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Box Score 2 SALEM, Ore.—Lewis & Clark softball jumped all over host Willamette in game one and scored the final nine runs in game two, to earn a sweep of Day 1 against Northwest Conference foe Willamette University.
With the two wins, the Pioneers earned their first Day 1 doubleheader sweep of the season against a conference foe and need just one win on Senior Day to win their first conference series of the season.
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KEY MOMENTS GAME ONE: LEWIS & CLARK 7-5
Sophomore Mari Alvarez belted a bases-clearing double and fellow sophomore Cassidy Crusberg allowed three earned runs over seven innings in a 7-5 win.
The Pioneers scored three runs in the third and sixth innings to open up a 6-1 lead and held off a late Bearcats rally to earn the win.
Seniors Braylin Jenson (two runs) and Lily Moffitt each finished with two hits, at least one run and one RBI in the win. Freshman Katie Ingersoll added a hit, a walk and two runs scored.
In the circle, Cruberg scattered 10 hits, two walks and five runs (three earned) over seven innings to earn her third win of the year.
In the third inning, Kalea Kaui led off with a double and Pippi Jepsen pinch-ran for her. After a walk to Ingersoll, the Pioneers perfectly executed a double-steal with Jepsen coming across to score. Jenson plated Ingersoll with an RBI double to make it 2-0 and Moffitt followed with an RBI double of her own to make it 3-0.
In the fifth inning, the Pioneers loaded the bases up with no outs thanks to a pair of singles and a Bearcats error. Alvarez made the hosts pay with a double to center field that cleared the bases.
Lewis & Clark scored one final run in the sixth. Ingersoll led off with a single, stole second, took third on a wild pitch and raced home on a wild pitch with two outs.
Willamette scored a single run in the sixth and three runs in the seventh to bring the tying run to the plate. Crusberg induced a soft popup to second to close out the win.
KEY MOMENTS GAME ONE: LEWIS & CLARK 10-3
After going down 3-1 after two innings, Lewis & Clark scored nine unanswered runs to close out their second sweep of a conference foe this season.
Olivia Brackin went 4-4 with two runs, three RBI, a double and a home run in her final collegiate road game.
Samantha Gildersleeve added a single, three runs scored and an RBI in the win.
In the circle, Alyssa Abe overcame a slow start to pick up her career-high 11th win of the season. The junior allowed 11 hits, one walk and three earned runs. Fellow junior Kylie Hill came on and struck out two over two scoreless frames.
Lewis & Clark tied the game at one in the top of the second. Gildersleeve led off the inning with a hit by pitch, moved to second on a Brackin single and stole third. With one out, she raced home on a wild pitch.
Willamette scored two runs in the bottom of the second to take their largest lead of the day (3-1).
The Pioneers immediately responded. Alyssa Hoeke reached on an error, stole second and moved to third on a groundout. Gildersleeve was hit by another pitch to put runners on the corners and Hoeke scored on a wild pitch. Brackin followed with a double to right field that easily plated Gildersleeve.
Lewis & Clark took the lead and blew the game open with a five-run fifth. With one out, Moffitt doubled and Alvarez followed with a single to left. Gildersleeve gave the Pioneers the lead (4-3) with a sacrifice fly to right that scored Moffitt. Brackin made it 6-3 when she crushed a home run over the center-field fence. With runners at first and second and two outs, Abe and Riley Anderson each raced home when the Bearcats center fielder dropped a fly ball off the bat of Ingersoll.
The Pioneers tacked on two more runs in the seventh on a Jules Henderson grounder and a Kaui sacrifice fly.
DEEPER LOOK
- Lewis & Clark earned their second sweep of a doubleheader in NWC play this season. The Pioneers swept Pacific Lutheran (4-2 in 8 innings and 17-9 in five innings) at home on March 20.
- With her game two win, Abe became the first Pioneers pitcher to win 11 games in a single-season since Jauna Williams won 11 in 2002.
- Junior catcher Lindsey Flegel made her return to the field for the Pioneers. Her appearance in game two was her first since February 19.
- Moffitt reached 100 career hits in game number one. Her RBI double in the top of the third inning was her 100th career hit.
- With the sweep, Lewis & Clark reached the 10-win mark (10-16) in conference play. The Pioneers moved into fifth-place in the conference with their two wins.
WHO'S NEXT
Lewis & Clark will look to earn their first series win of the season on Senior Day. The Pioneers will host the Bearcats at Noon and 2 p.m. and need one win to earn the series victory. Prior to game one, Lewis & Clark will honor Kami Merrill, Moffitt, Jenson, Henderson and Brackin.
