on an Alvarez two-run double to left field.  

The Pioneers used a four-run top of the fifth inning to turn a 5-2 deficit into a 6-5 lead. 

Alvarez started the rally with a one-out solo home run. Lily Moffitt and Brackin each singled with two outs and Anderson followed with a pinch-hit, three-run homer to give the Pioneers the lead. 

Braylin Jenson pushed the edge to 7-5 in the sixth when she drove in pinch-runner Kami Merrill with an RBI groundout. 

Pacific answered back with a three-run sixth to get within three outs of the victory, but Lewis & Clark had one final answer.  

Samanatha Gildersleeve opened the frame with a single, but was erased on a Moffitt fielder's choice. With one out, Brackin crushed a two-run home run to give the visitor's a 9-8 edge. 

In the seventh, Alyssa Abe struck out the first two batters, allowed a triple to left-center, but induced a fly out to center field to close out the win. 

Brackin went a perfect 3-3 with two runs, two RBI, a walk and two extra-base hits in the victory. Alvarez tacked on two hits, one run, three RBI and a double and a home run of her own. 

Abe improved to 4-2 after going 4.2 innings and striking out three. 

GAME TWO KEY MOMENTS

Game two proved to be a pitcher's duel with the Boxers squeaking out a 3-2 victory to take the series 3-1. 

Sophomore Cassidy Crusberg put together her best outing of the season in the loss. She went 4.1 innings and allowed six hits and three runs (two earned). Abe relieved her and pitched 1.2 innings of scoreless relief. 

Gildersleeve paced the Pioneers offensively with two hits and a solo home run. 

Lewis & Clark took the lead in the top of the third. With Jenson on first base and one out, Alvarez lined a double to right-center and Jenson raced all the way home. 

Pacific took the lead in the bottom half of the inning. With two outs, Samantha Petitt (double) and Rylee Patton recorded back-to-back run-scoring hits to make it 2-1. 

The Boxers had a chance to put the game away in the fifth. With the bases loaded and one out, Patton lifted a fly ball down the right field line but Alyssa Hoeke made a great diving play along the line to limit Pacific to a sacrifice fly.  

Gildersleeve opened the sixth inning with a solo home run to cut the deficit to 3-2. The Pioneers put two runners on later in the inning, but Pacific threw out a runner trying to steal third to quell the rally. 

DEEPER LOOK  

• Brackin finished the day 4-6 with two runs, two RBI, two doubles and a home run. 
• The game one victory was Lewis & Clark's first road win over Pacific since March 31, 2018. The Boxers swept Lewis & Clark in a doubleheader last year in Forest Grove. 
• Alvarez recorded five RBI against Pacific in the four-game set. 
• Lewis & Clark hit a season-high three home runs in game one. The pitching staff's one walk in game two tied a season-low. 

LOOKING AHEAD  

Lewis & Clark will travel to take on the University of Puget Sound on Saturday and Sunday for a four-game NWC set. Game one is set for Saturday at Noon.