PORTLAND, Ore.—Lewis & Clark College softball used strong pitching and defense and timely hitting, to earn a doubleheader sweep with a pair of walk-off wins on Opening Day at the Huston Sports Complex. 
 
THE BASICS
Lewis & Clark 4, Bushnell University 3
Lewis & Clark 10, Bushnell 0 (5 Innings) 
(Lewis & Clark 2-0) 
(Bushnell 2-6) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Lewis & Clark used a pair of late runs in game one and then dominated Bushnell for a mercy-rule victory in the second contest. 
 
While the bats were a major story, the Pioneers new-look pitching staff proved to be one of the biggest highlights of the day. The trio of senior Alyssa Abe and freshmen Charlize Pope and Tallulah Sickels combined to allow just 10 hits, three earned runs and no walks or hit by pitches in 12 innings. They also tacked on 15 strikeouts, with all three pitchers striking out at least four batters. 
 
GAME ONE RECAP 
 
Bushnell grabbed leads of 2-0 and 3-2 but Lewis & Clark scored two runs in the fourth and a single run in the sixth and seventh innings to open their season with a 4-3 victory. 
 
Junior Kalea Kaui hit a game-tying two-run homer in the fourth and sophomore Riley Anderson laced the first pitch she saw into center field in the bottom of the seventh to plate Madison Scroggins with the game-winning run.
 
Abe and Pope kept the Pioneers in the contest all game long. Abe pitched the opening four frames and scattered three hits and two runs, while striking out four. Pope came on for the final three frames and allowed three hits and one run, while striking out five in her collegiate debut. 
 
Bushnell ace Sam Silver went six+ innings and finished with a line of seven hits, four runs (three earned) and three strikeouts. 
 
The Beacons jumped out to an early 2-0 lead thanks to a pair of solo home runs from Madison Steelman. Lewis & Clark responded in the bottom of the fourth. Samantha Gildersleeve opening the inning by legging out a double and was able to walk home after Kaui blasted a home run over the center field fence. 
 
Bushnell retook the lead in the top of the sixth on a two-out, single off the center field fence from Hannah Tennant. 
 
Lewis & Clark immediately responded once again. Gildersleeve reached on an error  and stole second with two outs. Freshman Emily Patton dribbled a grounder to the second baseman who couldn't get the ball out of her glove and Patton beat the throw to first. Gildersleeve never stopped running on the play and scored without a throw to tie it at 3-3. 
 
Pope allowed a leadoff single in the top of the seventh, but registered a strike out and pop up to strand the runner at second base. 
 
In the bottom of the seventh, Scroggins led off with her first collegiate hit and beat the throw to second on an Alyssa Hoeke grounder to third base to put two on with no outs. Junior Mari Alvarez ripped a line drive single to left to load the bases. Anderson wasted no time, as she lined a single to center to easily score Scroggins and end the game. 
 
GAME TWO RECAP 
 
Sickels dominated in the circle and the Pioneers used a six-run bottom of the third to blow the game open in a 10-0, five-inning victory. 
 
The Pios freshman went five innings and limited the Beacons to four singles and no runs, while striking out six. She also added the Pioneers first hit and run of the game and finished 2-3 with two runs and an RBI. 
 
Lewis & Clark ended the game with just seven hits, but took advantage of eight Beacons walks, one hit by pitch and two errors. 
 
The Pioneers grabbed the lead in the bottom of the second. Sickels flared a single to shallow center, took second on a Patton walk and moved to third on a Lacey Marglin sac bunt. Katie Ingersoll drove Sickels in with a sacrifice fly down the left-field line. 
 
The hosts blew the game open with a marathon bottom of the third. Lewis & Clark sent 12 batters to the plate against three different Bushnell pitchers. The Pios only recorded four hits in the frame but took advantage of four walks, an error and two wild pitches. 
 
Kaui started the scoring when her double down the left-field line plated Alvarez. With one out and two runners in scoring position, freshmen McKenna Zehnder put down a bunt and Kaui beat the throw home to make it 3-0. Sickels followed with an RBI single to score Anderson and Patton made it 5-0 with a single to right that was bobbled for long enough to score Zehnder. After a pitching change, Sickels and Patton each scurried home on wild pitches to extend the lead to 7-0. 
 
Bushnell put together their best scoring chance in the top of the fifth. With one out, the Beacons registered back-to-back singles to put two runners on for the first time in the contest. Sickels settled in and posted a strikeout and a groundout to third to get out of the mini jam.  
 
In the bottom of the inning, freshman Lainey Honma worked a walk in her first collegiate plate appearance and Katie Ingersoll followed with a walk of her own. With the mercy-rule run at third base, Alvarez crushed a home run well over the left-field fence to start a massive Pioneers celebration at home plate. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Eight Pioneers freshmen (Lola Jarrette, Zehnder, Patton, Scroggins, Pope, Sickels, Marglin, Honma) made their collegiate debuts and five freshmen (Zehnder, Patton, Scroggins, Sickels, Marglin) made their first collegiate starts on Saturday. 
• Kaui finished the day 3-6 with two runs, three RBI, a double and a homer. 
• The Pioneers did not commit an error across 12 innings of play. 
• Lewis & Clark finished the day at the plate with twice as many free passes (nine walks and two hit by pitches) as strikeouts (five). 
• Patton (two), Sickels (two), Zehnder and Scroggins all recorded their first collegiate hits in the wins. 
• Lewis & Clark's pitching staff limited the Beacons to a .227 batting average and three extra-base hits. 

WHO'S NEXT 
 
The Pioneers will travel to Southern California for six games against teams from the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. They will start their trip with a pair of games at Whittier College on Friday starting at Noon.