THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.—Three Lewis & Clark College softball pitchers held California Lutheran University to three runs over 13 innings in a non-conference doubleheader split on Saturday at Hutton Field. 

THE BASICS
Cal Lutheran 2, Lewis & Clark 1
Lewis & Clark 4, Cal Lutheran 1
(Lewis & Clark 4-2) 
(Cal Lutheran 3-3) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
 
For the second day in a row, softball dropped their opener, before using strong pitching and timely hitting to earn a game two victory. 
 
Freshman Lainey Honma led the offense on the day with four hits, including three hits in the opener. Senior Alyssa Abe came on in relief in both games and allowed two hits, three walks and one unearned run in 5.1 innings of action. 
 
GAME ONE RECAP 
 
Cal Lutheran scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth and freshman Brooke DeSmet thwarted several late Pioneers rallies. 
 
Freshman Charlize Pope earned the start and went toe-to-toe with DeSmet for the opening three frames. She finished her outing after 3.2 innings with four hits and two runs allowed. Abe held the Regals to one hit and one walk over the final 2.1 frames. 
 
Offensively, Honma accounted for three of the team's five hits. The freshman outfielder went 3-4. Junior Mari Alvarez added a solo home run and freshman Emily Patton extended her hitting streak to five games with a single. Sophomore Riley Anderson finished 0-0 after walking three times. 
 
Lewis & Clark threatened multiple times in the first four frames. In the first inning, Patton singled with one down and Anderson followed with a walk to put two on with two outs. The Pioneers put two on the third and had an even better chance in the fourth. Alvarez reached on an error and Anderson followed to put two on with no outs. Kalea Kaui grounded out to move both runners up 60 feet, but DeSmet induced a foul pop and a groundout to get out of the jam. 
 
In the bottom of the fourth, each of the first two batters singled, but Honma threw behind the lead runner at second to get the first out. After a foul out for the second out, Ally Macapagal tripled to drive in the first run and Mia Antonino greeted Abe with an RBI double to make it 2-0. 
 
After putting two more runners on in the top of the fifth, the Pios scored for the first time in the sixth. Alvarez opened the inning by crushing her second home run of the season. Anderson walked and reached third with two outs but McKenna Zehnder's line drive was right at the second baseman for the third out. 
 
With two outs in the top of the seventh, Honma singled to keep hope alive, but DeSmet induced a fly out to end the game. 
 
GAME TWO RECAP 
 
Lewis & Clark grabbed an immediate lead and never looked back as Sickels and Abe shut down the Cal Lutheran offense. 
 
Sickels moved to 3-0 on the season and extended her shutout streak to 16 innings. The freshman allowed four hits and four walks in four-plus innings. Abe got the Pioneers out of a jam in the fifth and threw three innings of one-run ball. 
 
Offensively, Kaui and Sickels each finished with two hits and two RBI in the win. Anderson went 2-4 with a run scored and Honma added a hit and a run. 
 
Lewis & Clark jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Honma walked and raced to third when the Regals committed an error allowing Patton to reach. After back-to-back outs and a Patton advancement, Kaui delivered a two-run, two-out RBI single. 
 
In the top of the third, Alvarez opened the inning with a double and pinch runner Lola Jarrette stood at third with two outs. Sickels came through with an RBI single down the left-field line to make it 3-0. 
 
Sickels faced her most difficult challenge of the season through the first four frames, with the Regals putting multiple base runners on in every inning. The freshman stood up to the task and stranded eight baserunners through four. 
 
She helped her own cause in the fifth. Anderson doubled with one out and Kaui followed with a single to put runners at the corners. Sickels delivered another RBI single down the left-field line to make it 4-0. 
 
The Regals chased Sickels in the bottom of the inning. The leadoff hitter reached on the third Pios error of the contest and Ariana Mendoza followed with a double to put two runners in scoring position with no outs. Abe came on and worked the Pios out of the jam. She walked the first hitter she faced to load the bases but the next batter lined out to left and Honma doubled off the runner at third for a double play. Abe induced a pop up to leave two more Regals on base. 
 
Cal Lutheran added an unearned run in the sixth, when a Pios error put a runner on with two down and Makayla Lopez followed with an RBI double.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Anderson reached in five of her seven trips to the plate (three walks and two hits). 
• After committing one error in their first five games, the Pioneers committed a season-high four miscues in game two on Saturday. The Pioneers own a .970 fielding percentage on the season. 
• Honma posted a pair of outfield assists against the Regals. 
• The Pioneers game two win snapped a three-game losing streak against Cal Lutheran that dated back to March 24, 2009. 
• Honma (two three-hit games) and Sickels (two two-hit games) each have posted a pair of multi-hit contests in their first three collegiate starts. 
• Cal Lutheran is 3-3 this year with three splits against Northwest Conference teams (Pacific University and the University of Puget Sound).  

WHO'S NEXT 
 
The Pioneers will travel to Occidental College for a non-conference doubleheader at 10 a.m. and Noon on the final day of their Southern California trip.