Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 PORTLAND, Ore.—Mari Alvarez hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to lift Softball to a series victory on Senior Day at the Huston Sports Complex.
Alvarez's two-run home run lifted the Pioneers to a 3-1 win in their 2022 regular-season finale and the Pioneers first Northwest Conference series victory of the season.
Follow the Lewis & Clark Pioneers on social media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | #PiosSB | #RollPios | #chamPIOns
KEY MOMENTS GAME ONE: LEWIS & CLARK 6-3
Willamette University scored five runs in the top of the fifth inning, across two days, to earn a 6-3 win over the Pioneers.
The game started on Saturday, but was halted in the top of the fifth inning due to a mixture of snow, hail and rain. The contest resumed on Sunday morning and the Bearcats were able to tack on two more runs and hold on to snap their 15-game losing streak.
Prior to the contest, Lewis & Clark recognized their five senior members: Lily Moffitt, Olivia Brackin, Jules Henderson, Kami Merrill and Braylin Jenson.
Alyssa Hoeke led the Pioneers in the contest with two hits and an RBI. Brackin and Jenson each added an RBI single and Henderson tacked on a run scored and a hit.
In the circle, Cassidy Crusberg took the loss after allowing 10 hits, one walk and six runs (four earned). Kyle Hill came on for the seventh inning and worked around a walk to pitch a scoreless inning.
Lewis & Clark scored the first three runs of the contest. In the second, Kalea Kaui worked a two-out walk and Henderson followed with a single to right-center to put runners at the corners. Jenson followed with an RBI single to center field to score Kaui and Hoeke made it 2-0 with an infield RBI single of her own.
In the third inning, Gildersleeve walked with one out, stole second, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Brackin's RBI single.
Willamette cut it to 3-1 on a Cassie Cosler solo home run in the fourth and then scored the rest of their runs in the fifth.
With the skies opening, each of the first five batters reached in the top of the fifth before the game was halted. Willamette took a 4-3 lead into Sunday and scored two more runs on an RBI groundout and a two-out single by Gianna Marchese.
Lewis & Clark put a runner on in the fifth and seventh innings but couldn't get a run across against Faith Collar. Collar went the full seven innings and allowed three runs to earn her first collegiate win.
KEY MOMENTS GAME ONE: LEWIS & CLARK 3-1
Alyssa Abe scattered five hit and one run over seven innings and Alvarez and Samantha Gildersleeve each hit home runs to help the Pioneers cap off the season with a 3-1 victory.
The season finale for both teams was a pitching duel, with Abe and Willamette's Jordyn Johnson posting zeroes through the first 3.5 innings.
In the fourth, Gildersleeve laced a solo home run over the left-field to give the Pioneers a 1-0 win.
Willamette tied the game in the top of the fifth. Marchese doubled to open the frame and scampered home on a Cora Erickson single to left-center. Erickson tried to leg out a double but a perfect throw from Jenson and a quick swipe tag from Moffitt was enough to get Erickson at second.
The Bearcats put a runner at third base with one out in the sixth, but Abe struck out the next batter and induced a fly out to center to get out of the jam.
Lewis & Clark took the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Brackin reached on an error and with one out Alvarez clubbed a home run well over the left-center fence for a 3-1 advantage.
Willamette put a runner aboard with one out in the seventh but Abe induced a fly out to left and Brackin made a running catch in foul territory to close out the game, the season and the career of the five Pioneers seniors.
DEEPER LOOK
- The Pioneers five seniors finish their career with 48 victories.
- Abe's 12 wins are a new career-high and are tied for fourth in program history for a single-season. It's the most wins by a Pioneers pitcher since Liz Coburn won 14 (second-most all-time) in 2001. Abe also finishes the season tied for sixth in a single-season in strikeouts (79) and just outside the top-10 in innings pitched (125) and games pitched (28).
- Moffitt finishes the season tied for first in program history with 12 doubles in a single-season. Her 12 doubles in 38 games is tied for the fewest games needed to reach the record with former teammate Emily Drevdahl (38 games).
- Brackin cracked the top-10 in program history for a single-season in several categories: batting average (.387 – 7th), hits (46 – t-6th with her 2019 season), doubles (nine – t-9th), home runs (8 – t-7th), RBI (28 – t-7th), total bases (81 – t-4th with her 2019 season) and slugging percentage (.681 – 7th).
- The Pioneers finish off the season winners of three out of four against Willamette and five of their final seven overall. Lewis & Clark took at least one game from every NWC team but #13 Linfield University.
WHAT'S NEXT
Lewis & Clark is scheduled to return 14 players for the 2023 season.
