WEST LINN, Ore.—Lewis & Clark College softball secured a 6-3 game four victory, to earn the split on Sunday and of the four-game weekend set with the University of Puget Sound. 
 
THE BASICS
Puget Sound 7, Lewis & Clark 5
Lewis & Clark 6, Puget Sound 5
(Lewis & Clark 8-8, Northwest Conference 2-6) 
(Puget Sound 5-9, NWC 2-6) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Junior Cassidy Crusberg and freshman Maggie O'Leary combined to limit the Loggers to eight hits (seven singles) and five walks in a crucial game four win. O'Leary pitched the final four innings to earn her first collegiate victory. 
 
Sophomore Riley Anderson and junior Mari Alvarez led the Pioneers offensively. Anderson finished the day 4-6 with two runs and three RBI. Alvarez chipped in three hits in five at-bats, two runs, an RBI, one walk/hit by pitch and a triple. 

GAME ONE RECAP 
 
Puget Sound erased an early 3-2 hole by scoring five of the next six runs to earn a 7-5 game one victory. 
 
Anderson led three Pioneers with multiple hits in the loss. The Pios first baseman went 3-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Alvarez chipped in two hits in four at-bats and one run/RBI/triple. Freshman Emily Patton posted her third-straight multi-hit game of the series with two hits, one run and one double. 
 
In the circle, senior Alyssa Abe started and went three innings and allowed three runs. Charlize Pope pitched the next 2.2 innings and scattered seven hits and four runs. O'Leary came on and gave up one hit, one walk and struck out one in 1.1 scoreless innings. 
 
After going down 2-0 in the top of the first inning, Lewis & Clark responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Patton started the rally with a one-out single and raced home on an Alvarez bloop triple that fell in front of the diving right fielder. Anderson followed with an RBI single and she raced home on an Abe double to left-center. 
 
Puget Sound tied the game in the top of the third, only for the Pios to retake the lead in the fourth. With one out, freshman Lola Jarrette recorded a pinch-hit single and took second on a wild pitch and third on a single from freshman McKenna Zehnder. After a strikeout for the second out, Jarrette raced home as part of a double steal. 
 
The Loggers grabbed the lead for good in the fifth. Each of the first three batters singled to tie the game at 4-4 and Kendall Gantz provided the big blow with a one-out, two-run double. The visitors added a single run in the sixth to push their lead to 7-4. 
 
Lewis & Clark tried to come all the way back in the bottom of the sixth. With two outs, Lainey Honma doubled to center and scored after a Loggers throwing error on the next play. The Pios loaded the bases on another error and an Anderson infield single but Gantz picked up a big strikeout to leave the bases loaded. 
 
GAME TWO RECAP 
 
Lewis & Clark struck for four runs in the bottom of the first inning and scored two key insurance runs in the fifth to earn the split. 
 
In the circle, Crusberg started her first game of the season and went three innings. She scattered five hits and two runs, while walking two and striking out one. O'Leary allowed three hits, three walks and one run, while striking out five over the final four innings. 
 
Lewis & Clark was limited to just six hits in the contest. Anderson recorded one hit, one run and two RBI and Honma, Patton and Alvarez each finished with one hit and one run scored. 
 
Puget Sound loaded the bases in the first inning with no outs but managed just one run, as Crusberg posted a strikeout, a line out and ground out to minimize the damage. 
 
Lewis & Clark responded in a big way in the bottom of the first. Honma led off the frame with a double and Alvarez walked with one out. Anderson delivered an RBI single to right center to tie the game 1-1. The Pios grabbed the lead on an interesting play in the next at-bat. Alvarez raced home on a wild pitch and Anderson never slowed down, she took off for third and the throw to third skipped in to left field, allowing Anderson to score and make it 3-1. The Pios added a fourth run later in the inning, when senior Kalea Kaui scored on a McKenna Zehnder single and another UPS error. 
 
Puget Sound cut the deficit to 4-2 in the third and to one run in the fifth, only for the Pioneers to come through with two runs in the bottom of the fifth. 
 
Patton led off the frame with a bunt single and took third on an Alvarez single. Patton scored on an Anderson sac fly and pinch runner Gina Ozuna scored on a Sam Gildersleeve bunt single. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• O'Leary went 5.1 innings on Sunday and allowed four hits, one run, four walks and struck out six. Her four-inning outing in game two was the longest of her collegiate career. 
• The Pioneers and Loggers have now split four-straight doubleheaders and the season series in each of the past two seasons. 
• Jarrette recorded her second career hit in her fifth career at-bat. 
• Anderson sits second in the Northwest Conference in runs batted in (23) and fifth in conference games (10). 
• Patton finished the weekend with seven hits (7-15) and she has now hit safely in six-straight and seven of the team's eight NWC games.  

WHO'S NEXT
 
Lewis & Clark is scheduled to host Pacific University on Tuesday at 2 and 4 p.m. in the first of two rescheduled NWC doubleheaders.